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The Dice Thrower by Sydney Southgate.
Hunger is the most poignant when it has

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forced physical suffering to the highest point
without impairing the metal functions. Thus it

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was with Silas Carringer, a young
man of uncommonly high spirit, when he

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found himself a total stranger in a
ramshackle Mexican city one rainy night in November.

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In his possession remained not a single
article that he might have pawned for

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a morsel of food, and he
had already stripped his body of every shred

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of clothing except the few garments.
He was compelled by an inborn sense of

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fitness of things to retain. Bodily. Starvation as a consequence, was added

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to hunger, and his misery was
complete. It chanced that an extraordinary happening

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awaited Silas Carringer that night in Mexico. Otherwise he would either have drowned himself

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in the river within twenty four hours
or died of pneumonia within three days.

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He had been without food for seventy
hours, and his mental desperation had driven

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him far in its race with his
physical needs to consume the remaining strength of

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his emaciated body. Pale weak and
tottering, he took what comfort he could

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find and the savory odors which came
streaming up from the basement kitchens of the

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restaurants in the main street. He
lacked the courage to beg or steal,

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for he had been reared as a
gentleman and was accordingly out of place in

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the world. His teeth clattered,
his eyes had dark, ugly lines under

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them. He shambled, stooped,
and gasped. He was too desperate to

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curse his fate. He could only
long for food. He could not reason,

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He could not reflect, He could
not understand that there were pitying hands

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somewhere that might gladly have suckered him. He could think only of the hunger

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which consumed him, of the food
which could give him warmth and comparative happiness.

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Staggering along the streets, he came
at last to a restaurant a little

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way from the main thoroughfares. Stopping
before the window, he stared greedily at

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the stakes within, thick and juicy, lined with big fat oysters lying on

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ice, At the slices of ham
as large as his hat, at the

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roasted chickens, brown and ready for
the table, and he ground his teeth

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groaning, and staggered on. A
few steps onward was a drinking saloon.

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At one sight of it was a
private door with the words family Entrance painted

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thereon, And in the recess of
the door, which was closed, there

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stood the dark figure of a man. In spite of his own agony,

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Carringer saw something which appalled him in
the stranger's face as the street light fell

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upon it, and yet at the
same time he was fascinated. Perhaps it

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was the unspeakable anguish of those features
that appealed to the starving man's sympathy.

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And he came to an uncertain halt
at the doorway and stared rudely upon the

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stranger. At first, the man
did not notice him, seeming to look

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straight out into the street with a
curious fixity of expression, and the deathlike

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pallor of his face sent a chill
through Carringer's limbs, chilled nigh to stone,

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though they were already the stranger caught
sight of him at last, Ah,

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he said, slowly, with a
peculiar clearness, the rain has caught

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you too. Without an overcoat or
umbrella, stand in this doorway. There

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is room for two. The voice
was not unkind, though it sounded strangely

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harsh. It was the first word
that had been addressed to Carringer since hunger

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possessed him, and to be spoken
to it all gave him cheer. So

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he took his place in the doorway
beside the mysterious stranger, who at once

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relapsed into his fixed gaze at nothingness
across the street. It may rain for

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a long time, he said,
presently, stirring himself. I am cold,

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and I can feel you trembling and
shivering. Let's step inside and drink.

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He turned and opened the door.
Carringer followed hope, slowly warming his

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chilled heart. The pale stranger led
the way into one of the little private

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compartments with which the place was fitted. Before sitting down, he drew from

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his pocket a roll of bank bills. You are younger than I, he

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said to carrying her. Will you
go to the bar and buy a bottle

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of absinthe and bring also a pitcher
of water and some glasses. I don't

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like the waiters hanging around here is
a twenty dollar bill. Carringer took the

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money and started down the corridor towards
the bar. He clutched the sudden wealth

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in his hand tightly. It felt
warm and comfortable, sending a delicious tingling

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sensation through his arm. How many
glorious meals did not the money represent?

