Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-08-11
IFrom Hearth and Home.l
Jethro TROOPS Night Thoughts.
BIZ JOHN THOMAS,

n
sunday night, 11:30-Jethro soLUs.l
Drunkenness - Sabbath breaking =
gambling three vices acquired in six
weeks-two weeks TO vice. If it goes
on at this rate. suppose that IN six
weeks more I shall have accomplished
embezzlement. forgery and theft, and, in
six more, highway robbery, arson and
murder. / was told that New York
was a fast place-in one direction my
progress has been sufficiently rapid, am
sure.
Why couldn't have stopped where 1
was this morning? God knows it was
bad enough, but il was nothing compar-
ed with the situation now. lowed Mrs.
Moss for board, $50; the cigar store
round the corner, $3.50; livery, $l2;
besides small sums to the boys in the
store. l was under about $50 in all
ten dollars week more than my salary.
And the worst of ii is, they all want
their money now. Jack has sent me
three notes demanding his; the cigar
man, whose place / pass twice day,
stands at his door regularly as l pass,
looking at me with inploriug eyes; and
Yesterday morning he bad IN the door
way his three children, all Of them poor
Iy dressed and with sore eyes, with view
doubtless, of impressing me with their
necessities. can't endure that again,
though shall have TO walk square out
of my way TO avoid it.
This morning, Jack, Jim Mason and
John Adams called-as they always do
Sunday morniugs-and invited me to
co out" with them. | went out and
got out so far that the Lord only knows
how and when | will get back.
Jack had cigars in his pocket, snG we
lighted, each one, and went out, pulling
up in twenty minutes, of course, in a sa-
loon on a side street. We took posses
sion of half private room in the rear,
and Jim Mason ordered drinks. Then
John Adams ordered drinks, and then |
ordered drinks. / wasn't intoxicated ex
actly; but after the first Que, | felt as
though owned the east side of the city,
and was receiving rent therefor; the sec
ond one gave me the west side; and the
third made me sole proprietor, in fee
simple, of Brooklyn, Jersey City, and
all the suburban villages. At that par
ticular time | wouldn't have exchanged
place. with A. 7. Stewart; and had
Dimity and Crash offered me an interest
in the house, should have laughed them
to scora. What a pity it is that the
wealth so produced evaporates so quickly.
Jack proposed q game at cards, and |
hailed the proposition with delight. l
learned to play seven up and euchre in
the hay-mow at home, as | learned to
smoke surreptitiousiy. What are merely
amusements in the country become vices
in the city, and small vices in tho coun.
try grow 10 wonderful size in the city.
City life is moral guano--it develops the
good and bad in us rapidly, and as the
bad is always fairly started when we
arrive, that grows the fastest under its in.
flucnce. We played seven up, each man
for himself ten cent stakes, and / won tho
most of the time. l had So, my weeks
pay in my pocket when commenced,
and iu less than IN hour that So had
grown to $ll. Luck was with me. |
held all the good cards regularly, aud
had my friends had nerve enough TO have
continued, / should have won money
enough TO have let me out of my difficult
ties. For the first time in my life | felt
desire 10 get money without earning it.
But Jim Mason had los. all he thought
he could afford. Jack backed down. and
then John Adams would play no more 4.
o that had quit too! But didn't.
AT this point { was shutting the cards
idly) genllemanly looking man with a
very black moustache, an immense watch
chain. and particularly white hat with
weed on it, who bad sauntered in. re-
marked that he would like to play game
or two with me. He was not accustom-
ed to play, but he felt an inclination to
lose few dollars fol the sake of amuse-
ment. l had just taken another inspira-
ton, and really felt throb of pity for
the man who was so blindly rushing to
his doom, but smothered it and waved
him relentlessly to seat. Jack told me,
after i, was over, that at that tine my
lmt was hanging on the back of my head,
my front hair was struggling over my
forehead, and that my cigar had gone
out, and l had the burned end in my
mouth. The bar man had left his place
in the bar, and leaning against pillar
was an apparently amused spectator. |
noticed half smile on his face, which at
the time supposed was smile of com
miseration and and pity for the stranger.
at all events, l so interpreted it, and
winked knowing wink at him, which
he returned.
won the first game and generously
said to my antagonist that he was under
no obligation TO continue--that | would
prefer TO have him PAUSE in his mad ca
reer, as l had no disposition to ruin him.
He remarked that be had no friends 10
mourn for him, and he rather guessed he
would go on while anyhow. The next
game won. and the next, whereupon
my antagonist insisted upon doubling the
stakes. "Quadruple then!" said /, to
which he asseDted.
Fortune changed front. He won al
least half of the time, when / dealt the
cards. and every time when be dealt them
Ny $1l were soon gone, and | borrowed
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