The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1886-04-01
a aYosTLy ASSISTANT.


party the other evening, "end will
mover do it again. Gambling was q /
natural taste with me, but any dcs
sire might have had was crushed /
by an incident about tie time men I
toned was on fair road Mt tha, /
time to become u gambler for life. .
neglected my business to sit in little /
games, aud was away from my home
every night in tho week. My wife
who was always opposed to gambling /
reasoned with me, but was too
much infatuated with the excitement
Of the play 10 heed her, and 50
kept on until had II reputation as
an A poker player. | had also a
system for beating faro. 1t was in
gcuious and cost me lots OF slccplcss
nights, but the banks dropped
on me after time, aud caught my
pilo.' My business went to pieces.
and my wife, grieycd at my wiliul
disregard for good advice and infat-
uation for the papers, became i'll.
She pleaded again AMI again with
me, but | wasn't quito myself then,
and laughed at her warnings. In Il
year she died, and three months ai.
ter my little daughter f.llowod.
The little game had broken up by
this time aud every one was liston-
ing to the old gcutlcman's story.
Tho latter tossed Oft his gin and
bittcrs,' aud settling back resumed
tho story. Tho death Of wifo
and child in thtoe months is culcu-
lated to cuib the Widest fascination
in an ordinary man. he resumed,
"but whilo ] grievcd their loss, and
remained away from the gambling
table over n mouth, tho ruling pas
sion was too strong and was soon
back, playing ali the time. Within
six months | had lost tho little sum
| had laid by, and, driven on by II
mad desire to get oven, ! fixed my
books and stolo $1,000 from the firm
by which l was employed. Tall;
about your nights Of torture, why,
/ II wager lnau 0iau'C h.,p fn- -
month. kept away from the cards
then and set about devising some
scheme to replace tho money ! bad
stolen The time came for settling
mp my books, and ! don't believe
hades contains soul as miserable
as | was had saved mp $500 to-
ward my iulcbtedncss;but one night
had an attack Of tho old fever, aud
sat in game at one Of the up town
hotels. ! lpayed that | might win
that night, and vowed to myself that
# wero successful | would gamble
no more
Il lost 500 Of my stake within
an hour, aud tLon caught three
queens. Two Of the players drop
ped out aud left another man and
myself. wngorod $50 aud drew
two cards, My opponent stayed in
and took one card. | caught ten
land the dcuco of clubs. | was unN
decided whether to bet or lag down,
rs my adversary, whose hands were
shaking slightly, might have fours
The pack from which he had dealt
was Mt his right hand. | will bet
my life that did more thinking III
"A short space Of time than n drown
ing man ever did. ] didn't want to
lose, and somehow in an instant |
thought of my dead wife aud you
mny not believe me, gentleman, and
am not Il spiritualist, nor do | be
levo in it, but my wife appeared to
me then. Her form was as plain as
that bottle, and, though she spoke
no word, Der presence encouraged
me. was in trance then, but
remember now that the eyes Of the
apparition were fixed with rigid stare
on tue pack of cards across tho ia
II ble. / saw the cards shake little,
and then, upon my word,a card came
out Of ths pack and seemed TO glide
to the five cards in my hard. 1t
was tho queen of hearts. The hand
Of my wife's spirit reached over and
took q card from tho bunch in my
hand. 1t was the deuce. / did not
need it then My opponent called
me to myself, and asked mo if l was
Igoing to bet. ! looked ut my hand
There were four quoeus and ten. !
bot $3.50. He raised me $500 aud
took my o U for it and called He
had four jacks. / stopped playing
then, aud was happy man that
night. I had just 81 200, and re-
deemed, as it were, my honor.