The Gates of Chance

een of

drum wears upon the spirit, that the flatness of the daily road may be a harder thing to get over than even Mr. Bunyan's hill Difficulty, but for a man to surrender himself mind and body to solitaire argues weakness. Moreover, it was a ridiculous combination of the cards that Indiman inva

t of obtaining the treasure, but the over-confidence of my friend Indiman, coupled with the blunders of a stupid detective, had brought about a premature explosion of the train. To Indiman, apologetic and remorseful, the

signed upon the familiar model of the court-card in question; so much for number two. But Fortune had been almost too kind, and immediately upon this promising beginning she had withdrawn her smiles. For upward of a month nothing whatever had happened. As I have said, Indiman played solitaire and I smoked as mu

inite precision, and handed them to me to cut. I did so. Indiman took the pack and flung it into the air; the cards flutte

ked, jestingly. But Indiman was nothing if not serious

aped eyes and the abnormally high arch of the brows. Would you know her in the actual flesh-say, on Broadway? Brunette, of course, jet-black

. And yet, why not? The lady certainly made the advances; it is an equivale

sarily an insurmountable one. Let us consult the street directory, with

although there is much of virtue in the digit 9, as every adept knows. Names are our quest to-day, so listen to them as they

ghteenth-century graft," I sugg

cross the line. To speak precisely, Division Street appears to start at Chatham Square, and it runs eastward to Grand St

s spirits had risen amazingly. "Why, it's only an elementary exercise," he said, smilingly. "Divide an East Side street

nine tailoring business of the lower East Side is centred at this its upper end. In the one short block from Chatham Square to Market Street there are twenty-seven millinery establishments-count them for yourself-and with

a pound or more; daring confections in gauze and feathers; parterres of exotic blooms such as no earthly garden ever held; hats with bows on 'em and hats with birds on 'em, and hats with beasts on 'em; hats that twitter and hats that squawk; hats of lordly velvet and hats of plebeian corduroy; felt hats, straw hats, chip hats; wide brim and narrow bri

esser Alpine summits-a Koh-i-noor in whose sp

elbow. "Look at tha

ot an authority upon hats-most distinctly not; and I shall probably display my ignorance with the first w

creation was the parasol-like fringe that depended from the edge of the brim, a continuous row of four-inch filaments upon which shining black beads were closely strung. An over-bold device, perhaps, but it certainly caught the eye; there was a barbaric suggestion in those strings of glittering beads that made one think of the Congo and of tomtoms beating brazenly in the

Yes, and the Queen of Spades in person," he added, in an undertone, for L. Hernandez was s

prepared to catch the customer on the hop. Even in winter the larger establishments will keep a scout on duty outside, and the lesser proprietor must, at least, cast an occasiona

the slightly drooping mouth, the peculiar upspring of the eyebrow arch-the Que

p. "Madame," he said, with elaborat

the sun isn't shining above Madison Square," she added, sarcastically.

ed good-humor. "Alike upon the just and unjust, y

ou want in

," replied Indiman, and pointe

not for

ly for what strikes my fancy.

is not

the utmost suavity, "are you

a

n that

me to be on my feet for so lo

glazed presses, filled with feminine hats and bonnets, lined the walls. Near the window was a small counter, behind which Madame L. Hernandez immediately installed herself, a

iman, stubbornly "-that

e children, with pillows in the dark. You

nt thrust and parry; it was to be a duel, the

ion of money-" sa

is n

take it whe

ndez, placidly. "But you must firs

nquil,

You are but wa

unlimited quantity. I

aire. How many vari

ed and thi

one hundred a

ng the '

ridge'! Do you

m a Polish gentle

diffi

may come out once i

from underneath the counter. "Will you obli

taire properly resolved, the cards should finally divide themselves into four packs, headed respectively by the ace of clu

ain to-morrow," sa

ood-day, gentleme

ined us, a man with one ear noticeably larger than

you, Br

the Central Office. I saw you coming out of L.

ase?" said Ind

Bless you! it's no great shakes of a lay-out. There's the letter-a single sheet of note-paper written in violet ink on one side only, and we know the party who has it

hile we were waiting for our filet to be prepared Indiman wrote a brief note and had it despatched by messenger; it was addressed, as he showed me, to Madame L. Hernan

ly; she sat in the great chair behind the counter, engaged in the truly feminine occupation of putting up her hair in curl-p

ined, smilingly. "My friends tell me that

uiesced Indiman; "but tell me,

apartments, at the back there, have been entered and ransacked from end to end; I even suffered the indignity of being personally searche

idn't get t

born yester

heartily. "What imbeci

, I show you the ruin wrough