Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-01-02

in the neighborhood of Westminster, b,
was attracted bya crowd near the White
hall, which surrounded the apparent,
lifeless body of young man who, it an
peared, had been thrown from his hors
and injured TO such an extent that b.
lay insensible. A cry went round for
: doctor, and, averse as he was to attend
ing creature of quality, as the youn.
! fellow seemed to be by his dress, ci1cum
stances would admit of little hesitation
to charitable allure in the presen
instance, which ended finally in his &C
companying the sufferer to his home
consisting Of bachelor chambers in tn,
Strand.
Sir Henry, newly.installed country
baronet, proved somewhat fraction:
! patient in the hands of Doctor Bone; bu
| youthful constitution, not too greatl,
impaired by drink and gaming, carried
him at length safely through his mishap
and left Interpolation Of his cure to thu
poor medicus.
| Alas!that it had ended there; his fina
downfall dated from this little triumph
Allured by the buoyancy of spirit ane
winning address of Sir Henry, this sac
OLD life ingratiated itself gradually into
the companionship of the youngster
and was by him directed-with little
intent, / believe-toward the paths O.
ruin.
Poor Bone was dazzled by thought
which flashed like lightning before th'
: vision of his troubled mind-the CANINE
table! Why not risk the few savings h,
had scraped together there! Wha
mig ht follow? opulence, comfort anc
gold gold glittering gold for his dar
ling! Sure Fortune had unveiled hel
beauties for his benefit on sudden, anc
he would not be backward, but woulc
+, feed readily upon her charms. What o.
the risk? He had little to lose, anc
much, very much to gain. He would
listen to no voice of conscience or com
mon sense, but once seized with the
plague, it's terrible fever glanced from
the restless eye, and bit by bit he be
came totally altered man. In fact
Doctor Bone sank into a veritable gam
bier.
Few of US probably have passed, o.
will pass, through life without some
time or another coming across that most
piteous and degrading of sight-an
ancient gambler: men who, knowing how
little time yet remains to them, play
with delirious and grasping eagernes.
which aims at securing by reckless mean.
what they can never enjoy; men wht
rattle the bones in the dice box in sac
mockery of their own shaking joints
and make no endeavor to conceal theil
unworthy avarice from the world. Los,
to honor, shame and decency, they. are
some Of the responsible propagators Of
such theories as atheism, and are cal
ously Indifferent to the foul name and
example they bequeath to their descend
ants.
The wretched doctor was undeservine
OF so hard sentence as this, for hii
only object in view was q worthy end
but his misjudged ideas of moral respon.
sibility had concentrated too thickly
round one point, and he was to blame
for taking so narrow view of honor.
1t is needless to say how his fortune
Wavered and fuctuated; how his trem.
bling feet sought night after night the
scene of his Disgrace and fall from for.
mer disinterestedness and SIMPLICITY
how his patients knew his kindly voice
and touch no longer. Sir Henry him.
self was almost startled with the fearful
eagerness of his pupil, and won his
money with shrug Of his shoulders
for this spark had some little warmth
left in him.
Poor old Bone! such disgraces were
more common then than now, and less
noticed. Simplicity and age are small
friends to the gambler when balanced
against the sharp-headedness and future.
guaranteeing impudence of youth.
The doctor coveted, and grew verv
worn and unrestful, while at home the
boy Godfrey played and slept on his lit.
tie innocent life.
Piece by piece old, familiar tokens
and antique scraps of personal property
vanished from their time-worn' stations
in the house, and were converted into
money for those hopeless speculation. At
first the old housekeeper no more than
wondered at the strange whims and
pranks that had overcome s'measter:" but
as each room waxed more lean and IN.
furnished, melancholy and wonder fell
upon her which induced her to remon.
strate with Bone in a strain only war.
ranted by the undagging service she had
rendered him. He met her remarks
with surliness foreign to his nature
and babe her not to interfere in his pri.
vate matters; but happening one day to
enter his study, and finding the old
dame lamenting with trickling tears 8
memorable clock whose venerable voice
had recorded each incident in those
melancholy cham ers, and whose dis
appearance had left square dust,eur.
rounded patch upon the mantel.shelf
his better nature prevailed, and. liz
broken tones, he bitterly bemoaned
those self.designed circumstances which
made necessary the departure of this
his old friend and contemporary. Vet
such are the contradictions of life that
his pocket that night was furnished With
the eighth of the worth of an air.pump,
which he had disposed of the same even.
ing to an itinerant Philistine.
What a world of phantoms! As he
passes through the streets of the great
metropolis al night, one is inclined ia
speculate upon the various chances and
incidents which are passing within chose
friendly or traitorous fabrications III
brick and mortar. A shadow upon the
blind may betoken death or Life. dis.
honor and ruin, or reconciliation and
happiness. " Ten thousand hear Is NAV be-
thlobbing paeaionately, despairinely,
hopefully beneath tho veil which civil.
zation has wrought before with cynical
decency, while this crumb of mortality
Is pacing the streets below, totally I'M.
one night to continue tho above
details, the wayfarers In = certain bv.
way off: Fleet street might have oh.ervssd
= shade start into relief aRainst the hind
OF an upper window Of dwelling. witch
Tor tho rest was In dssp blaoinea. MI