, 1881-09-02
SIMON MHEELER'S LUCK.

Painted Post was IN a state of excite
ment. There was gossiping by the road
side and over early tea-tables. Innumer
able voices had uttered the exclamation
"Du tellI' and Il want to know" but al
that had happened was the quietest we'd
ding possible.
Two people in their Sunday clothes ac,
companied by two friends. also arrayed
in their best, had walked over to Dom
inie Doublem's" and there in the pres.
ence of Mrs. Doublem, the dominic
had pronounced them man and wife,
after reading the Presbyterian marriage
service.
Even at Painted Post people some.
times married, and many more i'm,
pOrtant persons had been made one
than Sally Corkindahl and Simon
Wheeler; but somehow Painted Post was
excited.
Sally COrkindahl was young woman
of thirty, without beauty, but wonder
fully neat and Industrious. Ever since
her fifteenth birthday she had gone
about from house to house making
dresses and children's clothes, known
everywhere as a good, pious young wo-
man, but never considered attractive.
Her work was good and slow. In the
course of these fifteen years she had lain
by fifty dollars. Besides this sum she
possessed her sewing machine, a Bible,
large work boz, a volume of the Pill
grim's Progress and a yellow silk pin
cushion. She always had black alpaca,
clean collar and n checked gingham
apron, but whether they were the same
or were constantly renewed, no one could
tell.
Simon Wheeler was a very pretty
young man of twenty four, with light
hair and big blue eyes. Since he left
school he had never been known to do
anything but sit on his Aunt Wheeler's
front porch and look at the newspaper
actually ''look" at it-he never read it.
As soon as it arrived he would seize upon
and turn to a special corner and look at
it. He never read the leader, the politi-
cal notices, the church news, the ac-
counts OF murder, arson, or even the
deaths and marriages. What he stared
although this was only known to him
self-was a small advertisement which
occupied the same position in that par
ticular paper from one years end to the
other and which was headed: GREAT
GUMBo LOTTERY. CAPITAL PRIZE,
Fifty Thousand DOllars-tickets one dol
lar EACH"
When the day of the drawing came
and little list of the numbers was to be
seen below this advertisement, Simon
looked longer and was often heard to
sigh. Not, however, because he had in
vested his money in tickets and lost. but
because he had none to invest. Aunt
Wheeler was none too generous.
''IQ keep you until yOu are able to
Enarn xrN,,,aalf - che affa., aas1 H,,I
shan't hev' my money wasted on cigars
and rum. You're better off with none. I"
Simon neither desired rum nor cigars,
nor any other luxury of dissipated
youth. but if he could have had the
price of lottery ticket without working
for it he would have rejoiced. In his
early boyhood he had dreamed that he
had drawn lucky number. He be-
heved in dreams-that dream in partic-
ular. 1t had the effect upon him that
his name in will has had upon many q
young man. He saw no need of learn
ing a trade, of going into store, of set
ting himself to earning his bread any
where or in any manner. With his first
dollar he would buy a lottery ticket,
draw the fifty thousand dollar prize, re-
imburse his aunt for all that she had ex-
pended upon him, be very jolly and gem
erous and live ''luxuriously every day" ="
like the town mouse in the fable. He
used to sit on the porch looking at the
paper while his Aunt Wheeler toiled in
side the house, or fed the pigs, MIXED
the COW and weeded the vegetable beds
without it-and an Imagination was so
often generous to her that 1t brought the
tears to his own eyes.
One afternoon, as he sauntered in,
sleepy eyed and Creamy, he found Sallie
COrkindahl at the tea table. She had
been sewing for his aunt all the after
noon. Meanwhile he had also been very
busy. He had found dollar-an imag-
mary dollar-bought a ticket. drawn the
prize and bestowed upon his aunt little
carriage, two cream-colored horses, and
a black silk dress pattern. Her delight
over the unexpected present and the
wonderful news had kept him from
opening the canned peaches as he had
promised TO do. Mrs. Wheeler, who
knew nothing of this fine-waking dream,
desired 70 scold him. However, Sally's
presence prevented her from doing so.
She contented herself with talk at him
over the dressmaker's head.
She praised the girls industry, her
prudence. her economy.
1hat the way 10 get on, sue said.
That's the spirit I like. Independent
from the time you lose your parents, and
making little savings all the while.
Don't say only fifty dollars.' Every lit
tie makes q mickle.N I've heard nv
grandmother say. Many one that has
earned double your money hasn't saved
a cent"
Simon listened.
Fifty dollarsl" said he TO himself, |
why don't she buy lotery ticket.
draw prize and stop sewingN 1 should |
think she would.