Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-11-22
aflistellanp.
- |--I---------,-- From Gleason's Pic toriaI
I THEL0TTERY TICK Ell
A SKETCH FOR HAZARD SEEKERS.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR.

James Lanning was mechanic
young, honest man, whose highest ambi-
ton was to gain comfortable home fol
himself and wife, and to be thought well
of by his neighbors. He had built him
self a house, and there still renamed upon
it mortgage Of five hundred dollars; but
this sum he hoped to pay in very few
years il he only had his health. He had
calculated exactly how long it would take
him to clear off this incumbrance, and he
went at work with his eyes open. .,.
One evening, James came home to his
supper more thoughtful! than usual. His
young wife noticed his manner, and she
inquired It's cause. SD. a....... ..
"What is it James?'' she kindly asked.
"Why, lnever saw you look SO sober be-
fore" '. ."
"Well. I'll tell you, Hannah" returned
the young man, with slight hesitation in
manner. 81 have been thinking that |
should buy lottery ticket" .l..., ....
Hannah Lanning did not answer imme.
diately. She looked down and smoothed
The sllken HAIR of her babe, which was
chirpiug like IL litle robin in her arms,
aud the shades Of her handsome fea, ures
showed that she WAS taking time to ,iink.
GLOW much will it COST" she at length
asked, looking hall-timidIy up into her
husband s face. HE g.
"Twenly dollars, returned James, try
ing TO assume confidence which he did
not feel.
"And have you made up your mind to
buy it, a.. .,..; ..
"Wel, l think l shall. What do you
think about it?' ,r.r-r.... ~ nr.
"If you should ask my advice, James,
| should say, do not buy it,
But why so?'' f.-- a.as-p
"For many reasons," returned the wife,
IN a trembling tone. She would not Of
iend her husband, and she shrank from
giving him advice which he might no,
follow. I'm the first place, think the
whole scheme Of lotteries is a bad one and
then you have no money to RISE"
"But just look at the prizes," said
James, drawing a "scheme" from his
pocket. Here is one prize of twenty
thousand dollars, another Of ten thousand,
and so on. Something tells me that if |
buy ticket | shall draw large prize.
And then just think, how easily 1 could
pay all up for my house, and perhaps have
a good handsome sum left" -aa4
The young man spoke with much ear
nestness and assurance, but he saw that
there was cloud upon his wife's brow.
"It seems to me that the chance of
drawing prize is very doubtful" said,
Hannah, as she took the scheme. "Here
are many thousand tickets to be sold"
The babe tried hard to snatch the paper,
and Hannah laid it aside.
Il think shall run the risk" resumed
James, glancing, once more over the pa
per, and resting with nervous longing
upon the figures which represented the
higher prizes. "There's Barney; he drew
eight hundred dollars about year ago.
Eyes, | know it, said Hannah, with
more warmth than she had before mani
tested, land what has become of the
money? You know he has squandered ii
all away. All, James, money is of no use
to our happiness unless we come honestly
by it." os''m@
"Honestlyg repeated the young man
"surely, there is nothing dishonestin draw
| ing prize at a lottery"
IL think there is, kindly, but enphat-
ically, returned the wife. "All games oil
hazard, where money is at stake, are dis
honest. Were you to draw prize Of
twenty thousand dollars, you would rob a
thousand men of twenty dollars cash; or,
at least, you would take from them money
for which you returned them no equivalent
Is it not gambling in every sense Of the
word?" '-' - "" p. 'efs'1 e le1
30, no; you look upon the matter in too
strong light" "a, ael ,,esq az
"Perhaps,eI do; but SO it looks to me.
What you may draw some one else must
lose; and perhaps it may be some one who
can afford the loss no better than you can
| wouldn't buy the ticket, James Let us
live on the products of our honest gains,
and we shall be happier o.a
James Lanning was uneasy. He had
no answer for his wife's Arguments; at
least, no answer that could spring from
his moral convictions. and he let the mat
ter drop. But the young man could not
drive the syren from his heart. All the
next day his head was full Of ''prizes, +"
and while he was at bis work, he kept
muttering over to himself, Twenty thou
sand dollars" "Ten thousand dollars, "