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Speaker 1: The Dice Thrower by Sydney Southgate. Hunger is the most

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poignant when it has forced physical suffering to the highest

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point without impairing the metal functions. Thus it was with

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Silas Carringer, a young man of uncommonly high spirit, when

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he found himself a total stranger in a ramshackle Mexican

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city one rainy night in November. In his possession remained

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not a single article that he might have pawned for

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a morsel of food, and he had already stripped his

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body of every shred of clothing except the few garments.

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He was compelled by an inborn sense of fitness of

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

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

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an extraordinary happening awaited Silas Carringer that night in Mexico.

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Otherwise he would either have drowned himself in the river

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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

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mental desperation had driven him far in its race with

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his physical needs to consume the remaining strength of his

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

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he could find and the savory odors which came streaming

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up from the basement kitchens of the restaurants in the

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

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for he had been reared as a gentleman and was

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accordingly out of place in the world. His teeth clattered,

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his eyes had dark, ugly lines under them. He shambled, stooped,

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

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He could only long for food. He could not reason,

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He could not reflect, He could not understand that there

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were pitying hands somewhere that might gladly have suckered him.

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He could think only of the hunger which consumed him,

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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

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restaurant a little way from the main thoroughfares. Stopping before

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the window, he stared greedily at the stakes within, thick

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and juicy, lined with big fat oysters lying on ice,

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At the slices of ham as large as his hat,

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at the roasted chickens, brown and ready for the table,

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and he ground his teeth groaning, and staggered on. A

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few steps onward was a drinking saloon. At one sight

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of it was a private door with the words family

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Entrance painted thereon, And in the recess of the door,

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which was closed, there stood the dark figure of a man.

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In spite of his own agony, Carringer saw something which

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appalled him in the stranger's face as the street light

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fell upon it, and yet at the same time he

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was fascinated. Perhaps it was the unspeakable anguish of those

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features that appealed to the starving man's sympathy. And he

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came to an uncertain halt at the doorway and stared

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rudely upon the stranger. At first, the man did not

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notice him, seeming to look straight out into the street

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with a curious fixity of expression, and the deathlike pallor

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of his face sent a chill through Carringer's limbs, chilled

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nigh to stone, though they were already the stranger caught

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sight of him at last, Ah, he said, slowly, with

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a peculiar clearness, the rain has caught you too. Without

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an overcoat or umbrella, stand in this doorway. There is

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

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sounded strangely harsh. It was the first word that had

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been addressed to Carringer since hunger possessed him, and to

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be spoken to it all gave him cheer. So he

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took his place in the doorway beside the mysterious stranger,

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who at once relapsed into his fixed gaze at nothingness

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across the street. It may rain for a long time,

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he said, presently, stirring himself. I am cold, and I

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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

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warming his chilled heart. The pale stranger led the way

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into one of the little private compartments with which the

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place was fitted. Before sitting down, he drew from his

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

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he said to carrying her. Will you go to the

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bar and buy a bottle of absinthe and bring also

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a pitcher of water and some glasses. I don't like

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the waiters hanging around here is a twenty dollar bill.

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Carringer took the money and started down the corridor towards

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the bar. He clutched the sudden wealth in his hand tightly.

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It felt warm and comfortable, sending a delicious tingling sensation

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through his arm. How many glorious meals did not the

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money represent? He could smell an imaginary steak broiled with

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fat mushrooms and melted butter in the steaming dish. Then

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he paused and looked steadily backward to where he left

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

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away from the drinking saloon with the money, to the

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restaurant he had passed half an hour ago and buys

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

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

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He went straight to the bar, as a stranger had requested,

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and ordered the liquor. His step was weaker as he

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returned to the compartment. The stranger was sitting at a

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

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had stared across the street. He wore a wide brimmed

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slouch hat pulled well over his eyes. Carringer could only

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vaguely take the measure of the man's face. It was

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only after Carringer had set the bottle and the glasses

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on the table and seated himself opposite that. The stranger

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noticed his return. Oh you have brought it, he exclaimed,

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without raising his voice. How kind of you. Now, please

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close the door. Carringer was counting out the change from

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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

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it back in a way that may interest you. Let

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us drink first, though, and I will explain. He mixed

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two drinks of absinthe and water, and the two men

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

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and it offended his palate at first. But no sooner

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had it passed down his throat than he began to

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feel warm again and the most delicious thrills he had

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heard of the absent drinkers of Paris. And he wondered

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no longer at the deadly fascination of the liquor, not

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realizing that his extreme weakness and the emptiness of his

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stomach made him peculiarly susceptible to its effects. This will

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do us good, murmured the stranger, setting down his glass. Presently,

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we shall have more. Meanwhile, tell me if you know

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how to play with dice. Carringer replied that he did not.

