Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-10-06
TOM HALLS LUCK :. !
-.-.. :, Z
How Bible Figured in \ Faro 6. Game. .@' ~ &
BY WILLIAM a. TAAFE.

sensation it was decided success.
Even had Tom denied it-which he did
not-the daily and nightly evidences
he gave of his conversion were lndls-
putable. He resigned his position as
day shift behind the bar of the "Golden
Palace;" seat was no longer kept for
him at Donovan's faro tables, and II
he drank at all it must have been but
little. Moreover, when accused OF 60
inc to the little white church on the
hill on a certain Sunday, in company
with the young lady school-teacher OF
the town, he lad turned angrlly upon
his interlocutor and pertinently in
quired ''if it was anybody's COMPOUNDED
business whether he did or not?" 1t
was no point against the prevailing
contention that Tom had not immedi-
ately dropped the emphatic vernacu-
lar of his environment. b.
Now. Tom, II the truth were known,
had never considered himself great
sinner and it was doubtful if he was
filled with any penitence at all for his
past life. In his converted state he had
resolved to do and not to do certain
things, as to which Miss Dawson, the
teacher, had very decided opinions.
But secretly his private views on NOR
ais were still rather broad and liberal,
and he saw no particular harm in TAX
ing drink at proper Intervals, gam
bling when the deal was fair and 9TH
erwise partakirg in a moderate way
OF the various enjoyments provided by
the town in tic sagebrush. In short,
Tom was more converted to Miss
Dawson than he was to the church.
But although the town wisely con-
cluded that the step taken was not al
together devoid of worldliness, it took
Fl malicious delight in clothing him
Hguratively in the garb of an an
chorite.
The church on the hill, as was nat
ural. felt proud of its new member,
but Miss Dawson felt prouder. The
young lady would, indeed, have been
hypocritical had she felt any chagrin
on being accompanied by the young
and handsome. neophyte.
One Sunday the pastor announced
church be provided with a new organ.
He proposed that the fund for this pur-
pose be realized in a way novel to that
locality. at least. The members of the
congregation were individually to
pledge themselves to raise money by
the performance OF a service, or by
the manufacture or sale of something
g., wi /.
ent accounts of the various expert
ences were to be given, which in itself
promised consid cradle amusement.
Tom Hall went to his rooms and gave
the subject deep and profound consid-
GRAFTON. He was not long in deciding
in which direction lay the prospect of
success for his best endeavor.
The following night he astonished
the players at Donovan's faro tables
by walking into the place and drop
ping into his old seat. He at once
bought $25 worth of red, white and
blue chips.
'We-H," came from the amazed DR..
Toots.
"Backslidin', said Jim Heffner, the
lookout, apparently to himself
Tomwas seemingly oblivious to these
and other remarks.
''I'll keep cases." he said, cheerfully,
as he reached for the case-rack and
pushed back the buttons. Then he
placed a couple of bets on the board
and said:
"Let her Co."
The crowd in the room drew near
and silently watched the play as the
cards began to slip from the nickel
box under the deft fingers of the deal
er; nothing was heard but the click
of the cases and the ra tile of the chips
as bets were placed; the lookout, ap-
parently Indifferent to the game and
yet the personifca ton of alert watch
fulness, lolled on his high chair and
pulled lazily his cigar; the dealer, in
his shirt sleeves, was impassiveness it.
self.
The first deal and Tom had lost. At
the end of the second he bought an
other stack of chips, to which he soon
added third. The cards were not
coming his way, but he was too ex-
perienced a gambler to show the
slightest annoyance. Nonchalantly
he drew from his pocket silk hand
kerchief. The movement dislodged a
small, neatly-bound book. which fell
to the floor. It was Bible, a present
from Miss Dawson. He picked it up
hurriedly, intending to replace it in
his pocket, when his eye happened to
fall on this verse of an open page:
And 1t was so when the king saw Esther.
the queen, standing in the court that she
obtained favor in his sight; and the king
held out to Esther the golden scepter that