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He could smell an imaginary steak broiled
with fat mushrooms and melted butter in the

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steaming dish. Then he paused and
looked steadily backward to where he left the

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stranger. Why not slip away while
he had the opportunity, away from the

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drinking saloon with the money, to
the restaurant he had passed half an hour

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ago and buys something to eat.
It was risky, but he hesitated,

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and the coward in him there are
other names than this triumphed. He went

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straight to the bar, as a
stranger had requested, and ordered the liquor.

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His step was weaker as he returned
to the compartment. The stranger was

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sitting at a little table, staring
at the opposite wall, just as he

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had stared across the street. He
wore a wide brimmed slouch hat pulled well

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over his eyes. Carringer could only
vaguely take the measure of the man's face.

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It was only after Carringer had set
the bottle and the glasses on the

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table and seated himself opposite that.
The stranger noticed his return. Oh you

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have brought it, he exclaimed,
without raising his voice. How kind of

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you. Now, please close the
door. Carringer was counting out the change

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from his pocket when the stranger interrupted
him. Keep that, he said,

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you will need it, for I
am going to win it back in a

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way that may interest you. Let
us drink first, though, and I

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will explain. He mixed two drinks
of absinthe and water, and the two

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men lifted their glasses. Carringer had
never tasted the liquor before, and it

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offended his palate at first. But
no sooner had it passed down his throat

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than he began to feel warm again
and the most delicious thrills he had heard

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of the absent drinkers of Paris.
And he wondered no longer at the deadly

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fascination of the liquor, not realizing
that his extreme weakness and the emptiness of

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his stomach made him peculiarly susceptible to
its effects. This will do us good,

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murmured the stranger, setting down his
glass. Presently, we shall have

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more. Meanwhile, tell me if
you know how to play with dice.

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Carringer replied that he did not.
I was afraid that you might not,

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said the stranger. All the same, please go to the bar and bring

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a dice box. I would ring
for it, he explained, seeing Carringer

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glancing toward the bell. But I
don't want the waiters coming in and out.

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Carringer brought the dice box, closed
the door carefully again, and the

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play began. It was not one
of the simpler games, but had complications

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in which judgment as well as chance
played a part. After a game or

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two without stakes, the stranger said, you have picked it up quite quickly.

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All the same, I will show
you that you don't understand it.

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We will throw for a dollar a
game, and in that way I shall

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win the money that you received in
change. Otherwise I would be robbing you,

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and I imagine that you cannot afford
to lose. I mean no offense.

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I am a plain spoken man,
but I believe in honesty before politeness.

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Here his face relaxed into a most
fearful grin. I merely want a

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little recreation, and you are so
good natured that I am sure you will

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not object. On the contrary,
replied Carringer politely, I shall enjoy it

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very well, but let us drink
again before we start. I believe I

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am growing colder. They drank again. Carringer took the liquor down with relish,

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for it was something in his stomach
at least, and it warmed and

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soothed him. Then the play commenced. He won. The pale stranger smiled

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quietly and opened another game again.
Carringer won. Then the stranger pushed back

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his hat and fixed his quiet gaze
upon his opponent, smiling Yet Carringer obtained

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a full view of the man's face
for the first time, and it appalled

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him. He had begun to acquire
a certain self possession and ease, and

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the novelty of the adventure was beginning
to pall before the new advances of his

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terrible hunger, when this revelation of
the man's face threw him back into confusion.

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It was the extraordinary expression of the
face that alarmed him. Never upon

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the face of a living being had
he beheld a pallor so chilling so deathlike.

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The features were more than pale,
they were ghastly as sunless frost Carringer's

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powers of observation had been sharpened by
the absinthe, and after having detected the

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stranger in an absent minded effort on
several occasions to stroke a beard which had

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no existence, he reflected that some
of the whiteness of the face might be

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due to the recent shaving and removal
of a full beard. The eyes were

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black, and his lower lip was
purple. The hands were fine, white

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and thin, and black veins bulged
out upon them. After gazing for a

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few moments at Carringer, the stranger
pulled his hat down over his eyes.

