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

1JI A%s I" JouA5p AiohCSI AloAb "AooS
highest ambition was to gain a
comfortable home for himself and wife
to be thought well of by his neigh
bors. He had built himself a house,
and there still remained upon it a
mortgage of five hundred dollars; but
this sum he hoped to pay in few
years if he only had his health. He
had calculated exactly how long it
would take him to clear off this incum-
brance, and he went to work with his
eyes open.
One evening James came home to his
supper more thoughtful than usual
His young wife noticed his manner,
and she inquired its cause.
"What is it, James?" she kindly
asked. "Why, 1 never saw you look
SO sober before"
"Well, I'll tell you, Hannah" re-
turned the young man. with a slight
hesitation in his manner. Il have just
been thinking that would buy a lot
terry ticket"
Hannah Lanning did not answer i'm
media tely. She looked down and
smoothed the silken hair of her babe,
which was chirping like robin in her
arms. and the shades of her hand
some features showed that she was
taking time to think.
"How much will it cost?" she asked,
at length, looking half timidly up into
her husbands face.
Twenty dollars" returned James,
trying to assume a confidence which
he did not feel.
"And have you made up your mind
to buy it?"
"Well. think I shall. What do you
think about it?"
"If you should ask my advice.
should say not to buy it"
"But why so|'
"For many reasons" returned his
wife, in a trembling tone.
She would not offend her husband,
and she shrank from giving him ad-
vice which he might not follow.
"In the first place." she said, 81
think the whole science Of lotteries Is
a bad one; and then you have NO
money to risk"
''But just look at the prizes." said
James. drawing a scheme" from his
pocket. Here La one prize of twenty
thousand dollars, another of ten thou
sand, another five thousand, and 50 on.
Something tells me that If buy a tick
ct I shall draw a large prize. And
then just think, Hannah, how easily
could pay all up for my house, and
perhaps have q good handsome sum
left"
The young man spoke with much
earnestness and assurance; but he saw
that there was a cloud upon his wifs's
brow.
"It seems to me that the chance Of
drawing a prize is very doubtful" said
Hannah, as she took the scheme
"Here are many thousand tickets to be
sold"
The babe tried hard to snatch the
paper. and Hannah laid it aside.
Il think l shall run the risk" re-
sumed James, glancing once more over
the paper. and resting with a nervous
longing upon the figures which repre-
scented the higher prizes. There's Bar
ney; he drew about eight hundred dol
lars a year ago..
Eyes, know It," said Hannah, with
more warmth than she had before
manifested, land what has become Of
the money? You know he has squan-
dered 1t all away. All, James, money
Is Of no use unless we come honestly
by it."
"Honestly?" repeated the young
man.. Surely. there is nothing dis
honest in drawing a prize In a lot
tery?"
IT think there is," kindly but en-
phaticaly replied the wife. "All games
of hazard, where money is at stake,
are dishonest. Were you to draw q
prizs Of twenty thousand dollars, you
would rob a thousand men Of TWEEN
ty dollars each; or, at least you would
take from them money for which you
returned them no equivalent Is it not
gambling In every sense of the word p
'Oh. no! You look upon the matter
in too strong light"
perhaps I do: but yet SO it looks
to me. What you may draw. some one
else must lose: and perhaps 1t may be
some orc who can aHord-the loss na
better than you can. I wouldn't buy
the ticket, James. Let US live on the
products Of our honest gains. and we
shall be happier"
James Lanning was uneasy. He had
no answer for his wife's arguments;
at least, no answer that could spring
from his moral convictions, and he let
the matte- drop. But the young man
could not drive the siren FROM his
heart. All the next day his head was
full Of prizes" and while he was
at his work he kept muttering to him.
self. Twenty thousand dollars" ''Ten
thousand dollars" give thousand dol.
lara" and - On.