The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-10-01
THE LOTTERY TICKET.

James Ianning was mechanic, a
young, honest man, whose highest ambi-
tion was to gain comfortable home for
himself and wife, and to be thought well
of by his neighbors. He had built him
self house, and there still remained upon
it mortgage of five hundred dollars;
but this sum he hoped to pay in very
few years, if he had only his health. He
had calculated exactly how long it would
take him to clear off this incumbrance,
and he went to work with his eyes open.
One evening, James came home to his
supper more thoughtful than usual His
young wife noticed his manner, and she
inquired its cause.
"What is it, James?" She kindly
asked. "Why, 1 never saw you look so
sober before"
"Well, I'll tell you, Hannah" return
ed the young man, with slight hesita-
tion in his manner, 81 have just been
thinking that l would buy a lottery tick
et"
Hannah Lanning did not answer imme-
diately. She looked down, and smoothed
the silken hair of her babe, which was
chirping like little robin in her arms,
and the shades of her handsome features
showed that she~@as taking time to
think.
"How much will it cost?' she asked,
at length, looking half timidly up into
her husbands face.
"Twenty dollars" returned James, try
ing to assume confidence which he did
not feel.
"And have you made up your mind
to buy it?'
"Well, think I shall. What do you
think about it?''
eff you should ask my advice, / should
say do not buy it,"
"But why so?"
For many reasons" returned the wife,
in trembling tone.
She would not offend her husband, and
she shrank from giving him advice which
he might not follow.
"In the first place." she said, 81 think
the whole scheme of lotteries is bad
, one; and then you have no money to
risk"
"But just look at the prize" said
James. drawing "scheme" from his
pocket. "Here is one prize of twenty
thousand dollars, another of ten thousand,
another of five thousand, and so on
Something tells me that if buy ticket
shall draw large prize. And then
just think, Hannah, how easily could
pay all up for my house, and perhaps
have a good handsome sum left"
The young man spoke with much ear.
ne tness and assurance; but he saw that
there was clond upon his wife's brow
at seems to me that the chance OF
drawing prize is very doubtful" said
Hannah, as she took the scheme. "Hert
are many thousand tickets to be'sold."
The babe tried hard to snatch the pa
per, and Hannah laid it aside.
"I think / shall run the risk" resumed
James, glancing once more over the pa
per, and resting with nervous longing
upon the figures which represented tn,
higher prizes. "There's Barney; h,
drew about eight hundred dollars a yea
ago."
Yes, I know it," said Hannah, will
more warmth than she had before mani
tested, "and what has become of the
money? You know he has squanderet
it all away. All, James, money is of M
use unless we come honestly by it,"
"Honestlyp repeated the young man
"Surely there's nothing dishonest in
drawing prize in a lottery"
81 think there is" kindly, but emphat
ically, returned the wife. "All games O
hazard, where money is at stake, arc dis
honest. Were you to draw a prize O
twenty thousand dollars, you would rol
thousand men of twenty dollars each
or, at least, you would take from then
money for which you returned them n,
equivalent. Is it not gambling, in ever,
sense of the word ?'
"Oh, no! You look upon the matte
in too strong light"
Perhaps do; but yet so it looks +
me. What you may draw, some one els
must lose; and perhaps it may be som
one who can afford the loss no bette
than you can. Wouldn't buy the ticket
James. Let us live on the products @
our honest gains, and we shall be haI
pier"
James Lanning was uneasy. He ha
no answer for his wife's arguments; a
least none that could spring from hi
moral convictions, and he let the matte
drop. But the young man could nc
next day his head was full of "prizes,
and while he was at his work he keI
muttering 10 himself, "Twenty thousan
dollars" "Ten thousand dollars" Fiy
thousand dollars" and so on.
When he went home the next night, h
was almost unhappy with the nervou
anxiety into which he had thrown hin
self The tempter had grasped him firmly
and whenever he thought of the lotter
he thought of nothing but piles of gol
and silver. In short, James tanning ha
made up his mind that he would buy tn
ticket. He went TO the little box wher
he already had one hundred and twent
dollars laid up toward paying off th
mortgage from his house. The loc
clicked with startling sound, and whe
he threw back the cover, he hesitate,
He looked at his wife, and he saw ths
she was sad.
ooh, I'm sure shall draw prizel"
said, with a faint, fading smile.
He took four half eagles from the bo,