Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-06-04
NUMBER 777.

NUMBER 777.
THERE was time when lotteries were
quite common.and legal and not consid-
cred so very disreputable, and when
worthy people sometimes bought tickets
and made no secret of the matter.
1t was good while ago, of course,
and you would have to look long for the
worthy gentleman who one night about
dark walked into lottery Office for the
purpose of buying ticket. He had
tight boots and light trowsers with straps,
and the fur collar of his coat stood up
above his ears, and he wore that awful
thing, stock, about his throat, and he
was in the height of that years fashion,
and was regarded by those who met him
rather with admiration than with the
stare of astonishment with which we
should greet him now-with which, in
deed, we should greet any of the ladies
or gentlemen of that year; the first hab-
tied as above, with curly, bell-shaped
hats rpon their heads, and twisted canes
in their hands; the latter with coal-scut-
tie bonnets and leg-Of-mutton sleeves,
and two cores in their skirts, which were
short, and showed low slippers and silk
stockings, and long-stringed work-bags
on their arms, and big parasols over the
big bonnets, before which hung for mod
estys sake curtains of black or white
lace which they called wells.
Mr.. Rogers, for that was this gentle
mans name, stepping up to the counter,
asked to look at tickets. Perhaps he
held the superstition that there was luck
in odd numbers, for as soon as they were
spread before him he decided on the
number III, paid its price and walked
off with it in his waistcoat pocket. AS
he turned the corner the big poster on
the wall seemed to be written especially
| for him: .
"Capital prize, $4,000. Tickets five
dollars each. Don't delay"
81 had dream that meant luck last
night" said Mr.. Rogers to himself; and
have fancy that ] shall draw the
great prize. That's a splendid number
Then he turned another corner and
spied face peeping out of the window
of small brick house. The face of
Mrs. Rogers, who feared that Mr.. RS
favorite dish was spelling.
"That reminds me-" said Mr.. Rogers
al must not tell Esmerelda. The luck
will be spoilt if one tells of the ticket
and she'dtalk so much of it-women will
talk so much"
SO Mr. Rogers drank his tea and sale
nothing of the lottery ticket, which hC
hid at the bottom of his trunk, bulg
ing, hair-covered thing with L. r. on thu
side in brass nails.
But though he said nothing, his minC
was full of it; he thought of that capita
prize of $4,000 while he ate his break
fast he dined off it; he dreamed of it. Ill
was u schoolmaster, and while ruling th
boys copy-books and setting copies TO
them he was so filed with the idea tina
all the boys who had reached Z hat
Prize written for them, and all the boy
who had come to ID had Draw, Drawing
before their eyes, while those with T.
copied Tick, Ticket Tick, Ticket, all til
writing hours.
Little Mrs. Rogers, who was muc
Younger than her husband, saw that some
thing was on his mind, but did not dar
to ask what it was. He tossed and turne
in his sleep, and scribbled sevens on tn
newspaper, and on the backs of letters
and even wrote the magic figure on hi
nails with lead pencil. And once in
moment OF excitement, caused by some
body asking the first day of the montl
said with great fervor;
"And | only wish it was the list {
next month";
. "Why, dear?" asked Mrs. Rogers.
ooh" said Mr.. Rogers, it's-its m
= birthday, you know,
"Oh, yes, so it is,". said Mrs. Roger
v "but never knew you cared for brit
days, my dear"
And Mr.. Rogers did not tell her thi
A the elottery-drawing took place on the Il
3 of September.
1t was breakfast time when this r
| 4 l., Nc q
over the table long after her spouse hf
y left, wondering what sort OF present 81
Il could make him for his birthday. 81
c had not penny of her own, nor had 81
IS any means of earning one and to send
man a birthday present for which Il
IS bill must come in TO him might not
k considered delicate attention even fro
II wife.
2 al don't suppose can give him an
thing nicer than a pen-wiper or a pl
# lcushionp she said with sigh "but
s. do that, at least"
It And then she rummaged out of h
% bag of odds and ends black cloth Al
Ia scarlet velvet and few gold beads
gilt, ratheT-and hid them at the bottc
Ia of her work-basket, There were on
a three dayssbetween that ana the lst
a. September; and when she had remel
: bered the design of a fine pen wiper
q, butterfly, gorgeous with red and bla
a. wings and the gold eyes and body, S
set to work diligently; and, needing
card for the center of the affair, peer
~ into boxes and drawers, until at the b.
IS tom of Mr.. Rogers hair trunk she fou
4, the very thing she wanted, a yello
y, dingy, thumb.marked thing with {
st upon it, and made use of it at on
as Then sweetly smiling and quite unc'
or scious of what she had done she finish
CT off the pen-wiper with antenn@ of g
thread and hid it until the birlhd
to should dawn.
he On that day, the wonderful lst day
er September, MIR. Rogers arose betim
ey so did his wife. She presented him "
re his pen-wiper, he accepted 1t with a k
ch and pretended to feel thankful, thou
ed it only reminded him of his desk,
he copies, the slavery of his life,
Now that the time was come he
op sure that he had only squandered mon
BY that M was blank He dreaded
&c knock of the ws-carrier-the glance
no the column of the paper in which
lof prizes would be published. lie groal
"a. and hid his face in his hands.
,ur "Are you i'll, dearS" asked Mrs. Rog'
he He only groaned again.
zen But at this moment came the pal
100 mans knock, and with sudden rev'
tion Of feeling he rushed 10 the d,