The Red Cloud chief., 1891-03-06

Notice also the effect Of this crime
upon domestic happiness II has sent
its ruthless p~lowshare through hundreds
Of families, until the wife sat In raxs
and the daughters were di&grsced and
the SON grew up 20 the same infamous
practices, or took o short cut to dcstruc-
ton across the murderer's scafold
Home has lost all charms for the gamb
bier! How drearily the FIRE burns on
the domestic hearth, There must be
louder laughter, and something 10 win
and something 10 lose, an excitement
TO drive the heart faster and FLIP the
blood and fire the imagination No
home. however bright can keep bsck
the gamester. The sweet cali Of love
bounds back from his iron soul. and all
cndearments are consumed in the fame
Of his passion The family Bible will
60 after all other treasures are lost
and IL his crown in Heaven were put
into his hand he would cry: Here goes
one more game boys? On this ono
throw ! stake my crown of Heaven" A
young man in London on coming Of age
received a fortune Of sl20, 900, and
through gambling in three years was
thrown on his mother for support An
only son went 20 a southern city; he
was rich. intellectual and elegant in
manners His parents gave him on his
departure from home their last blessing.
The shsrpen got hold OF him They
fiattered him. They lured him 10 the
gaming table ard let him win almost
every sime for a while and pafting him
on the back said: FIRST rate player"
But, fully in their power. they ieeccd
him: and his $50, 600 WAS lost Last Of
all he put up his watch and lost that
Then he began to think of his home.
and his old father and mother, and
wrote thus:
Ny Beloved Parents. You will doubtless
feel a momentary Joy at the reception Of this
letter from the child Of your bosom, on
whom you have lGyfshed all the fayors OF
your declining years. but should n feeling
Of Joy for a moment spring up In your hearts
when you have receive 1 this from me, cher
lsh 10 not. I have fallen deep-n.yer 20 rise.
Those gray hairs that I should have honored
and protected ] shall bring down in sorrow
to the grave VIII not curse my destroyer,
but % may God aycng- the wrongs and impo-
"''A'HA ~" - - 10y
that shall best please hIrni This, my dear pa
rents, is the last letter you wi!l ever receive
from me. Ihumbly pray your forgiveness. IL Is
my DYING prayer. Long before you have re-
ceiyed this letter from me the cold grave
will have closed upon me forever. Life to
me is ~in-upportable. ] can not; nay. I viii
not suffer the shame OF having ruined you.
Forget and forgive Is the dying prayer OF
your unfortunate son.
The old father anne to the post Office,
got the letter and fell 10 the floor; but
they brushed back the white hair from
his brow and famed him. lie had only
tainted. ] wish he had been dead: for
what is life worth TO a father after his
son is destroyed? When things go
wrong at IA gaming table they shout
Foul. FOUL Over all the gaming
tables of the world | cry out: Foul!
foul. Infinitely foul,"
Shall ] sketch the history Of the gam
bier? Lured by bad company he finds
his way into a place where honest men
ought never TO go. He sits down 70 his
first game, but only for pastime and the
desire of being thought sociable. The
players deal out the cards They IN
consciously play into Satan's hands.
who takes all the tricks and both the
sharper at any game. A slight stake is
put up just to add interest to the play.
Game after game is played. Larger
stakes and still larger. They begin to
move ~nervously on their chairs. Their
brows lower and eyes fash, until 10Y
they who win and they who lose, fired
alike with passion. sit with set jaws and
compressed lips and clenched fists and
eyes like fire balls that seem starting
from their sockets, Ia see the final turn
before il comes; If losing, pale with envy
and trcmulous with unuttered oaths
cast back red hot upon the hcart-or
winning, with hysteric laugh-''lla, ha.
l have it! ] have it!
A few years have passed and he is
only the wreck of a man. Seating him
self at the game ere ne throws the first
card. he stakes the last relic # his wife
and the marriage ring which seals the
solemn vows between them. The game
is lost and staggering back in eXhaus-
ton he dreams. The bright hours Of
the past mock his agony and in his
dreams ficnds with eyes of fire and
tongue Of flame circle about him with
joined hands to glance and sing their
orgies with hellish chorus. chanting:
Hail, brother kissing his clammy
forehead until their loathsome locks.
flowing with scrpents, crawl into his
bosom and sink their sharp fangs and
suck up his life's blood and coiling,
his heart, pinch it with chills
and shoulders uI;utterable.
Take warning. You are no stronger
than tens of thousands who have by this
practice been overthrown. No young
in our cities can escape being
tempted. Beware Of the first begin
This road is q down grade. and
every instant increases the momentum.
Launch not upon this treachcrous sea
Split hulks strcw the beach. Everlsst-
ing storms howl up and down. tossing
crafts into the hellgatc. /
speak of what l have seen with my
eyes l have looked off into the
and / have seen the foaming and
the kissing and the whirlwind of the
deep in which the mangled vic
Tins writhed, one upon the other. and
strangled, blasphemed and
died-the death stare Of eternal despair
upon their countcnances as the waters
yurgled v e them.
To q gamblers death bed there comes
no hone. He viii probably die alone.
former associates come not nigh his
dwelling. When the hour comes his
miserable soul viii 60 out of n miser-
able life into n miserable eternity. As
his poor remains pass the house where
he was ruined. old companions NAV
look out q momen; and say: There
goes the old carcass-dead az last" but
will not get up from the table.
Let him down now into his grave.
Plant nc tree TO cast its shade there.
for the long, deep eternal gloom that
there Is shadow enough. Plant
10 "forget-menots~ or cgiantines
around the spot. for flowers we're not
made to grow on such q blasted heath.
Visit il not in the sunshine, for that
be mockery, but In the dismal
night when no stars are out and the
OF darkness cone down bo-a1