Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-28

For Heavens sake, James, what has
happened?" cried the startled wife, spring.
! ing to the side of her husband, and twning
her arms about his neck.
The young man looked up with wild,
haggard expression. His lips were
| bloodless, and his features were all stricken
with death hue.
"What lit? Oh, whatg" murmured the
wife,
$50 look in our box-our little bank.p
groaned the poor man.
| Hannah FASTENED away, and when she
returned she bore an empty box in her
| hand.
| Robbedm she gasped, and she sank
| tremblingly down by her husband S side
"Yes, Hannah" whispered the husband,
81 have robbed YOU"
The stricken wife gazed upon her hus-
band with a vacant look, for at first she
| did not comprehend; but she remembered
/ his behavior for weeks past; she remem-
bered how he had murmured in his sleep
| of lotteries and tickets, of blanks and
prizes, and gradually the truth broke in
| upon her
F" have done it all, Hannah" hoarsely
| whispered the condemned man, when he
saw that his wife guessed the truth CAL
| has gone for lottery tickets. The demon
tehpter lured me; he held up glittering
gold in his hand, but he gave me none of
IT, Oh, do no. ,hide me! You know not
what have sutiered-what hours of
| agony / have passed-and you cannot
know now. o my wife, would to God /
had listened to your
"-sh," calmly whispered The faithful
wife, as she drew her hand across her hus
bands heated brow "Mourn not for
| what is lost will not chide thee 1t is
hard thus for you to lose your scanty earn
ings, but there might be many calamities
| worse than that; courage, James; we will
soon forget it,"
"And Mr.. Rowse will foreclose the
mortgage. You will be homeless" muir
INJURED young Lanning, in broken ac-
cents.
"No l will see that all is safe in that
quarter added Hannah.
At that moment the babe awoke, and the
gentle mother was called to care for it.
On the next day, at noon, Hannah Ian
ming gave her husband receipt for fifteen
dollars from Mr.. Rowse.
Here" said she, "interest is paid.
Now let us forget all that has passed. and
commence again"
"But how-what has paid this ?" asked
James, gazing first upon the receipt and
then upon his wife.
"Never mind"
"Ah, but must mind. Tell me, Han.
| NAH
"Well, have sold my gold watch"
"Sold itr'
"But | can buy it back again The
man will not part with it. But | don't
want it, James, till we are able. Perhaps
| l shall never want it, You must not
chide me, for never did l derive one iota
of the pleasure from its possession that
now feel in the result of its disposal"
! James Lannpg clasped his wife to his
bosom and he murmured prayer, and in
that prayer there was pledge.
Two years passed away, and during
that time James tanning lost not single
day from his work. He was as punctual
as the sun, and the result was as sure.
1t was late on Saturday evening when
he came home. After supper he drew a
paper from his pocket and laid it upon
| the table.
There, Hannah" said he, while a
noble pride beamed in every feature,
"there is my mortgage. I've paid it
every cent This house is ours it is our
| own house. I've bought it with dollars,
every one of which has been honestly
earned by the sweat of my brow. am
happy now"
Hannah Lanning saw that her husband
had opened his arms, and she sat down
upon his knee and laid her hand upon his
shoulder.
ooh, blessed moment" she murmured.
eyes, it is blessed moment" respond
ed the husband. "Do you remember, Han
nah, the hour of bitterness that we saw
two years ago?'
The wife shuddered, but made no re-
ply.
"Ah,' continued the young man, II
have never forgotten that bitter lesson,
and even now | tremble when | think
how fatally l was deceived by the tempter
that has lured so many thousands TO de-
| struction."
But its horror is lost in this happy
moment" said Hannah, looking up with
a smile.
Its terror may be lost" resumed
James, but its lesson must never be for
gotten. All, the Turing lottery ticket has
a dark side-a side which few see until
they feel it."
"And are not all its sides dark" softly
asked the wife. eff there is any bright
ness about it is only the glare of the fatal
ignts fatuus which can only lead the way
ward traveller into danger and disquiet."
"You are right, my dear wife. You
were right at first. All" he continued,
as he drew the faithful being more closely
to his bosom, g if husbands would oftcner
obey the tender dictates of the loving wife
there would be far less of misery in the
world than there is now"
The Way 1t Rains In Florida.