Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1857-02-05
POETRY.
Written for the Bellevue Gazette.
The Gambler.

The Gambler.
There he sits, the man, the gambler, +
Sits from evening cen till morning, .r
While his cards he ever shuiIles, ..
Shufilcs over, over, over,
Till he thinks his chance good one,
Till he thinks the best will be his, H
It'll he thinks quite safe the money urr
That now lies in piles before him, ... ....
Which he covets, which he worships;
Oh! how ardently he wants IL, ........,
Wants to call it ALL HIS money, '..,I..
Wants what yet is in the pocket n dH
OF his inexperienced victim; 'i'"
Thinketh all the while he trieth, .. .., ..
To transfer the long'd for treasure f
From the man who stitch by him
(Though he knows his inexperience),
That 'tis right because he winneth,
Right. at least, by laws Of honor.
Drowsy slumber from his eye-lids
Has departed on a journey ....irs ... d..
To the country, FL Dorado, 49, $3.50 'H
And will not return till morning;
So from this he fears no trouble,
All he wants is money, money, .. .a.
Money, not his own, but others, $3.50
Money, that he never toled for,
Money, that he thinks he winneth,
Or that Satan to him givetb, fa f....
Satan, whom he always serveth,
Satan, who doth ever tempt him,
Satan, who his constant guide is. .-...
Now his soul is stirr'd within him,
Lest his victim should escape him,
Lest he get not what he wanteth
But upon his face there seemeth q.
Not the movement of muscle evils .is..s
That to others would betray him, q .raA
Or awake the least suspicion -
OF the thought that in him lurketh, =, -,s
or the single, stern idea, Ii Haa l'.Ha'
Money, other peoples money, ,'a
Which, long years, perhaps they toiied for.
Very pleasant, tender-hearted, rEI 1ni
Overlooking too with kindness, r'D.s.u Zoo
OFT he seems, as there he sitteth,
Planning how to fleece his victim, Ia
How to blind him while he skins him,
How TO shun the name of RoBBING,
How avoid the name Of STEALING
While he gets the robbers booty, m,
While he gets the night-thief's plunder,
Yet THEIR punishment avoideth, ''' ..'
Though he more than they deserves it.
Very pleasant, there he sitteth;
But his conscience once as tender
AS an infants, as pilgrims,
Has grown callous as a milestone,
Or, it may be, he has lost it
In the bottom of some river,
(For Oh rivers oft he travels,) ---...
Where il never will disturb him,
Never more in life torment him,
Never Of brothers's ruin
Daily, nightly too, accuse him, ,ge -f
Never cry, thou art a murd'rer, g4rr.
Never heeds he passing hours, ..f.'l..'',
Never thinks of time thus wasted,
Never thinks how great the sorrow
Caused to weeping wife and children
OF the vietim now beside him.
On from night 'til morn he sits there, p,
One thought only, one idea arr.. .r.
Dwells within him: that idea
Is to get his brothers. money.
Thus he plays from night till morning,
Till the morning dawn appeareth,
Till he riseth from the table, IL -ft g..
Gathers up his bills and money, 1.aifs.
Goes away and safely hides them, p o.
Hides them in some secret corner
Then in silence to his chamber,
With the guilt of sin upon him,
There he lies in quiet slumber,
For so harden'd is the gambler. 5
But there is an eye upon him as ..
That ne'er slumbereth nor sleepethj
That Omnicient eye has ever
Been upon him all night playing, .rt
And hand unseen the moments ff
Spent in sin has marked AGAINST him,
Sin still loved, still unrepented. +. ...-.
Thus from day to day he liveth,
Liyeth thus, the man, the gambler,
Till his last, his own hour cometh,
Till his last game has been hnished,
Till the last card has been shufEied,
Till the night OF death appeareth, irf
Then drowsiness comes o'er him
Which he tries but cannot banish,
Cannot therefore TO his chamber ..ra
Sad and wearily he goeth, l .ia
Goeth there to sleep In silence,
Thinking all the while of money,
But deathly sleep comes DER him,
From that sleep he never waketh,
Death hath now obtained his victim,
In his cold embrace he lieth,
Helpless, robbed OF all his money,
Spoiled Of every sensual pleasure
Which on earth his soul so relished,
Which long days and nights he worshiped
But, oh where where is the spirit
OF the money-loying gambler;
IT'S not here; his cards unshufled
Nata, Il upAf kasfaa hfto