The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-07-28
THE LOTTERY TICKET.

- JAMES TANNING was a mechan-
III ic, q young. honest man. whose
highest ambition was to gain.
comfortable home for himself and wife
Do be thought well Of by his neigh
bors. He had built himself a house,
and there still remained upon it a
mortgage Of Eve hundred dollars; but
this sum he hoped 10 pay in a few
years If he only had his health. He
had calculated exactly how long it
would take him to clear OF 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 Il it JamesT 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 would buy q lot
cary ticket"
Hannah tanning did not answer i'm
nediately. 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. @.
GLOW much will it cost?" she asked,
1T 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." s &e&
"Well, 1 think shall. What do you
think about it?'
IF you should ask my advice,
should say not to buy it"
"But why sor
| For many reasons" returned his
wife. in a trembling tone.
She would not offend her husband,
ana she shrank from giving him ad-
vice which he might not follow.
"In the first place." she said, II
think the whole science Of lotteries IL
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 u one prize Of twenty
thousand dollars, another of ten thou
sand. another 1--WE thousand, and 20 on.
Something tells me that II buy q 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 a good handsome sum
left"
The young man spoke with much
earnestness and assurance; but he saw
that there was Z cloud upon his wife's
brow.
"It seems to mo that tho chance Of
drawing prize l. very doubtful" said
Hannah. ~ 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.
II think I shall run the risk" 10.
stunned 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. I know It." said Hannah, with
more warmth than she had before
manifested, land what has become OF
the money! You know he has squaa.
dered it all away. All, James, money
h Of no use unless we come honestly
BY It"
Honestly" repeated the young
man.. Surely. there Il nothing dis,
honest In drawing a prize In 4 lot
teryT
II think there L." kindly but EN-.
phatically replied the wife. "Ali games
Of hazard, where money L. 1T stake
are dishonest. We're you to draw q
prize Of twenty thousand dollars, you
would rob a thousand men Of TWEEN.
y dollars each; or, at least, you would
take from them money for which you
returned them no equivalent IL It moi
gambling In every sense of the word r
"Oh. no! You look upon the matter
IN too strong light"
Perhaps I do; but yet % It lookl
10 me. What you may draw. some one
J else must lose; and perhaps 1t may bs
some one who can afford the loss NJ
better than you can. I wouldn't buy
the ticket James Let us live ON thu
J products Of our honest gains, and ".
shall be happier"
James tanning was uneasy. He had
no answer for his wife's areumeuts
1t least NO answer that could sprfns
from his moral convictions, and he 10
the matter drop. But ths young MAJ
could not drive the sfren from hi,
heart All the next day his head va,
full Of 'prises," and whiis hs VA
1t his work he ksrit nuttsr1ng 10 him
cell. Twenty thousand dnllars," '-Tss
thousand dollars" give thousand @,
oAn" nd - -