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Again. You are lucky, he
said, referring to the success of his

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opponent. Suppose we try another drink. There is nothing to shop up in

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a man's wits like absinthe, and
I see that you and I are going

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to have a delightful game. After
they drank, the play proceeded. Carringer

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won from the first, rarely losing
a game. He became greatly excited,

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color flooded his cheeks, and he
forgot his hunger. Thus, Stranger exhausted

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the little roll of bills which he
had first produced, and drew forth another

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much larger in amount. There were
several thousand dollars. In the role.

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At Carringer's right hand were his winnings
something like two hundred dollars. The stakes

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were raised and the game went on. Another drink was taken. Then fortune

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turned to the stranger. He began
to win easily. Carringer was stung by

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these reverses and began to play with
all his skill and judgment at his command.

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He took the lead again. Only
once did it occur to him to

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wonder what he should do with the
money if he continued to win, But

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a sense of honor decided for him
that it belonged to the stranger. As

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the play went on, Carringer's physical
suffering returned with increased aggressiveness. Sharp pains

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darted through him viciously, and he
writhed within him and ground his teeth in

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agony. Could he not order a
supper with his winnings, he wondered,

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No, it was, of course
out of the question. The stranger did

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not observe his suffering, for he
was now completely absorbed in the game.

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He seemed puzzled and disconcerted. He
played with the greatest care, studying each

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throw minutely. Not a word escaped
him. The two men drank occasionally,

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and the dice continued to rattle the
the money kept piling up at Carringer's hand.

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The pale stranger suddenly began to behave
strangely. At moments, he would

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start and throw back his head,
listening intently. His eyes would sharpen and

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flash as he did so, then
they would sink back into heaviness once more.

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Carringer saw a strange expression sweep over
the man's face on several occasions,

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an expression of ghastly frightfulness, and
the features would become fixed in a peculiar

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grimace. He noticed also that his
companion was steadily sinking deeper and deeper into

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a condition of apathy. Occasionally,
nonetheless, he would raise his eyes to

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Carringer's face after some lucky throw,
and he would fix them upon him with

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a steadiness that made the starving man
grow chiller than ever he had been before.

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Then came the time when the stranger
produced another roll of bills and braced

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himself for a bigger effort. With
speech somewhat thick, but still deliberate and

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very quiet, he addressed his young
opponent, you have won seventy four thousand

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dollars, and that is the exact
amount I have remaining. We have been

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playing for several hours, and I
am very tired and sore. You let

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us hasten the finish. You have
seventy four thousand dollars. I have seventy

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four thousand dollars. Neither of us
has a scent besides. Each will now

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stake his all and throw a final
game for it without hesitation, Carringer agreed.

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The bills made a considerable pile upon
the table. Carryinger threw, and

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his starving heart beat violently as the
pale stranger took up the dice box with

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exasperating deliberation. Hours seemed to pass
before he threw, But at last the

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dice rattled on the table and the
pale stranger had won. The winner sat

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staring at the dice, and then
he leaned slowly back in his chair,

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settling himself with seeming comfort, raised
his eyes to Carringers and fixed that unearthly

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stare upon him. He did not
speak. His face showed not a trace

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of emotion or even of intelligence.
He simply stared. One cannot keep one's

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eyes open very long without winking.
But the stranger never winked at all.

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He sat so motionless that carringer began
to fill with a vague dread. I

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will go now, he said,
standing back from the table. As he

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spoke, he recollected his position and
found himself swaying like a drunk man.

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The stranger made no reply, nor
did he relax his gaze. Under that

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gaze, the younger man shrank back
into his chair, terrified and faint.

