Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1870-09-17

,io,, tss stiii sriaii Hsis, sas
afhaasfa a u'ariisn sn'F
A .tt'f ir,sifal shirh OttnTffi
ss.srs IN iiins Ayns, ani shish
as = s.Ag aisF ihtcEssi a. nae aud I
Alii ls-sv soc Ih,asss g.labieIs aai
EnisA = ilh lhs l.aEiltAs- Ia thv
o,i.ny q iong hoas eLsTe IhiIs
san.hi'rg L"2.s sTV gladly ir,nsyi
r,T $40 pvgunus, .arolseans $40 Hul
sIh'we,i 10 gamblv Uy iaS, hoEee
lLe grralrr part 81 lhs -l0lging
community take a lTiF every day
ur Iwa over a. Macao, ghcns gam-
iHs i lhc prin,ilsai occupation VI
iho priest riiicn Po'plo, bul II
happened that whsle WAS searrh
ing Tor a yoHng man " whom |
brought a package, Mas direrie'i 10
the back r,rum On lhe upper Hour oi
hotel, and instead ul finding the
yuung man I iound a roam in,l OF
gamblers, | DO not know that il
wuuld be cailed gambling among
professionally, bnl there were scV-
clal N,nRd tables, around which
Wev gathered number ~ deccn,ly
drcss,d men betting on cards, rhry
Wuu.i bet On tho denomination Ol
earl drawn at random rum the
pack, or would deal out Il hand and
hcl on It's chance, IL WAS rather 4
strange sight 10 me, aud sat down
hy the dunr 20 zee tue games aud
note the sayings of the players. At
the table nearest mo Was a young I
man about twenty-five years old,
whom from his accent ] took Ia bv
an American, aud AN old man some, ,
what gray They had been betting,
il seemed, aud drinking, too, Tor tho |
bottle. before them were nearly emp.
IS. When first nOticcd lhum the Did
,ian was shuilling tho cards, rs he
said, for new deal, aud the
young man in u staggering, care
less way leaned back Ia his chair,
aud trying his cigar aud finding
that IL had gone cut, began hum.
ming u tune. AMER awhile, ~ the
uld man was dealing out the cards,
the young fellow broke out in low,
curclcrs tone, singing, in a tune
that had never before heard, these
Did wordsi
"une sweeily solemn Thought
Comes 10 the ner aud Ger,
In nearer my home to-day
Than We ever been before
Nearer the crystal cato
Where We lay cur burdens Down,
Nearer leaving !ry cross,
Nearer wearing my crown
The young man Ind an excellent
voice, aud its sweet tones and those
beautiful words had n strange ring
in the gambling den. AS for me, IL
mndr me shudhcr, while several
gamblers looked up from their game
in surprise. But the old man who
was dealing the cards put on look
OF melancholy that never shall
forget. He stopped dealing the
cards for Il moment, gazcd tiScdly
at the young blasphcmcr, and then
gathering up the cards he had dis
tributcd, he dashed tho whole pack
on the npor under the table, evident
ly in II passion. The young man
suddenly stopped his singing, and
looked first at the table aud then at
the old man, utterly at loss to
know what il all meant.
Where did you learn that tunc?"
inquired the old man, in half an
CRY, hnlf conciliatory tone. But
tho young man either did not, or
pretended that he did not know
thnt he had been singing at all.
well, no NATTER" said the old
man, "l'vc played my last game,
and that's the end of it. Tho cards
may lie there till doomsday, and !
will never pick them up"
AT this time the young man in n
pet protested, saying that the old
man had won his money, and now
wished to stop without giving him
a chance to win it back. Tho old
man took out Of his pocket the
bunch of Hong Kong bills he had
stuffed in there, and counting out
s7j or 800, q could not tell exact
lyD said:
There, Harry, is your money;
take it and do good with it. | shall
with mine" lie then went to the
table, or bar us ii was called, paid
for the liquor and walked out by me,
arm in arm with tho young man he
cad called Harry, and us followed
them down stairs | saw them con
vcrsing by the doorway, and over
heard enough to know TINT the old
man was saying something about
the tuno which the young man had
so unthinkingly sting.
l have pondcrcd upon 1t great
deal since, and would give much to
know whether the old man kept his
resolution or whether tho young
man ever played again. Without
doubt the words were learned in a
Sabbath school, or at a mothers
knee by both, and each teacher may
have felt when they labored that,
in the words Of Burns,
Perhaps II may itirn ont q sang,
Perhaps turn out sernonj
And il did turn out the latter.
Hong Kong Letter TO the Boston Traveller.
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