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Over an absent bottle by W.
C. Morrow. Arthur Kimberland, a

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young man of very high spirit,
found himself a total stranger in San Francisco

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one rainy evening at a time when
his heart was breaking, for his hunger

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was of that most poignant kind in
which physical suffering is forced to the highest

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point without impairment of the mental functions. There remained in his possession not a

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thing that he might have pawned for
morsels to eat, And even as it

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was, he had stripped his body
of all articles of clothing, except those

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which a remaining sense of decency compelled
him to retain. Hence it was that

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cold assailed him and conspired with hunger
to complete his misery. Having been brought

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into the world and reared a gentleman, he liked the courage to beg and

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the skill to steal. Had not
an extraordinary thing happened to him, he

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either would have drowned himself in the
bay within twenty four hours or died of

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pneumonia in the street. He had
been seventy hours without food, and his

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mental desperation had driven him far in
its race. With his physical needs to

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consume the strength within him so that
now pale, weak and tottering, he

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took what comfort he could find in
the savory odors which came steaming up from

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the basement kitchens of the restaurants in
Market Street. Came more to gain them

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than to avoid the rain. His
teeth chattered, he shambled, stooped,

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and gasped. He was too desperate
to curse his fate. He could only

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long for food. He could not
reason, He could not understand that ten

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thousand hands might gladly have fed him. He could think only of the hunger

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

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When he had arrived at Mason Street, he saw a restaurant a little way

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up that thoroughfare, and for that
he headed, Crossing the street diagonally.

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He stopped before the window and ogled
the stakes, thick and lined with fat,

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big oysters, lying on ice,
slices of ham as large as his

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hat, whole roasted chickens, brown
and juicy. He ground his teeth,

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groaned, and staggered on a few
steps. Beyond this was a drinking saloon,

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which had a private door at one
side, with the words family Entrance

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painted thereon in the recess of the
door, which was closed stood a man.

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In spite of his agony, Kimberland
saw something in the man's face that

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appalled and fascinated him. Night was
on and the light in the vicinity was

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dim, but it was apparent that
the stranger had an appearance of whose character

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he himself must have been ignorant.
Perhaps it was the unspeakable anguish of it

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that struck through Kimberland's sympathies. The
young man came to an uncertain halt and

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stared at the stranger. At first
he was unseen, for the stranger looked

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straight out into the street with singular
fixity, and the deathlike pallor of his

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face added a weirdness to the immobility
of his gaze. Then he took notice

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of the young man. He said, slowly, and with a peculiar distinctness,

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the rain has caught you too,
without overcoat or umbrella, Stand in

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the stoorway. There's room for two. The voice was not unkind, though

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it had an alarming hardness. It
was the first word that had been addressed

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to the sufferer since hunger had seized
him, and to be spoken to it

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all and have his comfort regarded in
the slightest way gave him cheer. He

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entered the embrasure and stood beside the
stranger, who at once relapsed into his

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fixed gaze at nothing across the street. But presently the stranger stirred himself again.

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It may rain a long time,
said he. I am cold,

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and I observe that you tremble.
Let us step inside and get a drink.

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He opened the door, and Kimberlyn
followed hope, beginning to lay a

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warm hand upon his heart. The
pale stranger led the way into one of

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the little private booths with which the
place was furnished. Before sitting down,

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he put his hand into his pocket
and drew forth a roll of bank bills.

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You are younger than I, he
said. Won't you go to the

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bar and buy a bottle of absinthe
and bring a pitcher of water and some

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glasses. I don't like for the
waiters to come around. Here's a twenty

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dollar bill. Kimberland took the bill
and started down the corridor towards the bar.

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He clutched the money tightly in his
palm. It felt warm and comfortable,

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and sent a delicious tingling through his
arm. How many glorious hot meals

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did that bill represent? He clunched
it tighter and hesitated. He thought he

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smelled a broiled steak with fat little
mushrooms and melted butter in the steaming dish.

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He stopped and looked back towards the
door of the booth. He saw

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that the stranger had closed it.
He could pass it, slip out the

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door, and buy something to eat. He turned and started, but the

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coward in him there are other names
for this tripped his resolution. So he

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went straight to the bar and made
the purchase. This was so unusual that

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the man who served him looked sharply
at him. Ain't gonna drink all of

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that, are you? He asked. I have friends in the box,

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replied Kimberlyn, and we want to
drink quietly and without interruption. We are

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in number seven. Oh beg,
pardon, that's all right, said the

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man. Kimberlyn's step was very much
stronger and steadier as he returned with the

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liquor. He opened the door of
the booth. The stranger sat at the

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side of the little table, staring
at the opposite wall, just as he

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has stared across the street. He
wore a wide brimmed slouch hat drawn well

