The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1904-10-13
THE LOTTERY TICKET.

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~ AArB6 LANNING was q mechau
all ic, young. honest man. who's
highest ambition was to gain
comfortable home for himself and VIII
% be thought we'll Of by his neigh
bora He had built himself q house
and there still remained upon 1t
mortgage of ave hundred dollars; bu
this sum he hoped 10 pay In q few
years II he only had his health. n,
had calculated exactly how hong i
would take him to clear OF this incum
brance. and he went 30 work with hi
eyes open
One evening James came home to biz
supper more thoughtful than usual
His young wife noticed his manner
and abe inquired its cause
What II 1t Jamesr' she kindly
asked why. never saw you look
% sober before"
well, I'll tell you. Hannah" re
turned the young man. with a slight
hesitation In his manner II have Just
been thinking that 1 would buy a lot
tary ticket"
Hannah tanning did not answer i'm
mediately. She looked down and
smoothed the silken hair of her babe,
which was chipping 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
be did not feel
And have you made up your mind
10 buy ity'
well. think shall What do you
think about itr"
IF you should ask my advice.
should say not to buy it"
But why so?'
For many reasons" returned his |
wife. In q trembling tone.
She would not offend her husband. |
and she shrank from giving him ad-
vice which he might not follow.
In the frst place." she aid, IT
4 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 Il one prize Of twenty
thousand dollars, another of ten thou
sand, another FIVE thousand, and 70 on.
Something tells me that II buy a tick
ct l shall draw a large prize. And
then just think. Hannah, how easily
could pay all up for my house, and
perhaps have a good handsome sum
left"
The young man spoke with much
and assurance; but he saw
brow.
at seems to me that the chance Of
prize Is very doubtful" said
az she took the scheme.
Here are many thousand tickets to be
pold."
The babe tried hard to snatch the (
paper. and Hannah laid it aside.
II think I shall run the risk" 70 '
ruined James, glancing once more over
he paper, and resting with a nervous Z
onging upon the figures which repre- ,
rented the higher prizes There's Bar
fey; he drew about eight hundred dol v
ars a year ago."
yes, 1 know It." said Hannah. with
more warmth than shs had before b
and what has become of 8
he money! You know he has squan- 8
Iered 1t Ill away. All, James, money
J Of no use unless We come honestly L
y it" b
Honestly repeated the young Sd
nan-- Surely. there IL nothing dis In
onest In drawing prize In q lot
eyT b
II think there ts," kindly but en-
replied the wife. "All games N
hazard. where money Is at stake,
re dishonest Were you to draw a b
rize Of twenty thousand dollars, you y
'ould rob a thousand men of TWEEN Al
: dollars each; or, at least, you would
IKE from them money for which you "
turned them no equivalent IL 1t not "
lmbling In every sense of the word - al
"Oh, mol You look upon the matter
too strong 4 light" tn
Perhaps I do; but yet 70 1t looks
me- What you may draw. some one b
- must lose; and perhaps It may BE-
me one who can afford the loss no sh
liter than you can wouldn't buy IN
. ticket James. Let rs live on the
oducts Of our honest ga1ns. and We tn
all be happier" si<
James tanning was uneasy. He had
answer for his wife's arguments; b
least no answer that could spring
pm his moral convictions, and he let hu
. matter drop. But The young man sh
uld not drive the drsn from his me
art All the next day his head was b.
II Of prizes" and while he was mt
his work he kept muttsr1ns to him dc
K <''Twenty thousand dollars" Ten ual
ousand dollar4" Five thousand DOL
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