“Easy with them,” were Big Tom’s words.
The gambling king did not know what Carpenter’s game with Morton might be. However, he knew that it would probably be helpful if Morton did not lose too much money tonight. It was evident that Carpenter would like to have his quarry in an amiable mood.
ONLY one person overheard the remark. That was Lamont Cranston. The firm-faced visitor had chosen a spot near the head of the table, and had hazarded a few small amounts on the turn of the wheel. Now, his brilliant gaze was focused upon the man in charge of the wheel.
Several plays went by. A deluge of bets dropped upon the red numbers. Gifford Morton hazarded two hundred dollars on the black. Just as the wheel was about to spin, Lamont Cranston leaned forward and placed a sum upon the same color.
The wheel ended its whirl, and the ball dropped into a black-numbered pocket. The croupier raked in the money from the red space. He stared as he began to pay the bets on the black. Lamont Cranston had won a thousand dollars!
Again, the players made their wagers. Another whirl of the wheel. This time, Cranston had played a two-to-one to the amount of five hundred dollars. One of his row of numbers turned up. He collected another thousand.
“Luck,” growled the operator, in an undertone.
But as the play proceeded, Cranston’s luck persisted. Somehow, this stern-faced stranger possessed an uncanny ability in playing the turns of the wheel. At times, his bets dropped to trifling sums. Those proved to be the occasions on which he lost. Whenever his stakes were large, his number turned up.
Moreover, his percentages were increasing. When he collected sixteen hundred on a bet of two hundred, the croupier glared.
Never before had Big Tom’s wheel lost money. But now the tide had turned. The betting limit was a thousand dollars. This incredible player was going the limit and winning!