Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-02-20
CURSE.
The CHASTITY Romance of Lottery Ticket
No. 2ll8---The $3.50 Price
Spent to Swear a Mad
mans Life Away.

am in a dilemma!' exclaimed SALIVA
dor Xiques, a wild young dandy of
Matanzas, to his friend Tiburcio Her
nandez, private secretary TO the police
bureau, one morning early in January,
1878.
| am sorry to hear it" replied the
other. What is the matter?"
Only that that accursed mistress
ofmine has made up her mind to have
a new dress, and / haven't five dollars
in the world"
Why don't you go to your agent?n
| might as well 60 to a dry cask
for a drink. My accounts are all
oyerdrawn, and l can't get a peseta
from the plantation till the crop be-
gins to come in"
Truly a sad predieament, re-
marked Hernandez, laughingly. And
so our friend the charming Dolores
will have to wait till next fall for a
new gown. What a pityln
Pest take it, but She won't wait -
cried Xiques. She swears that if.
she doesn't get the money for the dress
to-day she will 90 to Miguel Salzar,
who has promised her one"
You had better let her 20 then.
my friend. There are as good fish in
the sea as ever were caught, you
know"
But | have caught this one, and |
don't want to lose her though ] sup
pose | must, unless -
Unless what?'
Unless you help me-
Hernandez laughed heartily.
Why, my dear boy" he said, al
have only $50 in the world, and | have
just borrowed them to pay for a ticket
in the next drawing of the lottery at
Havana. | had a dream, and have
bought No. 2l18 for
LUCKY NUMBER.
The dealer is saving it for me till l
hand him the money tomorrow
You can lend them to me till then.
though
And them"
| shall borrow the money some
where this afternoon, and return it to
you by night. Come, now, help me
out. There's a good fellow.
Tiburcio Hernandez was in fact a
good fellow, and it was not long before
he aeceded to his friends request.
by his patron saint to turn
in time to enable his creditor to
purchase the lucky number. Xidues
departed to buy Dolores a new dress.
AT ten O'Clock next morning, however.
he had not made his appearance. Her
nandez had promised the lottery agent
to call for the ticket before noon. so
he went in search Of his dereiict
debtor. But Xiques was not to be
At last the truth flashed on his
He had failed to obtain the
money to repay him, and, ashamed to
face him, had ridden to his plantation.
thirty miles away. Inquiry at the
residence of Sonora Dolores CON
irmed this belief. And to ada to the
indignation Of the deceived secretary
the young lady was arrayed in the
very new dress he had deprived him
self Of his lottery ticket to purchase.
With curses both loud and deep.
Hernandez sent word to the agent to
sell his ticket to somebody else.
AND If IT DRAWS A PRIZE
Murmured Tiburcio, grinding his
teeth God and the Virgin help
you, my false friend. If they don't /
will send the devil a present of your
lying soul"
The agent Of the lottery at Matan-
zas was the same Miguel Salzar to
whom Xiques had alluded as a rival.
This worthy, finding himself with a
ticket on his hands. thought he could
do no better than propitiate his fair
one with it. So that evening he
called on Sonora Dolores and formally
presented her with slip number 2118.
Thus, by one prank Of fortune,
poor Tiburcio Hernandez not only
lost his money, but the woman whose
dress 1t had provided gained the bene
fit of his lucky dream,
FOR A LUCKY DREAM IT WAS.
Ticket No. 2l1S drew the third
prize, $4,000 in gold.
Tiburcl0 Hernandez was frantic
lie no longer dreamed of working.
He had one thought, one desire. 10
wreak his vengeance on the man who
had robbed him of his fortune To
drown the memory Of his loss in Sal
vador Xiques' life-blood. Raying
mad with brandy, he armed himself
with rifle, and rode away TO Los Cocos.
the sugar plantation belonging to his
onc-time friend.
Xiques was not there. On gaining
her unexpected prize, Dolores had
yielded to the opportunities of the
man who had presented it to her, and
consented to become Miguel Salzar )
mistress.
Some sparks Of love for her old pro.
tector still burned in her heart.
though, and one day, when Salzar had
gone on a weeks business to Havana
SHE SENT For XIQUEs.
He obeyed the summons, and was
received at Salzar's house. Herman
dez, when he reached los Cocos
learned this, and straightway posted
back to Matanzas.
He watched all night at the lottery
dealers door, with his cooked rife in
his hands and his soul filed with muir
der, Inside the planter carcpsed as il