Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1880-01-07
The. glowing hopes that had been
slnolhered revived. j worked hard

aud prospered. l made money aud
saved it, making occasional remit.
tances to the family at home who
were Overjoyed to bear FROM me
after so long and guilty a silence.
al had learned to gamble, of
course, bat now | resolved 10 duit
1t. For two years | kept this reso.
lution, and had in the meantime
saved over $1,000. DO yon believe
that the devil tempts men! 1 tell
YOU il in true. | began to feel a
strange desire to visit my old
haunts. yielded, and tound my
way to a wellknOwu gambling hell,
"h IT. lost every dollar of my
hard-earntsi money My selt-cOn.
tempt WAS complete. susaked to
my lodgings, feeling that ! had
somehow parted with my manhood
us we'll as my money. ...
"The very next day / was sur.
prisrd by the offer of a lucrative
subordinate position iu Federal
Office in San Francisco. This was
NOT the first coincidence Of the sort
in my life where an unexpected in.
tinence had been brought to bear
upon me, giving my plans and pros.
poets a new direction. Has God
anything to do with these things, or
is it accident Itook the place which
was offered to me, and went to
work with renewed hope and energy.
| made a vow against gambling and
determined to regain all l had
thrown away. l saved every dollar
possible. pinchiug myself in my
living. and experimenting my lib.
eral salary by literary laborS My
savings had again run high up in
the thousands and my gains were
steady. The Frazer River mining
excitement broke ont. An old
friend of mine came To me aud ask.
ed rhr loan of 800 to help him OF
fo-thr new mines ] told him he
should have the money and that |
would have IL ready for him that
at' ernOon. After he LETT the thought
occurred To me that &lOO was a very
poor outfit for such an enterprise,
and that he ought 10 have more.
Then the thought was suggested
yes, sir, it VAS suggrsted--that l
misb' take the hundred dollars to
Il faro bank aud win another hun.
drcd to place in the hands OF my
friend. ! WAS fully resolved not to
went together and, after alternate
Su,9pssrss aud losses At the faro
table, it ended in the usual way;
| lost the hundred dollars. The
old passion was reused again. A
Wild determination to break the
faro bank took hold upon me. |
went night after night, betting
recklessly. until not dollar was
left. This happened last week.
Can YOU wonder that have con.
cluded that there is 10 hope tor as
weak fool as ami Now, sir. can.
randidlI, don't you that the best
thing ! can do is 10 blow out NY
bralns. said hr, cooking the pis.
tol as he spoke.
The thought occurred to me that
il was no uncommon thing for the
suicidal to the honiicidai mania.
The man was evidently half mad,
and ready for tragedy.
GLOW old are your l asked, aim
ing to create n diversion.
vi am forty Hve," he answered,
APPARENT, brought to a little more
recollection of himself by the ques-
tiOn.
81 should think continued,
having arrested his attention, "that
whatever may have been Your fol.
lies, and however dark the future
you have 10 face. you have too much
manhood TO sneak out of lite by the
back door of suicide"
The shot struck. In an instant
change passed over his counter.
once. Suicide appeared to him jn
new tieh'-as cowar'iIy, not a
bproic act. That was all gone, sui.
eide was bnt Il poor creature, weak
as veil as wicked. re WIS saved.
"YOu should be ashamed Of your.
self sir" ] continued; "yOu are
only farty FIVE years old, you are in
perfect health with almost a giants
strength. n classical education, OK.
tensi,e bnsiness experiences, asd
with ~ knowledge of lie by yOnr
very mistakes that should be a
guarantee against the possibility of
their repetition. A brave man
should never give mp the battle.
The braves, men never give up"