River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-08-04
PLAYING CARDS.
AN AFFECTING NARRATIVE.


In the winter of 1870 | had OCCASION
to go from Green Bay to Chicago on
the Northwestern railway. At Oshkosh
we were joined by delegation of law
yers, on their way to Madison, the cap
ital, to attend the legislature then in
session. They were all men of more
than usual intellect, and of unexcep-
tional character. Two We're ex-judges
of the circuit court, and one / had seen
chairman of the Young Mems Chris
tan Association. The party found
seats near together, and after the first
salutation was over, they began to look
about for means to while away their
time. After a while some one pro-
posed a game of cards. No sooner said
than done. Two seats were turned
apart so as to face each other, a cush-
ion improvised to serve as a table, and
three of the lawyers, including the
chairman of the Y. NJ. C. A., and a
Chicago runner on good terms with
them, were soon deep in the mysteries
of game of euchre.
was surprised to see the Christian
gentlemen, judges of the law and
equity--leaders of society, makers of
public sentiment, law-givers of great
state, directors of public morals, sup
posed TO be public exemplars of all
that is good, and guides to the young
thus setting publicly their seal of ap-
prevail to a most evil and dangerous
practice. To be sure, they played for
axes no higher than the cigars for the
party. But it seems to me, in the eyes
of all discreet persons, this does not
change the act or lessen the danger of
its example, but rather heightens it, as
from the less to the greater is the in
variable course of crime. | did not
intend to moralize on paper-I was
about to say that while | was filled
with such thoughts as these, one of the
party grew tired of the game, and our
remaining judge was invited to take
his place. | saw the blood mount in
an honest blush of disapproval to his
manly face, and he hesitated and drew
back. But the game had become in
teresting, and his excited companions
urged him.
Come, Judge, take hand; we can't
go on without it.
The judge rose slowly from his seat,
inwardly condemning the act, as | evil
IDENTITY saw, and stepping forward, took
a seat among the players, and the game
went on.
had noticed an old lady in seat to
the rear of the players, who had got on
board at Mcnasha, | believe. Gray and
bent with age, she had sat abashed and
with eyes closed, seemed asleep most of
the time until the train stopped at Osh-
kosh, and took on the company of law
yers. She then underwent a change,
and became greatly interested in the
company, looking from one to another
as if she recognized them all, or was
trying to recall their faces. When the
game of cards was started, she became
restless, would hitch about uneasily in
her seat, take UP the hem of her faded
apron and neryously bite the threads.
eyes under her shaker bonnet" but
could not tell. She acted so strange,
became more interested in her than in
the players, and watched her closely.
She got up after time, and tottered
forward, holding on to the seats as she
passed.
She brushed against Judge -- in
passing, but he had become interested
in the game, and did not notice her
Reaching the water tank at last, she
drank a cup of water, took a seat near
the door, with her back to the players.
But she did not remain there. Rising
again with difficulty, she tottered back
to her former seat, but reaching the
players she paused directly in front of
them, and now excitedly threw back
her long bonnet and looked around at
the company. Her actions at once ar
rested their attention, and pausing in
their play they all looked up inquiring-
ly. Gazing directly in the face of
Judge -- she said in a tremulous
voice:
"Do you know me, Judge -"
"No, mother, don't remember YOU
said the Judge, pleasantly; "Where
have we metz"
"My name is Smith, said she, "and
| was with my poor boy three days, off
and on, in the courtroom in Oshkosh,
when he was tried for-for-for rob-
bling somebody, and you are the same
man that sent him to prison for ten
years; and he died there last June"
All faces are now sobered, and pas
sengers began to gather around and
stand over them to listen and see what
was going on. She did not give the
Judge time to answer her, but becom-
ing moro excited she went on:
''He was a good boy, if you did send
him to Jail. He helped us clear the
farm, and when father was took sick
and died he done all the work, and he
was getting along right smart till he
took TO town, and got to playing keerds
and drinking, and then somehow he
didn't like to work after, but used to
stay out till morning, and then he'd
sleep so late; and | couldn't wake him
when | knocked, he'd been out so late
the night afore. And then the farm
kinder run down, and then we lost the
team, one OF them got killed when he'd
bin to town one awful cold night. He
stayed late, and | suppose they got cold
standin' out and got skeerad and broke
loose and run most home, but run
against the fence, and stake run into
one of EN- and when we found them
next morning he was dead and the
other was standing under the she'd
And so after while he coaxed me to
sell the farm and by house and lot in
the village and he'd work at carpenter
work. And so | did, as we couldn't do
anothipg on the farm,
But he grew worse than ever, and
after a while couldn't get any work,
and would not do anything but gamble
and drink all the time / used to do
everything | could to get him to quit
and be a good industrious boy again,
but he used to get mad after awhile,
and once he struck me, and then in
the morning found he had took what
little money there was left of the farm
and had run of. After that / got
along as well as | could cleanin' house
for folks and washin', but / didn't hear
nothing of him for four or five years;
but when he was arrested and took up
to Oshkosh for trial he writ to me.
By this time there was not dry eye
in the car, and the cards had disap-
peared. The old lady herself was
weeping slightly and speaking in snatch
es. But recovering herself she went
on:
But what could | do? | sold the
house and lot to get money to hire a
lawyer; and believe he is here some