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I was afraid that you might not, said the stranger.

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All the same, please go to the bar and bring

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

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seeing Carringer glancing toward the bell. But I don't want

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the waiters coming in and out. Carringer brought the dice box,

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closed the door carefully again, and the play began. It

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was not one of the simpler games, but had complications

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in which judgment as well as chance played a part.

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After a game or two without stakes, the stranger said,

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you have picked it up quite quickly. All the same,

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I will show you that you don't understand it. We

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will throw for a dollar a game, and in that

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way I shall win the money that you received in change.

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Otherwise I would be robbing you, and I imagine that

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you cannot afford to lose. I mean no offense. I

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am a plain spoken man, but I believe in honesty

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before politeness. Here his face relaxed into a most fearful grin.

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I merely want a little recreation, and you are so

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good natured that I am sure you will not object.

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On the contrary, replied Carringer politely, I shall enjoy it

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

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I believe I am growing colder. They drank again. Carringer

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took the liquor down with relish, for it was something

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in his stomach at least, and it warmed and soothed him.

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

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quietly and opened another game again. Carringer won. Then the

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stranger pushed back his hat and fixed his quiet gaze

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upon his opponent, smiling Yet Carringer obtained a full view

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of the man's face for the first time, and it

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appalled him. He had begun to acquire a certain self

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possession and ease, and the novelty of the adventure was

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beginning to pall before the new advances of his terrible hunger,

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when this revelation of the man's face threw him back

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into confusion. It was the extraordinary expression of the face

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that alarmed him. Never upon the face of a living

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being had he beheld a pallor so chilling so deathlike.

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The features were more than pale, they were ghastly as

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sunless frost Carringer's powers of observation had been sharpened by

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the absinthe, and after having detected the stranger in an

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absent minded effort on several occasions to stroke a beard

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which had no existence, he reflected that some of the

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whiteness of the face might be due to the recent

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shaving and removal of a full beard. The eyes were black,

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

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white and thin, and black veins bulged out upon them.

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After gazing for a few moments at Carringer, the stranger

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pulled his hat down over his eyes. Again. You are lucky,

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he said, referring to the success of his opponent. Suppose

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we try another drink. There is nothing to shop up

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in a man's wits like absinthe, and I see that

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you and I are going to have a delightful game.

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After they drank, the play proceeded. Carringer won from the first,

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rarely losing a game. He became greatly excited, color flooded

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

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the little roll of bills which he had first produced,

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and drew forth another much larger in amount. There were

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several thousand dollars. In the role. At Carringer's right hand

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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.

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Then fortune turned to the stranger. He began to win easily.

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Carringer was stung by these reverses and began to play

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with all his skill and judgment at his command. He

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took the lead again. Only once did it occur to

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him to wonder what he should do with the money

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if he continued to win, But a sense of honor

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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.

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Sharp pains darted through him viciously, and he writhed within

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him and ground his teeth in agony. Could he not

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order a supper with his winnings, he wondered, No, it was,

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of course out of the question. The stranger did not

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observe his suffering, for he was now completely absorbed in

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the game. He seemed puzzled and disconcerted. He played with

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the greatest care, studying each throw minutely. Not a word

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escaped him. The two men drank occasionally, and the dice

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continued to rattle the the money kept piling up at

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Carringer's hand. The pale stranger suddenly began to behave strangely.

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At moments, he would start and throw back his head,

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listening intently. His eyes would sharpen and flash as he

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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

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on several occasions, an expression of ghastly frightfulness, and the

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features would become fixed in a peculiar grimace. He noticed

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also that his companion was steadily sinking deeper and deeper

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into a condition of apathy. Occasionally, nonetheless, he would raise

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his eyes to Carringer's face after some lucky throw, and

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he would fix them upon him with a steadiness that

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made the starving man grow chiller than ever he had

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been before. Then came the time when the stranger produced

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another roll of bills and braced himself for a bigger effort.

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With speech somewhat thick, but still deliberate and very quiet,

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he addressed his young opponent, you have won seventy four

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

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We have been playing for several hours, and I am

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very tired and sore. You let us hasten the finish.

