The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-15

a carried tnelr own penalties, and
sure the saying proved true in the
case I'm going to tell you about, though
you may say there was no actual sin
committed by my friend which may be
Ifue' but he gave way under strong
temptation, and that is the next thing
70 1t. Anyway, Will Lawson, the eldest
son of her who was Samantha Fisher,
would never have been arrested for
murder and put in peril of his life if he
hadn t yielded to temptation and had to
do with lottery ticket
{ WIDOW Lawson, Wills mother lived
next door to me in a little white cot
tage with green blinds and a neat flow
ef garden in front when these things
happened, and we were the best of
friends. So L remember as if it was
only yesterday the day Will came home
from the city with his new clothes. 1t
was the 9th of December, and Wits
mother had been saving up all summer
TO buy that suit for a Christmas pres
ent for her boy, so it was quite an
event when he brought it home. ran
right over when l saw him, and he put
the clothes on and paraded around the
house so we could see how he looked in
them. Will was a handsome boy, with
hair and blue eyes and his laughing.
rosy face, and he looked well in any
thing, but he seemed particularly TAX
ing in that suit, which was black with
a little white silk thread running
through it. He was just turned twenty
that fall and far and away the likeIiest
boy in the village, for he was steady
and honored his mother and worked
every day in the little flour mill down
by the race
After the boy had shown off his
clothes and told us all about his visit
to the city I went home, for l had left
some things stewing on the stove, and
l was afraid they'd burn, but I hadn't
been home very long before Mrs. Law
son marched in, with worried look on
her face and that wretched lottery tick
ct in her hand. Mrs. Lawson was
God fearing woman, and she almost
cried as she told me about finding
ticket in the watch pocket of Willis
new pantaloons.
The worst of it," she said, lis that
VIII denies all knowledge of the ticket
He spoke up real disrespectful when
told him he'd better burn it. He said it
might bring luck
ways said /, and I'm sorry to see
such notions getting into your head.
Nothing good can come of it, you may
be sure. If I were in your place, I'd
burn that lottery ticket right now in
my kitchen stove.''
But I promised Will wouldn't de-
stroy it," she said.
All I could say didn't persuade her
into my way of thinking though she'd
come over to consult me, and she went
home with the ticket clasped tight in
her hand. as if it could bring anything
but sorrow. She asked me not to men
ton the matter, and ! promised, though
! didn't like to see her getting secretive
in her old age.
II was exactly two weeks after-on
Dec. 90 to be exact-that Mrs Lawson
came over to my house looking more
cheerful than I'd seen her look for |
many a long day. She was a little |
thin, tinid woman, with sad face all |
followed in at the cheeks and temples |
and faded blue eyes and hair that was |
turning gray, but she looked quite |
young that evening.
What do you think?" she asked, al |
most dancing across to the sink. where |
l was cleaning a small turkey for |
Christmas dinner-"what do you think |
WINS ticket has drawn prize"
Her words and her manner struck me
all of heap, but 1 managed to ask her
what kind of a prize, for l thought |
perhaps he'd drawn a necktie or a
clock.
It's a money prize" she said. Eff
teen thousand dollars"
| had turned around, with my dish
pan, almost full of bloody water in my
hands, and | just sat down in a chair,
feeling weak all in a minute. and the
dshpan tipped over, and all that water
went sailing over my clean floor.
For land sakesi" / said when I got
my breath again. You don't say SOL"
Yes" she said. IT'S all here in this
list Number 98,567."
When I asked her if he'd got the
money and she said he was going to
the city the next day to get it, didn't
encourage her in any hopes that might
not be fulfilled.
We'll" said Mrs Lawson willis
asked Lawyer CIapp about it,. and he
saws it's all right He's going down to
fbe city tomorrow with Will after the
money. They'll be back in the evening
in time for Will TO play Santa Claus in
District school No. 3.
Then she hesitated a little, pulling at
the strings of her winter hood, which
was all crinkled up under her arm, but
finally asked me not to say anything
about Will drawing the money
He doesn't want it known" she
said though 1 can't see why, and
we'rc going on living as if we hadn't
cent in the world, for a time at least,
and then perhaps We'll move away"
Mrs. Lawson went away looking just
as cheerful as if viii had earned the
nancy down at the mill and had it all
in his hand, and I had to go to work
and clean up the muss on the floor
caused by that pan of bloody water.
Rrt somehow l couldn't seem to be
thankful for what Mrs. Lawson consid-
cred such a blessing. l couldn't get the
notion out Of my mind that something
dreadful would come of it.
The next morning, the day before
Christmas, viii Lawson and Lawyer
CLAMP were up bright and early and (
took the SIG train for New York. They
got the money, though they had to pay I
DE0pI Z WI