The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-10-07
THE LOTTERY TICKET

amDltlOn was 10 gam u colnloftaoit
home for himself and wife, and to be
thought well Of by his neighbors
He had bought himselfa a house, and
there still remained upon it mort
gage of FIVE hundred dollars; but this
sum he hoped to pay in a very few
years if he had only his health. He
had calculated exactly how long ii
would take him to clear off this in
cumbraucc, and he went to work with
his eyes open.
One evening James came homo to
his supper more thoughtful than usu'
al. His young wife noticed his man
ner, and she inquired it's cause.
"Why is it, james," she kindly
asked. "Why, I never saw you look
So sober before"
"WelI, III tell you, Hannah" re-
piled tho young man, with a slight
hesitation in his manner. 81 have
just been thinking that would buy
a lottery ticket"
Hannah Lanning did not answer
Immediately. She looked down and
smoothcd the silkcn hair Of her babe,
whice was chiring like robin in her
arms, and the shades OF her handsome
features showed that she was 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,
trying to assume confidence which
he did not feel.
"And have you mado up your mind
to buy it?"
"Well, I think I shall. What do
you think about it2"
"If you should ask my advice, /
should say do not buy it,"
"But why SOP"
''For many reasons" returned bis
wife, in q trembling tone.
She would not offend her husbend,
and she shrank from giving him ad-
vice which he might not follow.
- 'In the first place." she said, II
think the whole science Of lotteries is
u bad one; and thcn you have no
money to risk"
"But just look at the prizes" said
James, drawing "scheme" from bis
pocket. Here is one prize of twenty
thousand dollars, another of ten thou
saud, another of five thousand, and so
on. Something tells me that if l buy
q ticket shall draw largo prize
And then just think, Hannah, how
easily l could pay all up for my
house, and perhaps have a good hand.
some sum left"
The young man spoke with much
earnestnes and assurance; but he saw
that there was q cloud upon his wife's
brow.
nIt seems to me that the chance OF
drawing q prize is very doubtful
said Hannah, as she took the scheme,
"Herc are many thousand tickets to
be sold"
The babe tried hard to snatch the
paper, and Hannah laid it aside.
'I think l shall run the risk,' re-
sumed James, glanclng once more
over the paper, and resting with a
nervous longing upon the figures
which represented the higher prizes,
"rhcre's Barney; he drew about eight
hundred dollars year ago. .
"Yes, I know it," said Hannah, with
moro warmth than she had before
manifested, "and what has become OF
the money? You know he has squan-
dcred it all away. All, James, money
is of no use unless We come honestly
by it."
auoncstly?" repeated the young
man. "SureIy, there is nothing dis
honest in drawing prize in lot
terry"
II think there is," kindly, but em.
phatically, replied tho wife. "All
games Of hazard. where money is at
Stake, arc dishonest. We're you to
draw a prize of twenty thousand dol
lars. YOU would rob a thousand men
of twenty dollars each; or, at least,
YOU would take from them the money
for which you returned them no
equivalent. Is it not gambling IN
every sense of the word?"
"Oh, no! You look upon the mat
ter in too strong light"
"Perhaps do; but yet 30 it looks
to me. What you may draw, some
one else must lose; and perhaps it may
be some one who can afford the loss
bo better than you can. wouldn't
buy the ticket, James. Let US live
on the products of our honest gains,
and we shall be happier"
Japoes TJanninpI was uneasy, He