The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-20
THE MAGIC STOVE.
A LOTTERY STORY.

My good father (said Sir Joshua
Bence) was, am sorry to say, n res,,-
lar victim at the shrine of fortune
for half his life. For twenty years
he had annually purchased a Whole
lottery ticket without seeing a six
pence of his money back; but ut last
he wisely determined to stop, without
sending more good money after bad
Yet, as the first days drawing came
near IN that one-and-twentieth year, l
could see that my parents prudence
was not ny any means giving him the
satisfaction that it deserved. His
friends and neighbors were buyine
tickets upon ali hands, and specu.
latlng upon their chances of success.
"WeH, = one would say, CT should
think, SIR, your turn must come round
this tinle;" and another would hope
to see him repaid for all his losses by
tins single coup. I. saw it annoycd
him to have to answer, "I have
bought no ticket; I never mean TO
try again.; and when some gossip
would rally him about his faint-lcart-
e4aess and want of courage, it qnitc
rntf1ed his ordinarily excellent tenn
per. Still he stuck to his resolution.
until the very Saturday before the
drawing, when he sent for me into
his private parlor, after dinner, and
addressed me as follows: 81 have
something to say to you of IL very
singular kind, my boz. Tt may be
OF no consequence, and it may lie of
the greatest possible Importance; but
however it turns out. yoE must pro-
mise me, upon your honor, to keep it
a secret as long as live.' OF course.
!! gave the required security; and my
father, who sat, with his handkerchief
over his head, in front of T. huge
stove-for it was winter-tine. and he
loved warmth-continued. with the
greatest gravity:
You know, my boy, that l had
resolved upon purchasing no more
lottery tickets, md that / am not q
man to lightly break my resolutions.
Still, I am not SO obstinate as tn ~.
slst the manifest influences of-of-I
hardly know what to call it, or who
1T comes from, but the fact is, / feel
led, my boy, as your amt Dorcas
calls lt-absolutely enjoined by q
higher power-to purcll:.s.. No. 472.
But why, think you, should ! set NV
mind upon this No. 472? .sWcli
perhaps you dreamed it, sir" i re-
piled, like Mrs. Fosbey." This was
poor widow lady, who lived IN the
next street, and who had dreamed,
three times running, of n lucky pum.
Der iii the lottery, and had borrowed
the money OF my father wherewith
to purchase the ticket.
mo, my boy" replied my father
but with a perceptible vince, for the
sad number had turned ont a blank
both Tor her and him;) 81 did not
exactly dream it; but it happened
thus: You know that have had this
stove set up here but few days 400.
and used it for the first time on
Thursday last. Upon that very even
mS' when l. had come in here as
usual after dinner, and having read
the paper, had dozed off for IN hour
OF two, ! awoke, and beheld in the
centre OF this iron door, which. as
you see, has nothing upon it whatso-
ever, IN letters and figures of fire.
No. 472! I was wide awake by tbai
time, and am as certain as ever I
was of anything in my whole life.
that the thing was as have told YOU,
However, so distrustfnl was [ of nv.
self for / know how the lottery oc.
cnples my mind, and ] confess I had
been dreaming OF it at that yer,
time--that | said nothing about it
but waited for the next night, when