Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-02
Wife Won BV A Lottery,


of some folks, and yet l, Jack Drum
mond, owe mine to nothing more or
less than ticket No. O,O5S,31O in the
Brussels grand international lottery OF
a few years ago.
was in the lowest of low water.
l, a playwright, whose pieces possess
ed-of that the author at least was
convinced-the power of drawing large
sums from the pockets of the multi
tudinous pleasure seekers of the Me-
! tropolis.
I had sent my latest comedy
''Sobersides the Funny Man"-to the
acting manager of the Thespian, and
was little more than doubtful of the
result.
! One day when | had scampered
through 10 volumes and written notices
! of them for the princeIy remuneration
! of half as many shillings, was sur
prised-and not altogether agreeably-
! by a visit from my uncle. A worthy
/ button merchant of Birmingham, he
would never forgive me having quilted
! the position which he had found for
me in his Office, that l might seek
to earn ''beggarly subsistence" by my
pen.
| Before he left | had decided that
he was not so bad after all, for he
treated me to an excellent dinner, and
! gave me $3.50.
/ AS the train was on the point of
starting, Uncle Joe threw me an en-
velope, saying: Il was fool enough
to buy that when in Brussels You
may have it, Jack, for all it's worth -
! The envelope, much to my astonish-
ment, contained a ticket to the Brus-
! sells grand international lottery.
! Strong in my new capitalistic con-
ceit, wrote the editor, whose sweated
reviewerin I had been, and
threw up my connection with his
paper; and then, having no ties of
work to bind me to London, I de-
| termined to live on the continent as
cheaply as possible while I wrote an
other play.
A happy thought struck me; why not
| go to Brussels while working and wait
ing for something to turn up?
[ had been in the Belgian capital be-
fore, and made my way at once to an
unobstrusive hotel in a side street off
the Rue de la Madeline. In the hotel
entrance | saw a flaming bill about
the lottery, giving the exact date of
the drawing as July 4. The first prize
represented an enormous sum, the very
consideration of which gave me the
dreams of millionaire. I began to
consider my ticket as really valuable
possession, almost as though it were
an actual draft for the amount of the
first prize.
[ spent my mornings in work, my
afternoons in wandering in all quar-
ters of the city, and my evenings at
Vaux hall.
On the first visit my eye was taken
by an obviously English couple, who
sat near mean old man and a young
woman.
Night after night I went to Vaux-
hall, drawn-though I would not then
have admitted it-by a pair of clear
gray eyes. There the ill-assorted
| couple always sat, scarcely ever speak
ing to one another, she listening alb
stractedly to the music he mostly
reading a newspaper
One night confess it with a GER
tain feeling of shame-I followed thens
with the object Of finding where they
lived. Down the Rue de la Loi and
the Rue Royal they went as far as
the Palace st. Gudule, and there, in
| a crowd close to the cathedral, I lost
sight of them, although I apostrophiz-
| ed myself as a blank fool for doing
so.
The very next evening my opportu-
nifty occurred; nor was I slow to seize
it. I reached Vauxhall early, and took
my place close by the table where the
| unknown ones were in the habit of
sitting.
| Presently the man arrived alone Ny
| heart sank within me-she was not
coming-and then rebounded, for there
should be no difficulty in tackling the
man when by himself I pretended to
be earnestly reading a paper, but out
of the tail of my eye observed the
newcomer take his accustomed seat.
'Sir, when you have done with your
paper. may I glance at it for a mo-
ment?"
1 started at being thus suddenly ad-
dressed, looked up and found the bent
figure of the father of miss Gray
Eyes" standing by me. Here was
| luck
! ] automatically offered the paper at
once, and before the evening was over
had had some talk with Mr. Mortimer;
and fairly accurately did I gauge his
character as that of man premature
ly aged and deeply bitten with the
gambling mania. So far as 1 would
permit him his whole talk was Of
stocks and shares. of odds and chances.
| When he rose to go, proffered my
arm. Before he reached his home l
ventured timorously enough to ask
after his usual companion, and to ex-
press a hope that she was not i'll. No;
she had stayed in on account of a
| headache.
The next evening boldly approach
ed the Mortimers, and, grudgingly, the
old man introduced me. Night after
night I talked to Grace-I had hea ID