Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-01-02

~ S"nC w ~ ao iouStus ~ WAS lou
ii past midnight when his last dolla
was upon the tabIe-the last of fiv
n thousand staked that night -ant
d he lost He arose, and swallowe,
@ u glass of brandy, and staggered
It out from the hall.
{. 1t was a chill November night
d but the keen air could not subdu,
2 the fever that burned in Charles
9 Falconer's veins. He stopped upon
the street corner, and looked up at
the stars.
"This is the end !" he said, with
his hands clasped upon his bosom.
"The coming day shall not look up.
, my shame! God be merciful to
, those l leave behind. Ned will care
for them. He will take my placew
And then he walked swiftly away
and stopped not again until he had
reached an empty. forsaken pier, at
the foot of which the waters of the
river rolled swiftly and darkly.
"The tide is ebbing," he said.
"My body will be borne far out and
away p
just then hand was laid upon
his shoulder. He turned and saw
Edward Phillips.
"Come, Charley,-come home with
me-"
"No!-no!-Leave me! You do
not know to whom you speak,
III know all"
"All?'
eyes. l was in the gaming hall
this evening""
"Then you know that 1 am ruined
-lostw
81 know Charles, that hut for a
sweet angel who has watched over
you, you might have been lost.
Your sister set me to save you; and
l am to do it,"
20, Ned! you don't know ALL"
"I know ALL"
"No, no. ! have lost five thou
sand dollars this night. And--and
the money was not-O! let me CO."
-ACharlas-m hrntl,ar- aa-I snnn
hope to call you-have you not SUIT
fered enoughf" 8 :
more, Ned, than l can survive"
"Suppose you had won tonight q
instead of losing - ,
IL should have paid back to my q
bank account the money II
had already withdrawn, and never !,
never again looked Tor help in any p
game of hazard. Such had sworn !,
in my very heart of hearts,"
"How much had you lost before !" +
"Almost three thousand dollars" -
Ned Phillips took both his hands, h
and held them while he spoke. a
"Lool ye, Charley: Laura begged q
IL of me, and have watched you. 9
have been as a shadow to you :,
when you knew it not. / knew q
what you would do tonight, and | p,
hired Barnes to help me. did him >,
!, good turn once, and he answered Fl
my call. In other times he was a r,
successful gamester, and all the i,
;ricks of the profession are known q
% him. He won your money to- +,
hight with my help, and for my BEN d
eft; and l have it safely in my q,
pocket at this very moment. And r.
have also another thousand dol
ars which you. lost night before
asst. That was won for me, also. p
As for the other two thousand, [ 81
must ask you to borrow them of me. n
am amply able. You shall repay tt
ne when you can.-Hush Mot a b
word Remember your mother - al
She knows nothing of this. You Il
md l will spare her all pain. Come, te
ny boy,-let US go home." Of
Weak and weeping, like a lost al
hild, found after long and weary tt
Charles Falconer took st
he arm of his brother, and walked OF
,ack toward his home. They found o.
laura up, waiting for them. Ii
'It is our own Charlie, safe and I'll
vell," said Edward. ty
She knew what he meant,-she p;
new it from the eloquent light of 10
lis own eye, as we'll as from the W
yes of her dear brother, which were T
ed with weeping, and she embrac- W
d them both, and blessed God. OIL
On the foIlawing day, with the b'
money which Phillips had secured re
or him. Charles FalcOner went to d.
he counting-house, and called the g.
members of the firm-there we're I'll
'nly two of them-into the private it
'ffice; and there he told them the b,
Whole story, emitting not one single I'll
hing that bore either for or against m