The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-09-01
Gamblers Annuity.

ness of Gambler. Gambler purchased hi
greatness, and got it at bargain. A cen
fury ago Gambler sold tripe at Totteton. =
He sold good tripe, and consequently was g
famous man in his line and time. But Gan
dler aspired to fame after death-to an i'm
mortal name in the ear of succeeding genera
tons of Tottletonians. Triple was not calcu
lated to give it him. Posterity would no
be likely to remember that their ancestor
bought good tripe at the shop of Gambler
But still the tripe-seller of Tottleton was re.
solved that the name Of Gaudler should bt
handed down to generations yet unborn.
This is how Gambler did it. He made will
and died. The making of the will was 9
deliberate affair." but not SO the dying part
of the business. Gambler did not intend to
die when he did, but he could not help him.
self In the full vigor of his manhood he
fell victim to hard-boiled eggs. They
opened Gambler and declared hard-boiIed
eggs to be the cause, and then they opened
the will, and found that the eminent tripe-
seller of Tottleton, setting aside his rela-
tives, had left all his worldly wealth to be
applied to the purposes of charity The re-
ward of conscientious tripe-selling had not
been great, for the whole of Gamblers world
ly wealth amounted to no more than two
hundred pounds. In his will he directed
that this sum should be placed out at interest
and that the annual proceeds should form an
annuity to be granted by the votes of the
house holders of Tettleton to destitute but
deserving old men of that parish 1t was
especially directed that the benevolence
should be called Gamblers Annuity"
| was first brought to knowledge of the
name and fame of Gambler about two years
ago, when | went out to take up my abode
at TottIeton. Tottleton is very pretty
place in the merry month Of July; and the
chestnut and laburnum trees which line both
sides of the broad white road which consti-
tutes Tottleton's only street, are most beau
tiful to see, especially when they are in full
bloom. But there was another beautiful
feature of more credit-its alms-houses. 1t
TO me that the private houses bore
no sort of adequate proportion to them, and
the only houses which did were the public
houses. The way in which these two insti-
buttons were regularly alternated on both
sides of the road for more than mile sug-
gested that the one was the cause Of the
other. 1t seemed as if the public-houses
had brought the whole peighborhood to pow
erty, and consigned the entire population to
dependence. The moral inscriptions which
met the eye told but of two things-strong
drink and old men and women of the parish
come to grief. The Cock and Bottle appear
ed to be responsible for seven poor old men !;
the Nays Head for nine poor old women !;
and the bell for fourteen orphan girls. There
was however, a striking disproportion be-
tween the size of the public-houses and that
of the aims houses The latter were so
small and compact, and with large super
scription in front of them, 80 like a neat
parcel, that they might have been brought
down from somewhere by the carrier. Pos
sibly they might have been left at the Cock
and Bottle till called for.
Well; if the sins of Tottleton had been
Charity had done her best to
cover them,
had mentally pointed this moral when
Mr.. Gubbins, running out from the Swan,
me, Perhaps | should state that
| honored the Swan with my patronage, as
regards the family mild ale.
BEG your pardon. Sir; but I'll take it
as a favor if you will give your vote for Pars-
ley"
I ventured TO inquire who Parsley was,
and what be was standing for. Was it the
borough, the county, or simply the vestry.
No Parsley did not aspire so high. He
was merely candidate for Gamblers Annu-
ity. Parsleys qualification was all right.
He was seventy-five years of age, native
of the parish, had paid rates and taxes for
over forty years, was eaten up with the rheu
mates, was past work, bore an excellent
character and hadn't penny in the world.
Gamblers Annuity amounting to 80 las.
I'd. would make him happy and comfortable
for the remainder of his days. The state
men of Parsley's numerous merits in the way
Of age, restitution and incapacity was not
to be resisted, and l think should have
cried Parsley forever !" on the spot, only
it occurred to me, considering Parsley's age,
that it wouldn't be much use. However,
to enter all appearance on the fol-
owing evening, and vote for Parsley.
When at the appointed time | turned out
INTO the village, and came in sight of the
Swans swinging sign, could see that some
hing was creating great sensation. 1t
vas the election for Gamblers Annuity
Could Gambler have looked up from his
grave he would have had no regrets on the
score of the hard-boiled eggs. That fatal
had awoke to glorious immor-
atty. The honored name of Gambler was
n every mouth. The boys shouted it in
triumph; the grown up people murmured it
II grateful admiration and in the bow
window Of the Swan it was inscribed in
arge letters, hind side foremost, in the in
ocent idea that an inscription designed to
e read form the inside could be easily deci-
hered from the out
On mingling with the little crowd that
ad collected round the horse block under
he Swans swinging sign, found the mer-
IS of the candidates being discussed with
reat animation. | say candidates; for
ow learned for the first time that Parsley
yas not the only one. There was another,
nd his name was Barrowfeld. Would
ote for Barrowfeld?
According to the representations Of his
lends at the horse block. Barrowfeld was
ged, INDECENT, and afflicted to an unprece-
ented extent. One bold partisan ventur-
upon the assertion that Barrowtield had
cen present at the coronation Of George tie
bird. Another declared that, however
lat might be, he could testify from his own
that Barrowfeld had been pres
III dG Iu6 lllillGdLJ pldSOlOO iooI w OuuCSOdJ
eek, and that he had not even winked
hen they let off the six hundred FOUNDER
his was adduced in evidence of the pro-
,und and stony character of Barrow6eld's
eafness. 1t is mentioned, as further sup
orting Barrowfeld's claim to the bounty
f the immortal Gambler, that even if he
ere elected and provided with victuals for
lie rest of his life, it would not be of much
lvantage to him, as he hadn't tooth left
his head, 1t was also stated incidentally
lat in the course of his long career, Bar
,wfeld had sustained fractures (mostly
,mpound) of almost every bone in his body
ad lost two wives, three cows and donk-
'; and had had mis- grey hairs brought to I
le very verge of the grave by the miscon-
uct of a large family of sons and daughters
no, according to the popular account, had
lien in and marched quick-step to the bad
deliberate and organized manner. "
Hearing Of the overwhelming merits of t
arrowfeld, felt that Mr.. Gubbins had {
ot dealt fairly with me. Why had he art l