The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1867-04-12

have a new hoop sometime"
"Mayn'tI have one now Mr.. Grants
got one left-O, such pretty one p
The sObblng had ceased as the child
caught her fathers hand eagerly.
"Not now, Lizzie-not now. I'll think
of it."
sobbing again, the child moved on to-
wards home. dragging the old hoop after
her.
At one of the stores Albert Landman
met some of his friends.
'Hello, Albert, whats up ?"
Nothing in particular"
''What d'ye-say to game of billiards %
GOOD I'm in for that
And away went Albert to the billiard
hail. where he had glorious time with
his friends. he liked billiards. e was
healthy, pretty sane s Is
lhe haH aiI0wed no rough-scuf 1p0a the
premises.
They had played four games. Albert
had won two. and his opponent hand won
two.
"Thars two and two" cried Tom Piper.
''Wlast dye say to saddling 'em off 90
can right-go in replied Albeit, full
of animation.
So they played the fifth game, and he
WhO-lost was to pay for the FIVE game. Il
was an exciting contest both made capi-
tai runs but in the end Albert was beaten
by justthreepoint and, with alightlaugh,
he went up to settle the bile Five games
twenty cents game, iqstsope dollar
Not much that for such sport and he
paid out the money With a good ggNcea
never once seeming p feel that .hs-0oaIdn't
afford it.
"Have a cigar 90 said POm.
eyes"
They lighted their cigars, and then
sauntered doSh the hall to watch other
players.
By and by Albert found himself seated
over against a table at which some of his
friends were playing, and close by him
stood two gentlemen-both strangers to
him-one of whom was explaining to the
other the mysteries of the game.
''It is healthy pastime,' said he. who
had been making the explanation. "and
certainly it is one that can have no Gevil
tendency"
Albert heard the remarks very plainly,
and he had curiosity to hear what the
other who seemed acquainted with billiards,
would say.
Il cannot, Of course, assert that any
game that calls for skill and judgment,
and which is free from the attendant curse
of gaming, is of itself an evil" remarked
the second gentleman. ''Such things are
only evils in so far as they excite and slim
ulate men beyond the bounds Of healthful
recreation"
"That result can hardly follow such a
game," said the first speaker.
But the other shook his head
''You are wrong there. The result can
follow in two ways. First It can lead
men away from their business and Sc
cond 1t can lead men to spend money who
have not that money to spare"
You will understand me- I would mol
cry down the game of billiards, for, if
understood it, should certainly try you a
game now but whenever I visit place oi
this kind am led to reflect upon a most
strange and prominent weakness of hu-
manity developed in our sex. For instance
observe that young man who is just now
settling his bill at the desk. He looks
like a mechanic and 1 should say, from
his manner, and from the fact that he feels
it is-duty to go home at this hour, that he
has wife and children. l see by his face
that he is kind-hearted and generous, and
should Judge that he meant to do about as
near right as he can. He has been beaten,
and he pays one dollar and forty cents for
the recreation of some two hours duration.
If you will observe you will see that he
pays it freely, and pockets the loss with 8
smile. Happy faculty But how do you
suppose it is in that young mans home
Juppose his wife had come to him this
morning and asked him for dollar te
spend for some triAing thing, some house
hold OF lament, or some bit of jewelry fol
the adornment fher person, and suppose
his little child had put in a plea for forty
cents to buy paper dolls or picture books
with, what do you think would have beer
the result i? What do you think would
have been the answer Of fifty men JUS
like him would not Internationally have
t declared that they had not that money to
spare for any such purpose And, more
over, they would have said so, feeling tha
they were telling the truth. Am 1 no
right?"
upon my soul,' responded the mar
} who understood billiards, "yOu speak tc
the point. know that young man whC
has just paid his bill. and you have no
misjudged him in single particular. And