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down. It was only after kimberly
And had set the bottle, pitcher and

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glasses on the table and seated himself
opposite the stranger and within his range of

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vision, that the paleman noticed him. Oh you have brought it. How

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kind of you? Now? Please
locked the door. Kimberland had slipped the

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change into his pocket and was in
the act of bringing it out when the

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stranger said, keep the change.
You will need it for I am going

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to get it back in a way
that may interest you. Let us first

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drink, and then I will explain. The paleman makes two drinks of absinthe

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and water, and the two drink. Kimberlyn, unsophisticated, had never tasted

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the liquor before, and he found
it harsh and offensive. But no sooner

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had it reached the stomach than it
began to warm him and sent the most

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delicious thrill through his frame. It
will do as good, said the stranger.

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Presently we shall have more. Meanwhile, do you know how to throw

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dice? Kimberlyn weakly confessed that he
did not. I thought not. Well,

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Please go to the bar and bring
a dice. Box. I would

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ring for it, but I don't
want the waiters to be coming in.

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Kimberlyn fetched the box again, locked
the door, and the game began.

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It was not one of the simple
old games, but had complications in which

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judgment as well as chance played a
part. After a game or two without

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stakes, the stranger said, you
now seem to understand it very well.

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I will show you that you do
not. We will now throw for a

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dollar a game, and in that
way I shall win the money that you

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received and change. Otherwise I should
be robbing you, and I imagine you

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cannot afford to lose. I mean
no offense. I am a plain spoken

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man, but I believe in honesty
before politeness. I merely want a little

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diversion, and you are so kind
natured that I am sure you will not

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object. On the contrary, replied
Kimberlyn, I shall enjoy it very well,

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but let us have another drink before
we start. I believe I am

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growing colder. They drink again,
and this time the starving man took his

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liquor with a relish. At least
it was something in his stomach, and

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it warmed and delighted him. The
steak was a dollar a side. Kimberland

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won, and the pale stranger smiled
grimly and opened another game again. Kimberland

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won. Then the stranger pushed back
his hat and fixed that still gaze upon

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his opponent, smiling. Yet with
this full view of the pale stranger's face,

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Kimberland was more appalled than ever.
He had begun to acquire a certain

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self possession and ease, and his
marveling at the singular character of the adventure

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had begun to weaken when this new
instant threw him back into confusion. It

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was the extraordinary expression of the stranger's
face that alarmed him. Never upon the

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face of a living being had he
seen a pallor so deathlike and chilling.

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The face was more than pale,
it was white. Kimberland's observing faculty had

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been sharpened by the absence, and
after having detected the stranger in an absent

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minded effort two or three times to
stroke a beard which had no existence,

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he reflected that some of the whiteness
of the face might be due to the

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recent removal of a full beard.
Besides the pallor, there were deep and

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sharp lines upon the face which the
electric light brought out very distinctly, with

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the exception of the steady gaze of
the eyes and an occasional hard smile that

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seemed out of place upon such a
face. The expression was that of stone

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and artistically cut. The eyes were
black, but of heavy expression. The

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

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dark veins bulged out upon them.
The stranger pulled down his hat. You

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are lucky, he said, Suppose
we try another drink. There is nothing

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like absinthe to sharpen one's wits,
and I see that you and I are

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going to have a delightful game.
After the drink, the game proceeded.

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

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excited. His eyes shone color came
to his cheeks. The stranger, having

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exhausted the roll of bills which he
first produced, drew forth another, much

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larger and of higher denominations. There
were several thousand dollars in the role.

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At Kimberland's right hand were his winnings, something like two hundred dollars. The

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stakes were raised and the game went
rapidly on. Another drink was taken,

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then fortune turned the Stranger's way,
and he won easily. It went back

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to Kimberland, for he was now
playing with all the judgment and skill he

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could command. Once only did it
occur to him to wonder what he should

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do with the money if he should
quit winter, but a sense of honor

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decided him that it would belong to
the stranger. By this time, the

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absinthe had so sharpened Kimberland's faculties that
the temporary satisfaction which it had brought to

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his hunger, having passed his physical
suffering, returned with increased aggressiveness. Could

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he not order a supper with his
earnings? No, that was out of

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the question, and the stranger said
nothing about eating. Kimberland continued to play

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while the manifestations of hunger took the
form of sharp pains which darted through him,

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viciously, causing him to writhe and
grind his teeth. The stranger paid

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no attention, for he was now
wholly absorbed in the game. He seemed

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puzzled and disconcerted. He played with
great care, studying each throne minutely.

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No conversation passed between them. Now
they drank occasionally, the dice continued to

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rattle, the money kept piling up
at Kimberland's hand. The pale man began

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to behave strangely. At times,
he would start and throw back his head

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as though he were listening. For
a moment, his eyes would sharpen and

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flash, and then sink into heaviness
again. More than once. Kimberland,

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who had now begun to suspect that
this antagonist with some kind of monster,

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saw a frightfully ghastly expression sweep over
his face, and his features would become

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fixed for a very short time in
a peculiar grimace. It was noticeable,

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however, that he was steadily sinking
deeper and deeper into a condition of apathy.

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Occasionally he would raise his eyes to
Kimberland's face after the young man had

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made an astonishingly lucky throw, and
keep them fixed there with a steadiness that

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made the young man quail. The
stranger produced another roll of bills when the

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second was gone, and this had
a value many times as great as the

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others. Together, the stakes were
raised to a thousand dollars a game,

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and still Kimberland won. At last, the time came when a stranger braced

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himself for a final effort. With
speech somewhat thick, but very deliberate and

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quiet, he said, you have
won seventy four thousand dollars, which is

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exactly the amount that I have remaining. We have been playing for several hours.

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I am tired, and I suppose
you are. Let us finish the

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game. Each will now stake all
and throw a final game for it without

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hesitation. Kimberlyn agreed. The bills
made a considerable pile on the table.

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Kimberlyn threw, and the box held
but one combination that could possibly defeat him.

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This combination might be thrown one in
ten thousand times. The starving man's

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heart beat violently as the stranger picked
up the box with exasperating deliberation. It

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was a long time before he threw. He made his combinations and ended by

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defeating his opponent. He sat and
looked at the dice a long time,

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and then he slowly leaned back in
his chair, settling himself comfortably, raised

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his eyes to Kimberlyn's and fixed that
unearthly stare upon him. He said not

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a word. His face contained not
a trace of emotion or intelligence. He

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simply looked. One cannot keep one's
eyes open very long without winking, But

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the stranger did. He sat so
motionless that Kimberlyn began to be tortured.

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I will go now, he said
to the stranger, said that, when

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he had not assent and was starving. The stranger made no reply, but

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did not relax his gaze. Under
that gaze, the young man shrank back

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in his own chair, terrified.
He became aware that two men were cautiously

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talking in an adjoining booth, as
there was now a deathly silence in his

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own. He listened, and this
is what he heard. Yes, he

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

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shaved. He must have done so, and to remove a full beard would

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naturally make a great change in a
man. But it may not have been.

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He true enough, but his extreme
pallor attracted attention. You know that

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he had been troubled with heart disease
lately, and it has affected him seriously.

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Yes, but his old skill remains. Why this is the most daring

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bank robberie we had ever had here
a hundred and forty eight thousand dollars.

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Think of it. How long has
it been since he was let out The

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Joliet eight years. In that time
he has grown a beard and lived by

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dice throwing with men who thought they
could detect him if he should swindle them.

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But that is impossible. No human
being can come winner out of a

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game with him. He is evidently
not here. Let us look farther.

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And then the two men clinked glasses
and passed out the dice players. The

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pale one and the starving one sat
gazing at each other, with a hundred

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and forty eight thousand dollars piled up
between them. The winner made no move

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to take in the money. He
merely sat and stared at Kimberland, wholly

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unmoved by the conversation in the adjoining
room. His imperturbability was amazing, his

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absolute stillness terrifying. Kimberlyn began to
shake with an ague. The cold,

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steady gaze of the stranger sent ice
into his marrow. Unable to bear longer

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this unwavering look, Kimberlyn moved to
one side, and then he was amazed

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to discover that the eyes of the
pale man, instead of following him,

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remained fixed upon the spot where he
had sat, or rather upon the wall

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behind it. A great dread beset
the young man. He feared to make

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the slightest sound. Voices of the
men in the bar room were audible,

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and the sufferer imagined that he had
heard others whispering and tiptoeing in the passage

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outside his booth. He poured out
some absinthe, watching his strange companion all

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the while, and drank alone and
unnoticed. He took a heavy drink,

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and it had a peculiar effect upon
him. He felt his heart bounding with

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alarming force and rapidity, and breathing
was difficult. Still, his hunger remained,

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and that in the absinthe gave him
an idea that the gastric acids were

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destroying him by digesting his stomach.
He leaned forward and whispered to the stranger,

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but was given no attention. One
of the man's hands lay upon the

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table. Kimberland placed his upon it, and then drew back in terror.

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The hand was as cold as a
stone. The money must not lie there,

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posed Kimberland arranged it into neat parcels, looking furtively every moment at his

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immovable companion and immortal fear that he
would stir. Then he sat back and

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waited. A deadly fascination impelled him
to move back into his former position so

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as to bring his face directly before
the gaze of the stranger, And so

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the two sat and stared at each
other. Kimberlynn felt his breath coming heavier

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and his heartbeats growing weaker. But
these conditions gave him comfort by reducing his

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anxiety and softening the pangs of hunger. He was growing more and more comfortable,

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and yawned. If he had dared, he might have gone to sleep.

