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There's no doubt that Alison about this time and afterwards did want to dabble in danger. She was not her father's daughter for nothing. She encouraged high play. For herself, she enjoyed the excitement of it, having no need to care if she lost. She wanted to have about her people who affected heavy stakes, believing in the innocence of her heart that they were exhilarating company.
Charles looked across at him at last; the stakes by that time were fast rising higher, and we played for ready money. "Well," he murmured provokingly, "how about your inspiration? Has Apollo deserted you?" It was an unwonted flight of classical allusion for Charles, and I confess it astonished me. "No," he answered calmly, "I am waiting for one now.
"Go on go on!" "Then there was a man of London, who was only a waiter at White's clubhouse. He began playing first half-crown stakes, and then higher and higher, till he became very rich, got an appointment in India, and rose to be Governor of Madras. His daughter married a member of Parliament, and the Bishop of Carlisle stood godfather to one of the children." "Wonderful! wonderful!"
She was fond of piquet, and we played together for small stakes for some time. In the end she lost twenty crowns to me, and I was forced to take the money for fear of offending her. When we went back we met Croce and Conti, who had both won Conti a score of louis at Faro, and Croce more than a hundred guineas at 'passe dix', which he had been playing at a club of Englishmen.
Sure enough this was their intention; seizing us one by one, they stretched us on the turf in three files, the heads of one file resting between the feet of the row above him; driving the stakes firmly into the ground, they fastened thongs of raw hide to our wrists and ankles, and passing them around the pins, drew our feet and arms out to their utmost tension, making our joints fairly crack.
I thought I had the advantage of knowing every foot of the land, all the old big trees were personal friends of mine, and with the views of any given point I was perfectly familiar I had studied them hundreds of times; and after this great landscape architect had laid out his plans and had driven his lines of stakes, I asked if I might see what I could do with the job.
His eyes came up to hers on the instant. "What of it?" he said. She laughed down at him. "Let's mount! I'll race you to it." He leapt to his feet like, a boy. "What's the betting?" "Anything you like!" she threw back gaily. "Whoever gets there first can fix the stakes." He laughed aloud, and the sound of his laugh made her catch her breath with a sharp, involuntary start.
An absurd incident occurred to me here which might have had an unpleasant ending. Every evening, after dinner in the mess tent, we played whist. One night, quite by accident, Fred and I happened to be partners. The Major and another officer made up the four. The stakes were rather high. We two had had an extraordinary run of luck. The Major's temper had been smouldering for some time.
But the Romans cut light stakes, mostly of one fork, with three, or at the most four branches; so that a soldier, with his arms slung at his back, can conveniently carry several of them together; and then they stick them down so closely, and interweave the branches in such a manner, that it cannot be seen to what main stem any branch belongs; besides which, the boughs are so sharp, and wrought so intimately with each other, as to leave no room for a hand to be thrust between; consequently an enemy cannot lay hold of any thing capable of being dragged out, or, if that could be done, could he draw out the branches thus intertwined, and which mutually bind each other.
Yes I don't know I reckon. We got our passage engaged. It's on one of them French boats. We're goin' to Paris." "Oh! That will be interesting to the young ladies." "Yes. I reckon we're goin' for them. 'Tain't likely my wife and me would want to pull up stakes at our age," said the old man, sorrowfully. "But you may find it do you good, Mr.
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