Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-24

twenty thousand dollars, and, through
gambling, in three years was thrown on
his mother for support. An only son went
TO a southern city; he was rich, intellectual
and elegant in Manners His parents gave
him on his departure from home their last
blessing. The sharpers got bold Of him.
They hattered him. They lured him to the
gaming table, and let him win almost every
time for good while, and patted him on
the back and said, First rate player.
But fully in their grasp they feeced him.
and his thirty thousand dollars were 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:
"My Beloved Parents-You will doubt
/ less feel a momentary joy at the reception
OF this letter from the child Of your bosom,
on whom you have lavished ali the favors
Of your declining years. But should feel
ing of joy for moment spring up in your
hearts when you should have received this
from me, cherish it not. l have fallen
deep-never TO rise. Those gray hairs that
| should have honored and protected l
shall bring down with sorrow to the grave.
will not curse my destroyer, but ohl may
God aveuge the wrongs and impoSitions
practised upon the unwary in way that
shall best please him. This, my dear
parents, Is the last letter you will ever re
ceive from me. humbly pray your for
giveness. 1t is my dying prayer. Long
before you have received this letter from
me the cold grave will have closed upon
me forever. Life to me Is insupportable.
cannot, nay, will not, suffer the shame
Of having ruined You. Forget and forgive
is the dying prayer OF your unfortunate
SON."
FOUL! FOUL
The old father came to the postofice, got
the letter and fell TO the floor. They
thought he was dead at first; but they
brushed back the white hair from his
brow and famed him. He had only faint
ed. wish he had been dead, for what is
life worth to father after his son is de-
stroyed? When things go wrong at gam
ing table they shout, FOUL foulr' Over
all the gaming tables of the world | cry
out: Foul! foul! Infinitely foul"
Shall sketch the history of the gambler'
Lurcd by bad company he finds his way
into place where honest men ought never
TO 10. He sits down TO his first game, but
only for pastime and the desire OF being
thought sociable. The players deal out
the cards They unconsciously play into
Satan's hands, who takes all the tricks and
both the players souls for trumps-he
being 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 flash, until now they
who win and they who lose, fired alike
with passion, sit with set jaws, and com
pressed lips, and clinched fists, and eyes
like fire balls that seem starting from their
sockets, to see the final turn before it
comes; if losing, pale with envy and tremu-
lous with unuttered oaths cast back red
hot upon the heart-or, winning, with
hysteric laugh-"Hal hal have It'll |
have iti"
A few years have passed and he Is only
the wreck OF a man. Seating himself at
the game ere he throws the first card, he
stakes the last relic Of his wife, and the
marriage ring which sealed the solemn
vows between them. The game is lost,
and staggering back in exhaustion he
dreams. The bright hours OF the past
mock his agony, and in his dreams fionds
with eyes OF fire and tongue OF flame circle
about him with joined hands to dance and
sing their orgies with hellish chorus,
chanting "Hail brotherr kissing his
clammy forehead until their loathsome
locks, flowing with serpents, crawl into his
bosom and sink their sharp fangs and suck
up his life's blood. and coiling around his
heart pinch il with chills and shudders un-
utterable.
be WARNED IN rIMR.
Take warming! You are no stronger
than tens OF thousands who have by this
practice been overthrown. No young man
in our cities can escape being tempted. Be-
ware Of the first beginningsl This road Is
n down grade, and every instant increases
the momentum. Launch not upon this
treacherous SEA- Split hulks strew the
beach. Everlasting storms howl up and
down, tossing unwAry crafts into the He'll
gate speak OF what have seen with my
own eyes, have looked eff into the abyss,
and have seen the foaming. and the hiss
ing and the whirling OF tie horrid deep in
which the mangled victims wTithed. one
upon another, and struggled, StrAnRled.
blEsphemed and died-the death stare of
eternal despair upon their oountenanoes aa
the waters gurgled over them.
To a gamblers de.Ithbed there comes no
hope He will probably die alone, His
lothet hSsoclAtea come not nigh his dwell
ing, When the hour comes his miserable
soul will ~ out OF miserable life into a
miserable eternity. As his poor remains
pass the house where be WAS ruined, old
may look out moment and
say, "Ihero goes the old carcass-deSd az
last but they will not get up from the
table. Let him down now into his grave.
Plant no troe 10 cast its shade there, for
l.. u. a a
there Is shadow enough. Plant no "for-
get me-nots" or eglantines around the SPOT,
for howers were not made to grow ON sueh
a blasted heath. Visit it not In the sun.
shine, for that would be mOckery, but in
the dismal night, when no stars are out and
the spir'ts OF darkness come down hoEssd
on the wind, thea visit the grave OF the
gambler