The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-06-05
ag(ll|Sersel1 ynteQIge1ttef.
THE LOTTERY TICKET.
A SKETCH FOR HAzARD-sEEKEEs.
By sYLvANUs COBB, JR.

James Lanning was Mechanic
young, honest man. @hose hlSnesc A alnol' lll,
tioE Vas to gain a comfortable home for
himself.and wife, and to bethought well
of by. his neighbors: He. had built him
aelfsa house, and there stiitren1afred upon
Ma mortgage Of FIVE hundred dollars; but
Sf,is: sum he hoped to pay in u very few
years, if:he only had his health. He had
Calculated exactly how long it would take
him to clear off this incumbranee. snd he
went at work with his eyes open. !.
Gne evening, James came home to his
supper more thoughtful than usual: His
Young wife noticed his manner, and she
ineuiredsits cause.
isWhat is it, James ?" she kindly asked.
Why, never saw , you: J look 50 SOBER De-
: Sors.'s7 - t:..;s5s ::
kSYell, Illtell. you. Hannah, !" returned
tde:young man, with. u slight hesitation
z IN, il his manner. 81 have3bee thinking |
sheutd bny a lottery ticket 3,
e. HannaI Lanning. did notansweT inTme-
diaIely. She looked down and smoethed
the silIieil hair Of her babe, which was
: ehirplng like little> robin i'm her arms,
and the shades OF her handsome features
: showed that she was taking time TO
think. = -: 9s7.:;s ):
ff7.aHow-mtich will it cost? she at length
asked, looking half tilnidty up into her
husbands s face. -. .is5.. ':s
ssTwenty dollars returned James, try
,ing,to assume a confidence which he did
:, not feel. - 's.e:
..And ID, hsve you made up your mind to
aWell, I-think I shall. What do you
! think about it z"
SIT YOU should ask my advice; james,
should say, do:netsbuy it. 9"
s.lI3,lits why SO p, .4
or many reasons" returned,tfe wife,
ina trembling tone:s ewouid not offend
her husband, and she shrank from giving
him advice which he: might not follow.
tiIn the first place, i think the whole
scheme of lotteries is q bad one; and then
you have no money to risk.
yS,i.ytsB But iust look at the prizes" said James,
drawing q scheme from his pocket
There IS one prize of twenty thousand
dollars, another of ten thousand, another
S<of I'VE thousand, and SO on. Something
tells me that if buy atiekct | shall draw
q large prize. And then just think, Han
lrlia naia, Row easily could pay all up for my
house, and perhaps have q. good handsome
sum leftt." --sS..5.-..,5..;.s..
The young man spoke with much ear
nastness and assurance, but he saw that
there was a. cloud upon his wifes brow.
sit seems to mo that the chance OF
drawing Is prize; is. very doubtful" eaid
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.
81 think. L shall run the risk resumed
: James, giancing once more overthe paper,
and resting, with a@nervous longing upon
the figures which represented the higher
prizes sThere Barney, he drew eight
hundred dollars about q year ago"
: :. eyes, I know it" said Hannah. with
more warmth than she had before mani
Tested, sand what has become of, the mo-
neyt?? = on know he assquandered itall
away. All, James, money is of no use TO
: earhappiness unless we come honestly by
lit Fl. g
*. Honestly 2s repeated the yonng man.
asureiy, there is nothing dishonest in
drawing prize in a lottery"
- 81 think there ,is,", kindly but emphati.
zca1Iy, returned the wife. "All games OF
5 hazard, xhero money is at stake, are dis.
honest: WereS you- to draw a prize of
twenty thousand dollars, You would rob
Thousand men Of twenty yadollars euch /;
4prs,sat feast, you would take from them
money for.which yodreturn no equivalent.
:Issit not gambling in esery sense OF the
word ?,'>.s, -.
&c, mo; you look upon tho.matter IN too
strong light" 80
PeriapsI do, hut, yet so it locks to
me. Whit you draw some one else must
lose; and perhapsei it may be some one
J, vino can afford tho loss no better than you
ean. Let us live on the products of our
honest gains, and eshali be happier"
Jaraes Tanning was uneasy. He had
no answer for his wifes argument; at
: least, no answer thut could spring from
his,morll convictions, and he lot 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 .przes,,, and
while he was. at his work, he kept mutter-
mg over tn himself, Twenty thousand
dollars" ..Ten thousand dollars" '.Five
Thousand dollars" and So
When be went home the next night, he
: was almost unhappy with the nervous
anxiety into which he had thrown him
self The tempter had grasped him firm
ly, and whenever he thought of the otte-
. :ry, no saw nothing but piles of gold and
silver, En- short, James Lanning had
made up his mind that he would buy the
ticket. He went to the little box where
he had already a hundred and twenty
dollars laid up towards paying off the
mort ntarra. from hi, hnnro lilo. loci: