The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-08-12
Miss Mitford's Lottery Ticket.

The following strange incident IN the life OF
Mary Russell Milford, related 10y herself. may
not have been before brought to the notice oil our
readers.
What nv fathers plans were / do not exactly
know probably to gather together what dispos-
able money still remained after paying all debts
from the sale of books, plate, and furniture at
Lyme, and thence 10 proceed (bacbed by his
greatly lessened income) to practice in some dis
tant town. At all events London was the best
starting place, and he could consult his Old fell
low-pupil and lifelong friend, DR.. Darlington,
then one of the physicians 10 Guys Hospital,
and refresh his medical studies with experiments
and lectures, while determining in what place 10
beStow himself.
In the meanwhile ms spirits returned us buoy
ant as ever, and 50, now that fear had changed
into certainty, did mine. In the interval Of his
professional pursuits he walked about London
with his little girl in his hand and one day (t
was my birthday, and | was ten years old) he
took me into a not very tempting-looking place,
which was, as L speedily found, a lottery -Othce.
An Irish lottery was upon the point of being
drawn, and desired me TO choose one out Of
several bits of printed paper Q did not then
know their significance that lay upon the coun-
ter.
the dear papa, and that shall be your birthday
present"
l Immediately selected one, and put it into his
hand-No. 1924.
.Ah,'' said my father, examining it, "you
must choose again l want to buy d whole ticket,
and this is only u quarter. Choose again, my
pet"
mo, dear papa, | like this one best"
Here is the next number . interposed the
Iottery-ofhce keeper, No. 1928.
" Ay." said my father, :. that will do just as
well ; will it not, Mary? Wen take that"
mo-" returned /, obstinately - that won't
do. This is my birthday, you know, papa, and
| am ten years old. Cast up my number. and
you'll find that it makes ten. The other is only
nine"
Ny father, superstitious like all spectators.
was struck with my pertinacity, and with the
reason | gave, which he liked none the less be-
cause the ground Of preference was t~olerably UNI
reasonable, resisted the attempt of the Office
keeper TO tempt me by different tickets, and we
had nearly left the shop without Il purchase,
when the clerk who had been examining different
desks and drawers, said TO his principal:
a. think, sir, the matter may be managed if
the gentleman does not mind paying I few shill-
ings more. That ticket, 1924, only came yester-
day, and we have still all the shares one-half,
One-quarter, one eighth, two-sixteenths. 1t will
be just the same if the young lady is set upon
The young lady was set upon it, and the shares
were purchased.
The whole affair was a secret between us, and
my father, whenever he got Inc to himself, talked
over our future twenty thousand pounds-iust
like .Alnascher over his basket Of eggs.
Meanwhile, time passed on, and one Sunday
morning we were all preparing to go to church,
when a face that L had forgotten, but my father
had not, made its appearance. 1t was the clerk
of the lottery Office. An express had just arrived
from Dublin, announcing that number 2,224 had
drawn u prize of twenty thousand pounds, and
he had FASTENED TO communicate the good news.
All, me In less than twenty years, what was
left Of the produce of the ticket so strangely
chosen What? except a Wedgwood dinner
-. 49, - I, to. LII in1 mode 4, rnr,a
crate the event, with the Irish harp within the
border on one side, and his family crest on the
other! The fragile and perishable ware long
outlasted the more perishable money.