The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-03-26

dragged an old hoop, which she had
taken from dilapidated -four bar
rel, while with her left she was rub
bing her red, swollen eyes, She
was in deep grief, and was sobbing
painfully He stopped his child
and asked what was the matter. ~
d. She answered as well as her sobs
would let her, that the Other. girls
had laughed at her, and made fun of
her old hoop. They had nice pret-
ty hoops, while hers Was ugly and
homely. e a..af.z-4l s.5 IS .Hk
'sNever mind" said Albert, pat
ting the little one on the head (for
the child's grief touched him "per-
haps we'll have new hoop some
time" .....-.. s-..... ..ye.f. i.
''Mayn'tI have one now? Mr..
Grants got one left-O, such a
pretty oner' ,... t4 .
The sobbing had ceased, as the
child took hold of her fathers hand
eagerly. ...- r55 .;...
s.Not now, Lizzie-not now. I'll
think Of it,
Sobbing again, the child moved
on towards home, dragging the old
hoop after her. l ..-.s5
At one of the stores Albert Land
man met some of his friends.
''Halloa, Albert What's up p
Nothing in particular" 70.
"What do you say to a game of
billiards -
"Good I'm in for that
And away went Albert to the bill
lard hall, and had glorious time
with his friend. He liked billiards !;
it was healthy, pretty game, aud
the keeper of the hall allowed no
rough scuifs upon his premises.
They played four games. Albert
had won two, and his opponent had
won two. .,s III. . 81
That's two and two," cried Tom
Piper. What do you say to playing
them off, Albert % ..'
''All right, go in," said Albert,
| full Of animation. i r.
So they played the fifth game, and
he who lost was to pay for the five
games.
Both made capital runs, but in
the end, Albert was beaten by three
points; and with a light laugh he
went up to settle the bill. Five
games-twenty cents a game; just
one dollar Not much for such
sport; and he paid out the money
with grace, and never once seemed
to feel that he could not afford it.
Have a cigar ? said Tom.
Yes
They lighted their cigars and
then sauntered down the hall to see
others play. -.-e-s#a
Albert soon found himself seated
over against table at which some
of his friends were playing, and
clese by stood two gentlemen stran-
gers to him, one of which was eN-
planning to the other the mysteries
os the game. 4..-l-.+ r,s
1t is a healthy pastime,' said he
who had been making the explana-
ton; 'and certainly it is one which
can have 10 evil tendency . Albert
heard the remarks very plainly, and
he had a curiosity to hear what the
other, who seemed unacquainted
with billiards, would say. atA
i cannot, OF course, assert that
any game, which 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
evil as far as they excite and stimu-
late men beyond the bounds OF
healthful recreation ~.
That result can hardly follow
such 81 game said the first speaker.
But the other shook his head. 4
You are wrong; the result can
follow in two ways. First-it can
lead men away from their business; |;
and, second it can lead men to
spend money who have not that
money to spend. I would not cry
down the game of billiards, for if I
understood it I should certainly
try you game now; but whenever
I visit place of this kind I am led
to reflect upon strange and most
prominent weakness of humanity as
developed in cur sex. For instance,
observe that young man who is just
settling his bill at the desk. He
looks like mechanic, and I should
say from his manner, and from the
fact that he feels it his duty to go
/ home at this hour, that he has wife
and children. I see by his face
that he is kind hearted and gener-
Gus, and should judge that he in
tends 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 would OBJ
serve. you will see that he pays it
freely and pockets the loss with a
Happy faculty! But how do. you
suppose it is in that young mans
home! Suppose his wife had come
to him this morning and asked him
for dollar to spend for some tri-
fling thing-some household orna-
ment, or some bit of jewelry to
adorn her person-and suppose his
little child had put in a plea for forty
cents to buy a paper and picture
book with, what do you suppose he
would have answered! Of fifty
men just like him, would not forty
and five have declared that they
| had not money to spare for any
such purpose . And moreover,
they would have said 80, feeling
that they were telling the truth. Am
I not right p
Upon my SOUL responded the
man who understood billiards. won