The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-26
PLAYrNa cARpa.
An Affecting Narrative.

ASEttAAl1AtAfG E
session. They were all men Of more tia
h. usual intellect, and of unexceptions
NJ character. Two were ex-Judees Of Ii
al Circuft Court, and one / had seen chat
8 man OF the Young Mems Christian Al
4 sociation. The party fonRd seats nea
10 together, and after the FIRST salufatio
al was over, they began 70 look about 70
of means TO while away their time. Afte
n a while some one proposed game o
~ cards No sooner said than done. TH
seats we're turned apart so as to fac
= each other, cushion impFoyised Il
:. serve as q table, and three Of the law
il yers, including the chairman of the i
w M. @. A., and Chicago runner on gooC
II terms with them, were soon deep in tht
n mysteries of game of euchre.
4 | was surprised to see the Christian
n gentlemen, judges of the law and equal
+ ity-Ieaders of society, makers of pub
h lie sentiment, law giyers of great state
4 directors of public morals, supposed to
: be public exemplars of all that is good
: and guides to the young-thus setting
: publicly their seal of approval TO most
4 evil and dangerous practice. To be sure,
thex played for sfakessnn higher than
the cigars for the party. But It seems
to me. in the eyes of all discreet per-
sons, this does not change the act or les
sen the danger of its example but rather
. heightens ii, as from the less to the
greater is the invariable course of crime
| did not intend to moralize on paper
! 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 inter
esting, 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 evi-
IDENTIFY 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 Menesha, | 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 board the company of
lawyers. She then underwent 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 neverously bite the threads.
Once or twice | thought she wiped her
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 a time, and t0ttered
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 cup of water, took 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 inquir-
ingly. Gazing directly in the face of
Judge ---, she said in tremulous
voice:
sDo you know me, Judge ----?'
''No, mother, don't remember you,' /,
said the Judge, pleasantly; where have
we met?'
"My name is Smith, said she, "and I
was with my poor boy three days, off |
and on, in the courtroom in Oshkosh,
when he was tried for-for-for robbing
and you are the same man :
that sent him to prison for ten years.
and he died there last June"
All faces were now sobered, and pas 5
sengers began to gather around and 9
stand over them to listen and see what I
was going on. She did not give the a
Judge time to answer her, but becoming '
more and more excited, she went on: 7
"He was good boy, if you did send
him to Jail. He helped us clear the !
farm, and when father was took i
sick and died, he done all the work, ?
and was getting along right smart !!
till he took to town and got to u
playing keards and drinking, and then b
he didn't like 10 work after, but
used to stay out till morning, and then o
he'd sleep so late; and | couldn't wake v
him when knocked, he'd been out so o
late the night afore. Aud then the
farm kinder run down, and then we lost 4
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 skeered ard Ii
broke loose and run most home, but run n
against the fence, and stake ran into
one of 'em and when We found him next y
he was dead and the other was e
standing under the she'd And SO after
a while he coaxed me to sell the farm =
and buy house and lot in the village, 8
and he'd work at carpenter work. And +
so did, as we couldn't do nothing on
the farm.
But he grew worse than ever, and
after while couldn't get any work, and
would not do anything but ga mble and =
drink all the time used to do every
thing 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 !
found he had took what little I
money there was left Of the farm and 9
had run off. 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 got arrested and was took up to Osh-
kosh for trial he writ to me-
By this time there was not dry eve Z /
in the car, and the cards had disap- 2
peared. The old lady herself was weep
inc silently and speaking in snatches 1
But recovering herself she went on: 2
ssBut what could | do? sold the
house and lot to get money to hire law
YER; and / believe he IS here somewhere
looking around. Oh, yes, there he is !. :
Mr.. -. pointing to Lawyer ,
who had not taken part in the play
And this is the man. / am sure, who
argued against him, pointing to Mr.
-, the district attorney.
And you, Judge , sent him TO
prison, for the poor boy told me that be I
really did rob the bank. But he must I
have been drunk, for they had all been !
PLAYING keards most all night, and drink !
ing. But oh, dearl
Ii seems to me kinder as though If he 4 +
hadn't got to playing keards he might I
have been alive yet. But when used 1
to tell him il was wrong, and bad to Z
psay. he used 10 say, Why, mother,
everybody PLAYS now / never bet only !
for candy or cigars, or something like
that. And when we heard that the t i
young folks played kea1ds down st Mr.. Z
CuIrert donation party, and that 4
Squire ting Was going to get 4 billiard /
y