The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1843-04-14

rnssed nj time when he would have needed all C
his uncncumbered resources to support the charac-
ter which was his ambition, and which he had al
ready acquired, A Young monarch had assembled OF
the thu one Of England at Il time when all The sub
iec,s of the empire were excited by the success Of
a glorious war, and the pageanIies of II new sue
ccssion afforded opportunity for one ofDe Veze's
habits 10 distinguish himself, which he WAS eager
to embrace. BY the aid Of usurers, the large
sums he required were speedily raised, and trans
planted to the gay court Of London. n new and
higher circle of pleasures we're opend TO the grasp
Of him who so shortly before had sworn to re-
nounce them, and in the acquisition of winch he
soon proved himself TO he one of the aptest scho
nrs As the means Of the growing profisale,
however, diminished, his nppetles increased, and
in short tine he resored TO the dice box, both
for its precarious chances of better fortune, and
for The excitement ii afforded. without which he
could not live. At first he was sparing of his mo.
ney and not very prodgal of his time; but no
habit grows like that Of gambling, and it soon be-
came the whole employment of his life. This
was the state to which the friend TO whose gui-
dance he he'd committed his destiny had longed
10 bring him and that insidous designer soon found
his profit in The facility of his victim, and the mag
nanimity with which he sacrificed enormous sums
and credit unimpared. How terrible Is the in
loxicaton of The soul; how deep, deep must be
the drausht Of excitement which can bury reason,
and fear in the dreadful desire Of more, more
George De veze soon found himself Involved in
s,upcndous embarrassments; hut their weight
seemed only to impart more f.verish anxel! for
indulgence in their cause, and instead of endcavor-
inc TO extrcae himself by the strenuous cxer,ions
Of seE-denal and resolution, he only sought to de-
s,roy them by the same means by which they were
created, and feasted himself with the deadly hope
Of sudden dsen,hrnllment by deeper indulgence
in the course which had brought them on
There is nothing new in the gamblers history;
each vicssilude in the dark progress I" desiruc-
ton has been so often narrated, that ingenuity can
add nothing Of horror TO its details: so tina, De
veze having been once smilten with that insalin-
BILE mania which is the worst feature Of play, it
can excite no surprise that in short time he could
have arrived a, that state in which he could do
nothing else But there are changes and seasons
even in such periods Of intense excitement, and
with him all the former fevers he had ever endur-
ed Of agony or hope, OF fear had become wrough,
up and surpassed in one fearful spasm 10 which all
his energies had been wound up. For three sue
ceSsive nights The risks had lasted, and without
closing m eye during the time, De Vcze found
" himself on the evening on The fourth, not only
cleared of all enbarrasmen,s, but interested ia
vorably in very huge surplus. which once h'
own would have repaired the folly and es1rava
gance Of years, His antagonist WINS the only in
dividunl with whom our tale Ia, made nm nc
. quanted. and who now, sinking the game he hat
long heen playing, had thrown off Tho mask nnc
stood forth in the most hateful colors, his stern anr
determined spo:ler. Both parties were interested
to u state of widest eycitenent-,he one mad
dencd that the gathered gain, of nlI' his vlllalny
=" should be so near heng swept from him, and III,
- other trembling with agony Mt the hope, that will
one successful throw the inronds of exirav
= aganco on his property would all be repaired. Th,
loaded dice which were TO decide the whole wer,
in the hands Of Rilcher, and fearful was the lool
Of both. when, after convulsve rattle he dashed
- the box upon The table, There was no dssuisa
= in the strain of each ere the cover was removed
from the arbilers of their fate. and no conceal
meni Of emotion in their faces after they had seer
- the throw. With terrible quickness De Veze saw
- that he had lost, and wilha more terrible deter
mina,ion called another throw, and redoubed hi
~, stake. With ready ncquicsccnce his companion
. accecded, and again, the demcncd youth lost al
-. independence Now indeed had the scene be
. come terrific; few more throws, ms If 10 dare hi
:, determined bad fortune, and George found him
40 self divcs,ed of everything available that he pos
10 sessed. and involved in Liabilities greater thai
y, the whole amount Of his prop ry was WORTH
:, AT that moment, oil awfully as he was reused
ID he felt aud knew that the turning point Of his es
.. isence had arrived. Stop then he nigh, and bt
ignobly poor, but moi dishonest the remainder %
M his life. Go on, mud he might be ruined beyond
!, medy, or he might he restored in another mo
rs ment to tho Independence he had lost. Thos
.. who have passed through The symptoms of tina
dread disease where choice is dragged along b,
!. maddened passion, nnd'where every moral impuls
= is sirnined 10 the kecnest consciousness can b,
., at no loss to know in what his hesitation ended
10 "Agnin. agn.n" he cried " all for nothing -
W I'll try it once ugain"-whc his face porfso,l,
. pale, except one crimsoned spot on either cheel
Il as il all The hot blood Of his frame had beer
=, concentrated ,here-showed how intensely ,h
., springs of his life were wound up in The excite
ment His adversary, CHASTITY and trembling in tn,
r certainty that he had realized his widest hopes
- yet still preserving all villains purpose. threw Of
. the mask at last.