Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-09-16

when he saw that his wife had guessed
the truth. "All, all has gone for lot
terry tickets. The demon tempter lured
me; he held up glittering gold in his
hand, but he gave me none of it. Oh,
do not chide mel You know not what
1 have suffered-what hours of agony
1 have passed-and you know how
cold is my heart now. Oh, my wife,
would to God had listened to your
"Ahr' calmly whispered the faithful
wife. as she drew her hand across her
husbands heated brow. '.Mourn not
for what Is lost 1 will not chide you.
1t is hard thus for you to lose your
scanty earnings. but there might be
many calamities worse than that. Cour-
age, James; we will soon forget it"
"And Mr.. Rowse will foreclose the
mortgage. You will be homeless"
murmured young Lanning in broken
accents.
"No; 1 will see that all il sofe in
that quarter" added Hannah.
At that moment the baby aweke.
and the gentle mother was called to
care for 1t. On the next day, at noon.
Hannah Lanning gave her husband a
receipt for fifteen dollars from Mr..
Rowse.
Here" said she, Interest is paid.
Now let us forget all that has passed,
and commence again."
But how-what has paid this"
asked James, gazing first upon the re-
ceipt, and then upon his wife.
"Never mind
"Ah, but I must mind Tell me,
Hannah"
"Well, 1 have sold my gold watch"
"Sold itv'
"But 1 can buy 1t back again. The
man will not part with it, if 1 want it.
But don't want it, James, till we are
able. Perhaps 1 shall never want it.
You must not chide me, for never did
1 derive one iota Of the pleasure from
its possession that 1 now feel in the
result of its disposal"
James Lanning clasped his wife to
his bosom, and he murmured a prayer,
and in that prayer there was pledge.
Two years passed away, and during
that time James Lanning lost not
single day from his work. He was
as punctual as the sun, and the result
was as sure.
1t was late On Saturday evening
when he came home. After supper he
drew a paper from his pocket, and laid
it upon the table.
"There, Hannah" said he, while a
al In
there is my mortgage. "I've paid it
every cent. This house is ours; it is
our own house. I've bought it with
dollars, every one of which has been
honestly earned by the sweat of my
brow. I am happy now."
Hannah Lanning saw that her hus-
band had opened his arms, and she sat
down upon his knee and laid her head
upon his shoulder.
"Oh, blessed momentr' she MUIR
INJURED.
"Yes, it is a blessed moment" re-
sponded her hsuband. do you re-
member, Hannah, the hour of bitter
ness that we saw two years ago
The wife shuddered, but made no re.
ply.
"Ah," continued the young man, Il
have never forgotten that bitter les
son: and even now I tremble when /
think how fatally I was deceived by
the tempter that has lured 80 many
Thousands to destruction"
But Its horror is lost in this happy
moment" said Hannah, looking up
with a smile.
cts terror may be lost" resumed
James, "but its lesson must never be
forgotten. All, the Turing lottery ticket
has a dark side-a side which few see
until they feel it."
"And are not all its sides dark "
softly asked the wife. "If there IL any
brightness about it, it Il only the glare
of the fatal ..ignis fatuus which can
only lead the wayward traveller into
danger and disquiet."
"You are right my dear wife. You
were right at first Ah," he contin-
ued, as he drew the faithful being
more closely to his bosom, ''if hus-
bands would oftener obey the tender
dictates of the loving wife, there would
be far less misery in the world than
there Is now."-Waverley Magazine.