The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-09-12
A LOTTERY WRECK.

I16 CONtftu BilcOt ulltE bHbtb WIN nkurNS
and occasionally paused to gaze at his
work with intense interest.
The busy worker was neatly attlred In
black, and his serene and intellectual face
bore not the slightest trace of insanity.
The superintendent who accompanied
mo picked up a sheet Of paper and called
my attention to it. On every line appeared
tho figures 77,T77.
"Eyery sheet is like thst," he said
"The old man docs nothing else all day
long"
"what do these figures meanP" asked
Mt the suggestion of my companion.
"It is the number of my lottery ticket"
WINS the ready answer, "No. 77,777 In the
lottery has drawn the capital prize Of $780,
900, and tho money will be hero tomor-
row."
Then tho poor fellow smiled, and Joy
full light came into his eyes.
at will make me the happiest man in
the world - he said. "Not that / care for
1t myself, but have made present of the
ticket to my wife, and she needs the
money!
"You are very fortunate, I replied, sin
getting the ticket with the winning num-
bor."
ayes, and I dreamed II" was the re.
sponse. "Tho number camo to me In my
dreams three successive nights, and SO 1
bought the. ticket. My wife laughed at
me, but 1t drew the prize, and when IL
comes tomorrow am going to give 1t to
her in 100 sl, 900 bills"
He bent over the table and began fgur-
ing again in his slow and methodioal way.
"A strange delusion, said to the su-
perintendent. "Has 1t any foundation"
"It is very sad story" replied the
official "The old man has been here 30
years, and during all that time he has
talked of nothing but his prize and the
happiness II will bring to his wife.
"His name Is Colonel S., and he
came from one OF our upper counties. He
had q small estate and wife with very
large ideas.
1.-THE colonel's house would have sup
ported the two comfortably but for the
fact that his beautiful and high spirited
wife was always making extravagant do
mands. Sho squandered his money, forced
him to mortgage his plantation and then
made him borrow large sums right and
left.
"At last the colonel could borrow no
longer and his creditors began to press
him. This made his wife furious and she
stormed and ragged at him and told him
that he must provide her with funds
"Her husband bore 1t all patiently, but
he was driven nearly crazy by his creditors
and his nagging wife. Ono night he
dreamed that ho had purchasd No. n, ,777
in the lottery and that it was the win
ming ticket. He had the same dream three
times that night, and the next day he
went to the city and bought the ticket.
"His wife scolded him for his folly, and
in her angry mood sho threatened to de-
stroy the ticket The colonel know that
CHI ittc bn nrsyntp to do
and he concealed the precious bit Of paper
and waited for the next monthly drawing.
Matters grew worse, and the two were
hardly on speaking terms. One Saturday
the colonel went to the postofflce and came
back at breakneok speed squirting his
horse all tho way. He rushed into tho
house and throwing his arms around his
wife's neck told her that thoy were saved
and that his ticket had drawn the prize.
"The woman turned pale and gasped for
breath. Her husband showed her the off,
oial list of tho drawing and shouted for joy.
But not word came from his wife. A
hopeless look of despair came over her face,
and for the first time she was afraid to
meet the eyes Of tho man who stood by her
side
"a terrible thought flashed through the
colonel's mind, and without a word he
hurried to the secret place where he had
concealed the ticket.
"It was gone. The beautiful tigross
whose greed and temper had wrecked his
lifo had carried out her threat. She had
found the ticket and destroyed II. There
was no doubt of that, for she was tho only
one in tho house with the exception Of her
husband who had access to the room where
the paper had beon deposited.
"When the colonel returned to his wife's
room, she threw herself on her knees at
his feet. She wept and kissed his hands
and refused to be oomforted. The colonel
knew that tho case was hopeless, for the
Havana lottery always required the ticket
itself and no tale about its destruction
would do any good. He helped his wife
to her feet and kissed her, and told her
that it was all right they would make u
new start and get along somehow.
but the woman had made up her mind.
She tore herself away from her loyal, pa.
tient victim and went Into another room,
locking the door behind her. Tho report
| of a pistol told what had occurred, and
when the colonel broke open the door he
found his wife dead, with a bullet through
her hcnrt
"The neighbors found him sitting. by
the dead woman's sido talking about his
prize. His reason had deserted him. and
since that day ho has boen just rs you SEQ
him now He believes that his wife is liv-
ing, and his entire time Is spent in de-
| vising plans for her comfort and pleasure. I"
"Nill he ever recoverf'' l asked the su-
| perintendent.
Never. He has been In this condition
| 30 years and is now 65 years old 1t Is
best for him to remain as ho Is. If he
should regain his reason, nothing but sor-
row would come with it.
] walked back to the table and found
| the colonel covering another sheet of paper
with the figures n, III.
II hope your prize will come tomor-
row, / said pleasantly.
] 1T Is sure to come, he replied, land
! then my wife will feol like new woman. /.
| We arc going to travel and build a now
home and enjoy lifc. There arc only two
of us, and 500, 600 will be enough for U.S.
am anxious for tomorrow to come on my
wife's account. You see, she needs the
money, and don't know what she would
have done II 1t had not been for this stroke
of good fortune ..=
The superintendent and loft him at his
work, smiling and happy, waiting for the
tomorrow that will mover como.-Wallace
p. Reed.
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