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You have seventy four thousand dollars. I have seventy four

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thousand dollars. Neither of us has a scent besides. Each

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will now stake his all and throw a final game

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for it without hesitation, Carringer agreed. The bills made a

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considerable pile upon the table. Carryinger threw, and his starving

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heart beat violently as the pale stranger took up the

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dice box with exasperating deliberation. Hours seemed to pass before

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he threw, But at last the dice rattled on the

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table and the pale stranger had won. The winner sat

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staring at the dice, and then he leaned slowly back

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in his chair, settling himself with seeming comfort, raised his

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eyes to Carringers and fixed that unearthly stare upon him.

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He did not speak. His face showed not a trace

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of emotion or even of intelligence. He simply stared. One

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cannot keep one's eyes open very long without winking. But

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the stranger never winked at all. He sat so motionless

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that carringer began to fill with a vague dread. I

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

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As he spoke, he recollected his position and found himself

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swaying like a drunk man. The stranger made no reply,

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nor did he relax his gaze. Under that gaze, the

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

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A deadly silence filled the compartment. Suddenly he became aware

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that two men were talking in the next room, and

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he listened cautiously. Walls were of wood, and he heard

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every word distinctly. Yes, said a voice. He was seen

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to turn into this street about three hours ago, and

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he must have shaved. He must have shaved to remove

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a full beard would naturally make a great change in

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the man. His extreme pallor attracted attention. As you know,

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he has been seriously troubled with heart disease lately, and

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it has greatly altered him. Yes, but his old skill remains.

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Why this is the most daring bank robbery we have

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ever had. One hundred and forty eight thousand dollars, think

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of it. How long is it since he came out

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of prison after the new York affair eight years. In

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that time he has grown a beard and lived by

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throwing dice. No human being can come out a winner

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in a game with him. The two men clink glasses

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and a silence fell between them. Then Carringer heard the

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shuffling of their feet as they passed out, and he

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sat on, suffering terrible mental and bodily pain. The silence

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remained unbroken save for the sound of voices far off

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and the clink of glasses. The dice players, the pale

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Man and the starving one, sat gazing at each other,

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with one hundred and forty eight thousand dollars piled up

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on the table between them. The winner made no attempt

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to gather up the money. He merely sat and stared

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at Carringer, wholly unmoved by the conversation. In the adjoining compartment,

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Carringer began to shake with an augu The cold, unwavering

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gaze of the stranger sent ice into his veins. Unable

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to bear it longer, he moved to one side and

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was amazed to discover that the eyes of the pale man,

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instead of following him, remained fixed upon the spot where

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he had sat. A great fear came over him. He

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poured out the absinthe for himself with shaking fingers, staring

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back at his companion, all the while watching him, watching

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him as he drank alone and unnoticed. He drained the glass,

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and the poison had a peculit uliar effect upon him.

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He felt his heart pounding with alarming force and rapidity.

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His breathing came in great pumping spasms. His hunger was

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now become a deadly thing, for the absinthe was destroying

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his vitals. In terror, he leaned forward to beg the

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

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One of the man's hands lay on the table carrying her,

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placed his own upon it, and drew back quickly, for

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the hand was as cold as stone. Then there came

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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

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of bills with his skeleton fingers, looking stealthily every moment

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at the stark figure of his companion, mortally dreading lest

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he should stir. And yet instead of hastening from the

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room with the stolen fortune, he sank back into his

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chair again. A deadly fascination forced him there, and he

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sat rigid, staring back into the wide stare of the

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other man. He felt his breathing coming heavier and his

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heart beats growing weaker, but he was comforted because his

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hunger was no longer causing him that acute pain. He

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felt easier and actually yawned. If he had dared, he

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would have gone to sleep. The pale stranger still stared

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at him without ceasing, and Carringer had no inclination for

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anything but simply to stare back. The two detectives who

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had traced the notorious bank robber to the drinking saloon

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moved slowly through the compartments, searching in every nook and

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cranny of the building. At last they reached a compartment

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from which no answer came. When they knocked. They pushed

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the door open with a stereotype topology on their lips.

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They beheld two men before them, one of middle age

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and the other very young, sitting perfectly still and in

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the queerest manner imaginable, staring at each other. Across the

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table between the two was a pile of money, and

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near at hand an empty absinthe bottle, a water pitcher,

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two glasses, and a dice box. The dice lay before

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the elder man as though he had just thrown them

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with a quick movement. One of the detectives covered the

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older man with a revolver and commanded him to put

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up his hands, but the dice thrower paid not the

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slightest heed. The detectives exchanged staring glances. They stepped nearer,

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

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same instant they were dead. The End of the Dice

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Throer by Sydney Southgate