The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-04-02
MY LOTTERY TlCEETS6A

| ~ Nhc DdtuTuu1 HlRub, ulsu lhb nbbit
woman who bears my name and monds
my stockings, was sitting in her low
chair by the fire, zealOusly putting
patch upon the knees of little Toms
trousers, and iiolding her head on one
side to watch the effect. But the
strips would all run the wrong way,
while tho e6lors were provokingy
bright, compared with the faded gar
mcnt YU.g ylst-9g
Never mind that, Mary" said I,
"here's chance to throw aSaySyour
patches. Hurrah for a lovely coun
try seat on tho Hndsoh, 6fty shares Of
bank stock; house in town, or any
thing you wish, and all for a doilarf'
"Now Thomas, said sho---when she
wished TO be particularly Severe, che
always calls me Thomas--awhat are
you thinking about2" sifl5 -i3
"a gift enterprise, Mollie tickets
only dollar, and sure ID draw a
prize" l read the heading and dis
played the long list of prizes. dWhat
do you think of that2" shouted j, tri-
umphantly. '+aa@d e}at-l tl
'I THINK said she laughingly, "that
ifyou make so much noise you will
wake tho baby Then seeing that
looked annoyed "But do not think
that lotteries Just right, especially
for church members. fDoin your" 81C
90, nonsencc l never saw q church
fair in my life that did not havo grab
boxes ard lotteries, shouldn't dare
to say how many dollars 1 have spent
on them, and never drew anything
either." esle dj HtiGul Dra a1.cT
She IooRod roguishly at me, and
said Don't you think you are most
to old TO begin2" 1Hif.i1 iaii.0 a
"It may as we'll be me as any one,
aud it is no great matter--only q dol
lar" Ig3lfd 81 uwi m1gi +-isd va
II know; Tom, and tho wise little
woman looked grave, "but we haven't I
many dollars to throw away" ana she
shcld mp the buby's socks with large
sized holo'in1 each heol. sand little
Toms school bill comes next week +"
j laid down. my paper and tried to
speak very couvinclngly. "Now, Mol.
lie, it is al very we'll to Jog along day
after day, earning and spending Just so
much, but one likes to venture once in
while, justiforg orghou,oxDitement of the
thing, i { nothing moro ~ '8sm9dI gan
"Yes, Tom, don'tyou remembor the
shRre nlthe oilIwell 2"
'!Y~c 8, suid /, slowly, for 1t was
rather an. unpleasaut,st t9pierof eonvers
sation to me. / had in rested tho little
sum left me by.a maiden aunt, IN an
oil company, against Mary's good
Judgement Capital u million dollars,
,moro or loss, oilwells flowing night
and dRyon the lanus of the next com
pany, Just oyer the fence Twas very
much olated. laud promised Mary,
anoug other .hlngsy a new black silk
dress we had seen display cd Iii some
show window Well, they bored and
bored and bored, throwing upo great
deal of dirt. andlagreat deal OF water
but not drop of oil iand just as they
we're about TO begin in q new spot, the
Treasure r, or some one else, ran away
with.the funds, and that ended the
whole affair. 3 Mary, like poor little
woman, never reproachod me, but
when l camo home ono day and found
her turning hen'old smerino INSIDE out
and upside down, L felt-rwelb [ cant
telljnst how; bat. thought of that
black silk dress that she was- ID
have. h>i.tt4ti
"And oh sho continued, odon't you
rememberi the patent four-sifter?'
and -she laughed outright So DID ],
when1L thought Of the specticle pre-
sented when l ohancod to turn the
crank the wrong way and the -four
hewin every direction. q ~
But l had made up my mind to buy
one ofthese tickets; 80, though Mary
sighed, she said 10 more. invested
on nv way down town til onght'I
might as well buy one for Mary and
one for little Tom, too | showed them
to her when j went home to dinner.
'Not three ! o, Tom, how could
you2 and she looked really grieved
while / thinking Il a pity if must
account for every penny spont, as
sumed the digniied air which she
seemed to demand and the meal pass
ed in. silence. i went home at night
to find her sewing as ueual. My con-
sclonce gave an. uncomfortable twinge
as she looked up pleasantly, and then
turned to the great basket OF work
Ifshe only had "a sewing maehine.---
Perhaps I SHOULD draw one, ana 1 grew
happy over the thought, imagining
her SURPRISE when | sent. it home an
iShe would not think mo
unwise then IN having bought the
tickets.
. little Tom : interrupted my re1ery !
father. old Susan who used
to work for us, has been here to-day.
She has burned her hand so she can't
work, Mrs. Briggs gave her a dollar.
Mother said she couldn't give her any
money, but she put somo salye on her
hand, aud gave her something TO eat
l did not look atMapy, but contrived
to turn Toms thoughts into another
n n r ) Il.