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A deadly silence filled the compartment.
Suddenly he became aware that two men were

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talking in the next room, and
he listened cautiously. Walls were of wood,

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and he heard every word distinctly.
Yes, said a voice. He

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was seen to turn into this street
about three hours ago, and he must

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have shaved. He must have shaved
to remove a full beard would naturally make

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a great change in the man.
His extreme pallor attracted attention. As you

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know, he has been seriously troubled
with heart disease lately, and it has

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greatly altered him. Yes, but
his old skill remains. Why this is

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the most daring bank robbery we have
ever had. One hundred and forty eight

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thousand dollars, think of it.
How long is it since he came out

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of prison after the new York affair
eight years. In that time he has

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grown a beard and lived by throwing
dice. No human being can come out

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a winner in a game with him. The two men clink glasses and a

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silence fell between them. Then Carringer
heard the shuffling of their feet as they

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passed out, and he sat on, suffering terrible mental and bodily pain.

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The silence remained unbroken save for the
sound of voices far off and the clink

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of glasses. The dice players,
the pale Man and the starving one,

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sat gazing at each other, with
one hundred and forty eight thousand dollars piled

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up on the table between them.
The winner made no attempt to gather up

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the money. He merely sat and
stared at Carringer, wholly unmoved by the

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conversation. In the adjoining compartment,
Carringer began to shake with an augu The

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cold, unwavering gaze of the stranger
sent ice into his veins. Unable to

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bear it longer, he moved to
one side and was amazed to discover that

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the eyes of the pale man,
instead of following him, remained fixed upon

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the spot where he had sat.
A great fear came over him. He

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poured out the absinthe for himself with
shaking fingers, staring back at his companion,

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all the while watching him, watching
him as he drank alone and unnoticed.

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He drained the glass, and the
poison had a peculit uliar effect upon

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him. He felt his heart pounding
with alarming force and rapidity. His breathing

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came in great pumping spasms. His
hunger was now become a deadly thing,

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for the absinthe was destroying his vitals. In terror, he leaned forward to

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beg the hospitality of the stranger,
but his whisper had no effect. One

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of the man's hands lay on the
table carrying her, placed his own upon

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it, and drew back quickly,
for the hand was as cold as stone.

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Then there came into the starving man's
face a crafty expression, and he

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turned eagerly to the money. Silently
he grasped the pile of bills with his

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skeleton fingers, looking stealthily every moment
at the stark figure of his companion,

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mortally dreading lest he should stir.
And yet instead of hastening from the room

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with the stolen fortune, he sank
back into his chair again. A deadly

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fascination forced him there, and he
sat rigid, staring back into the wide

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stare of the other man. He
felt his breathing coming heavier and his heart

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beats growing weaker, but he was
comforted because his hunger was no longer causing

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him that acute pain. He felt
easier and actually yawned. If he had

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dared, he would have gone to
sleep. The pale stranger still stared at

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him without ceasing, and Carringer had
no inclination for anything but simply to stare

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back. The two detectives who had
traced the notorious bank robber to the drinking

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saloon moved slowly through the compartments,
searching in every nook and cranny of the

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building. At last they reached a
compartment from which no answer came. When

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they knocked. They pushed the door
open with a stereotype topology on their lips.

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They beheld two men before them,
one of middle age and the other

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very young, sitting perfectly still and
in the queerest manner imaginable, staring at

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each other. Across the table between
the two was a pile of money,

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and near at hand an empty absinthe
bottle, a water pitcher, two glasses,

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and a dice box. The dice
lay before the elder man as though

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he had just thrown them with a
quick movement. One of the detectives covered

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the older man with a revolver and
commanded him to put up his hands,

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but the dice thrower paid not the
slightest heed. The detectives exchanged staring glances.

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They stepped nearer, looking closely into
the gamester's faces, and knew in

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the same instant they were dead.
The End of the Dice Throer by Sydney Southgate