Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-12-10

At one of the stores, Albert LandE an
met some of his friends.
"Hello. Albert! What's np?"
Nothing in particular
What do you say to game of bill
iards, Albert?
"Good! I'm in for that
And away Albert went to the billiard
hall where he had glorious time with
his friends. He liked billiards; it was
healthy. pretty game, and the keeper
Of the hall allowed no rough scuffs on
his premises.
They had played four games. Albert
had won two, and his opponent two:
"That's two and two," cr1ed Tom
Piker. What do you say t6playing
them off, Alberto"
Gan right. 60 in" said Albert, full
of animation.
And so they played the fifth game,
and he who lost was to pay for the five
games. 1t was an exciting contest.
Both made capital runs, but in the end
Albert was beaten by three points; and
with little laugh he went up to settle
the bill. Five games, twenty cents a
game-just one dollar. Not much for
such sport; and he paid out the money
with grace, never once seeming to
feel that he could not afford it.
"Have cigar ?" said Tom.
"Yes."
They lighted their cigars. and then
sauntered down the hall to watch the
others play.
Albert soon found himself seated
over against table at which some of
his friends were playing, and close by
stood two gentlemen, strangers to him,
one Of whom was explaining to the
other the mysteries of the game.
ut is healthy pastime, b" said he, who
had been making the expla nation;
"and certainly it is one which has no
evil tendency"
Albert heard the remarks very
plainly, and he had curiosity to hear
what the other, who seemed unac-
quanted with billiards, would say.
" I can not, of conrse, assert that
any game which calls for skill and
Judgment, and which ia free from the
attendant curse of gaming, is of itself
an evil" remarked the second gentle.
man. "Such things are only evil so
far as they excite and stimulate men
beyond the bounds of he althy recre-
alton"
"That result can scarcely follow such
a game" said the first speaker.
But the other shook his head
"You are wrong here. The result
can follow in two ways: First, it can
lexd men away from their business. lit can
lead men to spend money, who have
not money to spend. Whenever visit
place of this kind am led to reflect
upon the most strange and prominent
weakness of humanity as developed in
our sex. For instance, observe that
young man who is just settling his bill
at the desk. He looks like a mechan ic,
and 1 should say from his manner, and
from the fact that he feels it his duty
to go home at this hour, that he has
wife and children. see by his face
that DC is kind-hearted and generous,
and I should judge that he means to do
as near right as he can. He has been
beaten, and he pays one dollar and
forty cents for the recreation of some
two hours duration. If you observe
you will see that he pays it freely, and
pockets the loss with q smile. Happy
faculty! But how do you suppose it il
in that young mans home! Suppose
his wife had come to him this morning
and asked him for dollar to buy some
trihing thing-some household orna-
ments, or some bit of jewelry to aiorn
her person--and suppose his little girl
put in plea for forty cents to buy
paper and pictHre-books with, what d 10
you think he would have answered +?
OF fifty men just like him, would not
forty and five men declare that they
had not the money to spare for any
such purpose? And moreover, they
would have said no, feeling that they
were telling the truth. Am l not
right?"
upon my word" said the man who
understood billiards" you speak to the
point. I know that young man who
has paid::his bill land you have not mis-.
judged him in single particular. And
what is more, I happen to have fact at
hand to illustrate your charge. We
have club for an excellent literary
paper in our village, and last year that
man was one of our subscribers. This
year he felt obliged to discontinue it.
His wife was very anxious to take it.
for it had become genial companion
In leisure moments, but he could not
afford it. The club rate was one dollar
and fifty cents year."
AYE, and SO it goes" said the other
gentleman. "Well, that ,man's wife
may ba wishing this very moment that
she had her paper to read, while he is
paying almost its full price for a year
for what? And yet how smiling he
does it. All! those poor sympathizing
wivesl How many clouds often darken
upon them from the brows of their
husbands when they ask for trifine
sums of money, and how grudgingly
the mite is handed over when it is
givenl What perfect floods of Joy that
dollar and forty cents might have
poured upon the children Of that un.
successful billiard player. All! it is
we'll for such wives and children that
they do not know where the money all
goes"
They had finished at the nearest table.