The first drawn number was 4. What a wild leap her heart gave! The next
was 24; the next 8; the next 70; the next 41, and the next 39. Her heart
grew almost still; the pressure as of a great hand was on her bosom. 10
came next. Two numbers of her row were out. A quiver of excitement ran
through her frame. She caught up the paper, but it shook as before, so
that she could not see the figures. Dashing it back upon the counter,
and holding it down almost violently, she bent over, with eyes starting
from their sockets, and read the line of figures to the end, then sank
over upon the counter with a groan, and lay there half fainting and too
weak to lift herself up. If the 40 had been there, she would have made a
hit of twenty-five thousand dollars. But the 40 was not there, and this
made all the difference.
“Once more,” said the policy-dealer, in a tone of encouragement, as he
bent over the miserable woman. “Yesterday, 4 came out; to-day, 4, 10;
tomorrow will be the lucky chance; 4, 10, 40 will surely be drawn. I
never knew this order to fail. If it had been 10 first, and then 4, 10,
or 10, 4, I would not advise you to go on. But 4, 10, 40 will be drawn
to-morrow as sure as fate.”
“What numbers did you say? 4, 10, 40?” asked an old man, ragged and
bloated, who came shuffling in as the last remarks was made.
“Yes,” answered the dealer. “This lady has been doubling, and as the
chances go, her row is certain to make a hit to-morrow.”
“Ha! What's the row? 4, 10, 40?”
“Yes.”
The old man fumbled in his pocket, and brought out ten cents.
“I'll go that on the row. Give me a piece.”
The dealer took a narrow slip of paper and wrote on it the date, the
sum risked and the combination of figures, and handed it to the old man,
saying,
“Come here to-morrow; and if the bottom of the world doesn't drop out,
you'll find ten dollars waiting for you.”
Two or three others were in by this time, eager to look over the list of
drawn numbers and to make new bets.
“Glory!” cried one of them, a vile-looking young woman, and she
commenced dancing about the room.
All was excitement now. “A hit! a hit!” was cried. “How much? how much?”
and they gathered to the little counter and desk of the policy-dealer.
“1, 2, 3,” cried the girl, dancing about and waving her little slip
of paper over her head. “I knew it would come--dreamed of them numbers
three nights hand running! Hand over the money, old chap! Fifteen
dollars for fifteen cents! That's the go!”
The policy-dealer took the girl's “piece,” and after comparing it with
the record of drawn numbers, said, in a pleased voice,
“All right! A hit, sure enough. You're in luck to-day.”
The girl took the money, that was promptly paid down, and as she counted
it over the dealer remarked,
“There's a doubling game going on, and it's to be up to-morrow, sure.”
“What's the row?” inquired the girl.
“4, 10, 40,” said the dealer.
“Then count me in;” and she laid down five dollars on the counter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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