The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-06-05

youne man had not a moment, of real en-
joyn,cnt: He was alternating between
hope and fear, and his mind was constant
ly on the stretch,
At length.Sthe day arrived. James
went to the Office, and found that the
drawing had taken place, and That the
list cfs prizes. had d@been made out. He
seized the list afd turned away 80 that
those who stood around should not see
his face. He read the list through, but
searched for his number. in vain. 1t was
not there. He had drawn g blank! He
ieft,the office an unhappy man. Those
twenty dollars which he had lost had
been the savings of two months hard Ia
Dor, and lie felt their loss most keenly.
When he went home thatnight, he told
his wife that he had lost. She found no
fault with him. She only kissed him, and
told him the lesson was a good one, even
thought had been dearly bought.
+. But james Lanning was not satisfied
he, brouded over his loss with bitter
spirit, and at length the thought came to
him thut he might yet draw u prize! He
wished that he had not bought the first
ticket, and he thought that if he could
only get back his twenty dollars he would
buy no more but be could not rest under
+ his loss. He was determined to make one
more trial, and he did so. This time he
purchased the ticket without his wife's
knowledge The result was the same as
before. He drew blank!
"Forty dolIarsp was sentence that
dwelt fearfully upon the young mechanics
lips. aOh, must draw a prize. I must
make up what ! have lost Let me once
do that. and LII buy no more tickets"
Another twenty dollars was taken from
the>little bank, another ticket was bought,
another blank was drawn! At the end
of three months the little bank was
empty, and James Lanning had the last
ticket in his pocket. All, how earnestly
he prayed that that ticket might draw
him a prize. He had become pale and
careworn, and his wife, poor, confding
SOUL thought he only repincd because he
had lost twenty dollars When she would
try TO cheer him-he would laugh, and try
to make the matter light.
James," said his wife to him one day
'-it>was the day before that on which
the lottery was 10 be drawn in which he
held the sixth ticket-"Mr Rowse has
been here to day after his semi-annual in.
terest. | told him you would see him to-
morrow" -
ayes, / WILL" said James, in faint
tone. Yes, tomorrow I shall pay him."
Young Lanning thought of the lottery
and OF the prize. This was the sixth
trial, and he felt sure that he should draw.
The morrow came when James Ian
ming returned to his home at night ne was
penniless! All his golden visions had
faded away, and he was left in darkness
and misery.
"James, have you paid Mr.. Rowse his
interest YETI" asked Hannah.
The young man leaned his head upon
his hands and groaned aloud.
..For Heavens sake, James, what has
happened cried the startled wife spring
ing to the side of her husband, and twin
ing her arms about his neck.
The young man looked up with hag-
gard expression. His lips were bloodless,
and his features were all stricken with Il
death-hue.
"What is it? o, what? murmured the
wife.
$50 look in our box-our little bank"
groaned the poor man.
Hannah FASTENED away, and when she
returned she bore the empty box in her
hand.
"Robbed' she gasped, as she sank
tremblingIy down by her husbands side
Eyes, Hannah" whispered the husband
Ill have robbed You"
The stricken wife gazed upon her hus-
band with II vacant look, for at first she
did not comprehend; but she remembered
his behavior for weeks back, she remcm-
bered how he had murmured in his sleep
of lotteries and tickets, of blanks and pri-
yes, and gradually the truth broke in upon
her.
. II have done it all, Hannab," hoarscly
whispered the condemned man, when he
SAW that his wife had guessed the truth.
:"All, all has gone for lottery tickets. The
Demon tempter lured me-he held up
glittcring gold in his hand, but he gave
me none Of it. o, do not chide me? You
know not what 1 have suffered-what
hours of agony have passed-and you
cannot know how cold is my heart now
o, my wife, would TO God l had listened
to you!
"-sh p calmly whispered the faithful
wife, as she drew her hand across her
husbands heated brow. "Mourn not for
what is lost. l will not chide thee. 1t is
hard thus for you to lose your scanty
earnings, but there might be many caam-
tics worse than that. Courage, James; !;
we will forget it"
"And Mr.. Rowse will foroclose the
mortgage. You will be homeless" mur-
INJURED young Lanning, in broken ac-
cents.