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Suddenly, a fierce light flooded his
vision and sent him with a bound

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to his feet. Had he been
struck upon the head or stabbed to the

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heart, No, he was sounded
alive. The pale strangers still sat there,

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staring at nothing and immovable, But
Kimberlynn was no longer afraid of him.

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On the contrary and extraordinary buoyancy of
spirit and elaxticity of body made him

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feel reckless and daring. His former
timidity and scruples vanished, and he fell

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equal to any adventure without hesitation.
He gathered up the money and bestowed it

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in his several pockets. I am
a fool to starve, he said to

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himself, with all this money ready
to my hand, as cautiously as a

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thief, he unlocked the door,
stepped out, reclosed it, and boldly,

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with his head erect stalked out upon
the street. Much to his astonishment,

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he found the city in the bustle
of the early evening. Yet the

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sky was clear. It was evident
to him that he had not been in

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the saloon as long as he had
supposed. He walked along the street with

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the utmost, unconcerned the dangers that
beset him, and laughed softly, but

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gleefully. Would he not eat now? Ah? Would he not? Why

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he could buy a dozen restaurants.
Not only that, but he could hunt

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the city up and down for hungry
men, and feed them with the fattest

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stakes, the juicies, roasts,
and the biggest oysters that the town could

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supply. As for himself, he
must eat first. After that he would

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set up a great establishment for feeding
other hungry mortals without charge. Yes,

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he would eat first if he pleased. He would eat till he should burst

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In What single place could he find
sufficient to satisfy his hunger? Could he

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live sufficiently long to have an ox
killed and roasted hole for his supper.

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Besides an ox, he would order
two dozen broiled chickens, fifty dozen oysters,

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a dozen crabs, ten dozen eggs, ten hams, eight young pigs,

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twenty wild ducks, fifteen fish of
four different kinds, eight salads,

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four dozen bottles of each clearant,
Burgundy and champagne. For pastry, eight

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plum puddings, and for dessert bushels
of nuts, ices and confections. It

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would require time to prepare such a
meal, and if he could only live

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until it could be made ready,
it would be infinitely better than to spoil

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his appetite with a dozen or two
meals of ordinary size. He thought he

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could live that long, for he
felt amazingly strong and bright. Never in

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his life before had he walked with
so great ease and lightness. His feet

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hardly touched the ground, he ran
and leaped. It did him good to

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tantalize his hunger, for that would
make his relish of the feast all the

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keener. Oh but how they would
stare when he would give his order,

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and how comically they would hang back, And how amazed he would be when

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he would throw a few thousands of
dollars on the counter and tell them to

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take their money out of it and
keep the change. Really, it was

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worth while to be so hungry as
that, for then eating became an unspeakable

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luxury. And one must not be
too great a hurry to eat when one

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is so hungry, that is beastly. How much of the way of living

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to rich people miss from eating before
they are hungry, before they have gone

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three days and nights without food,
And how manly it is, and how

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great self control it shows to dally
with starvation when one has a dazzling fortune

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in one's pocket and every restaurant has
an open door. To be hungry without

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money, that is despair, to
be starving with a bursting pocket that is

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of lime. Surely, the only
true heaven is that in which one famishes

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in the presence of abundant food,
which he might have for the taking,

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and then a gorged stomach and a
long sleep. The starving wretch speculating thus

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still kept from food. He felt
himself growing in stature, and the people

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whom he met became pygmies. The
streets widened, and the stars became suns

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and dimmed, the electric lights and
the most intoxicating odors, and the sweetest

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music filled the air. Shouting,
laughing, and singing. Kimberlyn joined in

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a great chorus that swept over the
city. And then the two detectives who

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had traced the famous bank robber to
the saloon in Mason Street where Kimberland had

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encountered the stranger of the Pallor Face
left the saloon, but unable to pursue

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the trail farther, had finally returned. They found the door at booth number

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seven locked. After wrapping and calling
and receiving no answer, they burst open

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the door, and there they saw
two men, one of middle age and

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the other very young, sitting perfectly
still and in the strangest manner imaginable,

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staring at each other. Across the
table. Between them was a great pile

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of money, arranged neatly in parcels. Near at hand were an empty absentthe

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bottle, a water pitcher, glasses, and a dice box, with the

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dice lying before the elder man as
he had thrown them last. One of

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the detectives covered the elder man with
a revolver and commanded, row up your

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hands, but the dice thrower paid
no attention. The detective's exchanged startled glances.

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They looked closer into the faces of
the two men, and then they

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discovered that both were dead and of
over an absent bottle by W. C. Morrow