Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1857-05-09

VIII " ; hhotC dItcutifO. J. Will uC Ill
best daughter that father ever had, s.
tell me all. 1t was certainly for tn
best. or YOU would not have compelled
me to take such step!'
'Elmira, you are good child sai'
the old man, more kindly than he hac
spoken in long time, 'and | do no
know that delaying the denouement vii
better the result, and | will tell you al
that occurred, as connecte, wi h your
self; SO hear me through
She consented and the old man com
memo d:
'Elmira you hsve always been taugh
to believe that the city of -- is /;
very moral place. You was born there
and grew up to womanhood, and there
received all your education but tel
you it is one of the worst places il
America for every species of chicane-
ry, gambling, debauchery and crime
Shortly aft the death of your mother
SOM twelve years ago, | becrme fis-
cinated with gambling. After | clos
ed my business for the night. | invar,-
ably resorted to ole of the many club
houses, and spent the evening beside
The card table or at the faro bank
Time slippe ! round, and | was not
msch the worse off for the several
years | had spent in fhis mlnner, unli
one nicht--a night which intimately
connects its If wirh your destiny
Il will 90 back little There wa
bny who visited these plac s in COM
prny wi h his father, and tor years
VII n the father was seen, the son was
sure 10 be present The father was a
b.ll and reckless pl yer, and | avoided
him, for the wealth at his command
ennrbled him TO venture sums the loss
of which, to M. would havt been ruin.
The boy got to be quite finc-appear-
ing young man, and | rather liked his
company than otherwise Still he S
r~cklets as a gambler. for the son in
d lsed in the vic as well as the father
land very freqIan'ly [ engaged him
at play. One night | won from the
son an amount larger than L had ever
counted upon for single winning,
and f.om that tim he was my p'inci-
pal opponent. For several months We
opposed each o:her, winning and lose
ing, until he fin lily got run of good
.h HI In
this particular night in q iestion, he
SAID: 'Mr. c., YOU have not been
as successful as usual NV what do
you say to playing for a larger stake ?
[ consented | had large sum of
money in drafts, which | had just re-
ceised by the evening mail, in pay
IN mt for 90 IDS forwarded to the west
ern M ,rk' IS. The stakes ran hi.h,
and in the turn of few cards had
lost nearly f teen thousand dollars in
cash and drafts. My head swan, |
was dizzy with the wild emotions that
p eyed upon my re ling brain. Moth
i,g but ruin WIS before me. | was
about to rise from the the table, when
he pushed a note across to me. L me
chanicaIls pick d IT up, and rsad:
sSIK,--I will b. honorable with YOU.
You have lost twenty thousand do lars
to o-nlght. Do you wish to win it back
| will stake that sum against yOur
daughters hand If you win, .ol
have vonr money; if | win, | vii
m ,rry her within three ho.rs She will
then be my lawful wife, and l will
claim her in two years from this date,
aud you shall keep for her the money
as her dover. Shall l state to the
company the compact; If not, sign
this, and | will put up the money.
Il picked up the pen | had been
using to iudorse the drafts, and eagerly
signed it. He coolly placed drifts
notes and gold upon the table, count
ing each separately, until twenty thous-
and dollars were counted down, anc
laid them over the note | had signed
The company stared with astonishmen
and many loudly protested agains
gambling FIR sach heavy sum Hi
father said, Let the boy PLY; h'
surely is the best judge of what he Cal
spare ont of his surplus funds The
game proceeded with reckl IS cool
ness between US, for | really consider
I'd the compact good but the specta
tors showed every species OF excite
me at what they considered our in
sanity. As the game progressed be
tween US, now favorable to my oppon
ent, then favoring myself, the heart
of the excited spectators broke the still
ness with their loud beatings. Th
last card fell from my hand, and h
had won the game by one single spot
his card being higher than mine. HI
gathered the money and note from OF
the table, placing the latter CAREFUL,
away in his pocke book, and tying tn
money in handkerchief. We aros,
from the table, and quilted the bull
ing. At the door We took coach
and he gave orders to drive to my re
sidence. We entered my study, Meth
er speaking, until he had seated hia
self. He then said: 'Mr. c., CIV
me a receipt for this twenty thousan
.loIl4rs, and | will count the none
over to you wrote the receipt an
signed it, and he handed me the mo
ney, which placed in my safe. Fl
again spoke Now. sir, so far all
we'll, l will now 60 for witness to th
marriage rites. 1t is yet early in th