Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-03-03
The Lottery Ticket.

The Lottery Ticket.
/ James Lanning was a mechanic, Young
honest man, whose highest ambition was tc
/ gain q comfortable home for himself and
| wife, and TO be thought well Of by his neigh
/ bors. He had built himself house. and
there still remained upon it mortgage OF
/ five hundred dollars; but this sum lac hoped
| to pay in a very few years, if he had only his
health. lie had calculated exactly how long
/ 1t would take to clear off this incumbrance
and he went to work with eyes open.
One evening James came home to his sup
| per more thoughtful than usual His young
| wife noticed his manner. and she inquired
! its cause.
! "What Is it, James, she asked, kindly
! why, never saw you look SO sober before.
Wait, III tell you, Hannah" replied the
young man, with a slight hesitation in hi.
manner; " | have Just been thinking that
would buy lottery ticket"
| Hannah Lanning did not answer immedi
ately. She looked down and smoothed tn,
! silken hair Of her babe which was ohirping
like little robin in her arms, and the shade,
OF her handsome features showed that she
was taking time to think.
How much will it cost 2" she asked, al
| length, looking half timidly up 10 her hus
| bands face
Twenty dollars" returned James, irving
/ to assume a confidence which he did not feel
And have you made up your mind tC
buy it?"
"Well, ! think | shall What do you
think about it?"
If you should take my advice, should
not say buy it."
But why so z"
For many reasons returned the wife, il
a trembling voice.
She would not offend her husband, and sh,
shrank from giving advice that he might moi
] follow
In the first place. she said, 81 think tn,
whole scheme of lotteries is a bad one, anc
| then you have no money to risk"
but just look at the prizes" said James
drawing scheme from his pocket. Her
/ is one prize of 100000, another Of $4,000
another of $1,000, and so on. Somethin!
tells me that if buy ticket shall draw
large prize. And then, Just think, Hannah
how easily | could pay up for my house, ant
perhaps have a good hadsome sum left"
The young man spoke with much earnest
ness and assurance; but he saw that ther
was cloud upon his wife's brow.
=" 1t seems to me that the chance of draw
ing prize is very doubtful" said Hannah
rs she took the scheme. Here are man
thousand tickets TO be sold"
The babe tried hard to snatch the paper
and Hannah laid it aside.
II think | shall run the risk" resume,
James, glancing once more over the paper
aud resting with nervous longing upon tn
figures that represented the higher prizes
There is Barney; he drew about eight hun
dred dollars a year ago"
"Nes, ! know it," said Hannah, with NOR,
warmth than she had manifested cant
what has become of the money You know
he has squandered it all away All, James
money is Of no use unless We come honestly
by it,"
Honestly repeated the young man
Surely, there is nothing dishonest in draw
ing prize in lottery"
:" | think there is" kindly, but emphati
cally returned the wife All games of hazart
where money is at stake are dishonest
Were you to draw prize of 100000 yor
would rob twenty thousand men of $50 each
or, at least You would take from theu
money for which you returned them NJ
equivalent Is it not gambling in every
sense of the word 2"
"Oh, no. You look upon the matter il
too strong light"
Perhaps do but Just so il looks to me
What you draw some one else must lose
and perhaps it may be some one who cal
afford the loss no better than you can.
would not buy ticket, James. Let us liy,
on the product of our honest gains and We
shall he happier"
James Lanning was uneasy. lie had II,
answer for his wife's argument, at least mont
that could spring from his moral convictions
and he let the matter drop. But the young
man could not drive the syrcn from hi
heart. All the next day his head was full o
prizes, aud while he was at his work he KEEP
muttering 10 himself 1000, 100000, 81
000,' and so ON.
When he went home the next night h
was almost unhappy with the neryouse anx
iety into which he had thrown himself Tn
tempter had grasped him firmly, aud when
ever he thought of the lottery, he thought o
nothing but piles of gold and silver Il
short, James Lanning had made up his min'
that he would buy the ticket He went b
the little box where he already had Sl20 lai,
up toward paying off the mortgage from hi
house. The lock clicked with startling
sound and when he drew back the cover h
hesitated, lie looked at his wife and sa,
that she was sad.
"Oh, I'm sure that | shall draw prize
lac said, with faint, fading smile.
lie took four eagles from the box, and pu
them into his pocket. Ills wife said notl
ing. She played with her babe TO hide he
sadness for she did not wish to say more %
the subject. She had seen the little pile q
gold gradually accumulating, and both sh
and her husband had been happy in antc
pating the day when the pretty cottag
would be their own. But when she say
those four pieces of gold taken away fror
the store, she felt a foreshadowing Of evi
She might have spoken again against th
movement but she saw that her HUSBAND
was sorey tender ON the subject, and she le
the affair 60 TO the hands Of fate.
A week elapsed from the time that jaime
bought his ticket to the drawing of the LOT
terry, and, during that time, the young MAJ
had not moment of real enjoyment III
was alternating between hope aud fear, and
therefore, his mind was constantly on tn
stretch.
At length the day arrived. james wen
10 the office, and found that the drawing ha,
taken place, and that the list of prizes ha,
been made out. lie seized the list, anC
turned away so that those standing arount
could not see his face. lie read the lis
through, but he searched for his number in
vain. 1t was not there. lie had drawn I
blank lie left the Office an unhappy man
Those twenty dollars which he had lost had
been the savings of two months Of hard la
Dor, and he felt their loss most keenly.
When he returned home that night, he
told his wife he had lost. She found nc
fault with him. She only kissed him, and
told him that the lesson was good one, even
though it had been dearly bought.
but James Lanning was not satisfied Hs
brooded over his loss with bitter spirit, and
at last the thought came to him that he