The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1904-10-02
THE LOTTERY TICKET


looked at his wife, and be saw that 81,
was sad.
4 ooh, I'm sure | shall draw prize.
he said with faint, fading smile.
He took four halfeagles from th'
box, and put them in his pocket. Hi
wife said nothing. She played with hei
baby TO hide her sadness, for she did
not wish TO say more on the subject
She had seen that little pile of gold
gradually accommodating, and both she
! and her husband had been happy IN an
tlclpaung the day when the pretty
cottage would be all Their own. But
when she saw those four pieces of gold
taken away from the store, she felt a
| foreshadowing Of evil. She might have
spoken again against the movement,
but she saw that her husband was
| sorely tender upon the subject, and
she let the affair go to the hands of
fate.
A week elapsed from the time that
James bought his ticket to the draw
ing of the lottery, and during that time
the young man had not a moment OF
real enjoyment. lie was alternating
between hope and fear, and therefore
his mind was constantly On the
stretch,
| At length the day arrived. James
went TO the office, and found that the
drawing had taken place, and that the
| list OF prizes had been made out. lie
seized the list and turned away, so
LAT those who stood around should
not see his face. He read the list
through, but he searched for his num-
Der in vainl 1t was not there. He had
drawn blank He left the office an
unhappy man. Those twenty dollars
which he had lost had been the say-
ings Of two months OF hard labor, and
he felt their loss most keenly.
When he returned home that night
he told his wife that he had lost. She
found no fault with him. She only
kissed him and told him that the lesson
was a good one, even though it had
been dearly bought
But james tanning was not satisfied.
He brooded over his loss with a bitter
| spirit, and at length the thought came
to him that he might yet draw prize.
He wished that he had not bought the
first ticket, and II he could only get
back his $40 he would buy no more;
but be would not rest under his loss.
He was determined TO make one more
trial, and he did so. This time he pur-
chased the ticket without his wifc's
knowledge. The result was the same
as before. He drew !, blank!
| Forty dollars" was sentence that
dwelt fcarfully upon the mechanics
| lips
| oh, | must draw prize!' he said to
himself. Il must make up what have
lost. Let me once do that, and I'll
buy no more tickets"
Another $50 was taken from the little
bank, another ticket was bought, an
other blank was drawn. At the end
OF three months the little bank was
empty, and James tanning had the last
ticket in his pocket. All. how earnestly
he prayed that that last ticket might
draw n prizel He had become pale
and careworn, and his wlfe-poor, con-
] fiding soul!-thought he only repined
because he had lost 500. When she
would try and cheer him, he would
laugh, and try 10 make the matter
light
James" said his wife to him one
day--it was the day before that on
which the lottery was to be drawn in
which he had the sixth ticket--"Mr.
Rowse has been here today after the
semfannual interest. / told him that
you would see him tomorrow.
Eyes, will,' said James, In a faint
voice. Eyes, tomorrow l shall see
| him"
Young tanning thought of the lottery
and Of HE prize This was his sixth
trial, and he felt sure that he should
draw.
tanning returned to his home at night
he was penniless! All his golden Wis
ions had faded away, and he was
left in darkness and misery.
James, have you paid Mr. Rowse
his interest yet;" asked Hannah.
| The young man leaned his head upon
his hands and groaned aloud.
For heavens sake, James, what has
lappenedl" cried The startled wife.
snrlnglng to the side of her husband.
and twlnlng her arm about his neck.
The young man looked up with
wild, haggard expression. His lips
We're bloodless, and his features were
all stricken with a death-hue.
'"What is it? oh, what?" murmured
the wife.
Go look in our box our little bank.'
groancd the poor man.
I Hannah fastened away, and when
4 she returned, she bore an empty box
in her hand.
Robbed she gasped, and she sank
tremblingly down beside her husbands
side.
Yes, Hannah" whispered the hus-
/ band, 81 have robbed YOU
The stricken wife gazed upon her
husband with a vacant look, for at first
4 she did not comprehend; but she re-
membered his behavior for weeks
back; she remembered how he had
murmured in his sleep of lotteries and
tickets, Of blanks and prizes, and grad
ually the truth broke in upon her
Il have done it all, Hannah" hoarse-
~ whispered the condemned man,
when he saw that his wife had guessed
the truth. "All, all has gone for lot
terry tickets. The demon tempter lured