Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-07-08

chats two and two, cried Tom Piper
What do you say to playing them off, AL
bert +?
All right, 60 on said Albert, full O.
ANNA ton.
So they played the fifth game, and he who
lost was to pay for the five games. It was
an exciting contest-both made capital runs
but in the end Albert was beaten by three
points and with a little laugh he went W
to settle the bill Five games, twenty cents
game-just one dollar Not much fol
such sport and he paid out the money with
a grace, and never once seemed to feel thai
he could not afford it.
Have cigar?' said Tom.
yes
They lighted their cigars, and then saun-
tered down the hall to watch others play
Albert soon found himself seated over
against table at which some of his friends
were playing, and close stood two gentle
men, strangers to him. one of whom was ex-
planning to the ote r the mysteries of the
game.
1t is healthy pastime,' said he who had
been making the explanation and certain
ly it is one which has no evil tendency
Albert heard the remarks very plainly,
and he had curiosity to hear what the 9TH
er, who seemed unacquainted with billiards,
would say
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 so far as they excite ard stimulate men
beyond the bounds of healthy recreation
That result can scarcely follow such a
game said the first speaker.
But the other shook his head.
You are wrong here. The result can
follow in two ways. First it can lead men
away from their business; it can lead men
to spend money, who have not money to
spend You will understand me. would
not cry down the game of billiards, for if I
understood it should certainly try you
game now but whenever | visit place of
this kind am led to reflect upon most
strange and prominent weakness of humani-
ty as developed in our sex. For Instance,
observe that young man who is just settling
his bill at the desk He looks like a me-
chanic, and should say from his manner,
and from the fact that he feels it his duty to
60 home at this hour, that he has a wife
and children. see by his face that he is
kind hearted and generous, and should
judge that he means to do as near right as
he can He has been beaten, and he pays
one dollar and forty cents for the recreation
Of two hours duration. If you abserve you
will see that he pays it freely, and pockets
the loss with a smile. Happy faculty. But
how do you suppose it is in the young mans
home? Suppose his vito had come to him
this morning and asked him for dollar to
spend for some triaing thing; some house
hold ornaments or some bit of jewelry to
adorn her person-and suppose his little
child had put in plea for forty cents to
buy paper and picture books with, what
do you think 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 more
over, they would have said SO, feeling that
they were telling the truth Am | not
right
Upon my SOUL responded the man who
understood billiards, you speak to the point.
I know that young man who has paid his
bill, and you have not misjudged him in a
, single particular. And what is more. |
happen to have a fact at hand to illustrate
your charge. We have club for an ex-
cellent literary paper in your village, and
last year that man was one of our subscrib-
ers. This year he felt obliged to discontin-
ue it. His wife was very anxious to take
it, for it had become genial companion in
leisure moments, but he could not afford it,
The club rate was one dollar and fifty cents
a year.
Aye, and SO it goes. said the other gen
tlemau. well, that mans wife may be
wishing at this very moment that she had
her paper to read, while he is paying almost
its full price for year-for what? And
yet how smilingly he does it, All! those
poor sympathizing wives How many clouds
often darken upon them from the brows of
their husbands when they ask for triAing
sums Of money, and how grpdgingly the
mite is handed over when it is given! What
perfect floods of joy that dollar and forty
cents might have poured upon the children
of that unsuccessful billiard player. All
it is we'll for such wives and children that
they do not know where the money all
goes
They had finished at the nearest table
Two gentleman moved on, and Albert
Landman arose from his seat and left the
house. Never before had he such thoughts
as now possessed him, he had never dwelt
upon the same grouping of IDEAS. That
every morning his own true, faithful, loving
wife had been sad and heart sick because he
had harshly and unkindly met her request
for a small sum of money. And his sweet
Lizzie had crept away to her home almost
broken hearted for the want of a simple toy
such as her mates possessed And yet the
sum of both their wants amounted to not as
much as he had paid away that evening for
billiard playing.
Albert Landman wanted to be an honest
husband and father, and the Lesson was not
lost upon him. On his way home be stop
ped at Mr.. Grants and purchased the best
and prettiest hoop to be found, and in the
morning when he beheld his child's delight,
and had received her grateful kiss, the
question came to his mind: Which was the
best and happiest result, this or the five
games of billiards. The hoop had cost thir-
ty cents. He could play two games Of bill
lizards less, and be the absolute gamer OF
ten cents by the pleasant operation.
A few mornings after this, as Albert rose
from the breakfast table, he detected an I'M
easy, wistful look upon his wife's face.
Kate, what is it?'
ALBERT, could you spare me dollar this
morning?'
And out came the wallet, and the money
was handed over with warm, genial smile.
! What! Tears at that Was it possible
LII. LII mood 70 c1loh