The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-07-29
THE LOTTERY TICKET.


II AMEs LANNING was a mschan,
all X, young. honest man. whose
highest ambition was % gain a
comfortable home for himself aud wife
20 BE- thought well OF by bis neigh.
bora He had built himself a house,
and there still remained upon ii a
mortgage Of Ave hundred dollars; but
shss sum he hoped 20 pay tn a. few
PEARS II he only had his health. lie
had calculated exactly how long Il
would take him to clear on this incum.
oranca, and he went % work with his
eyes open
ons evening James came home to bis
supper more thoughtful than usual
His young wife noticed his manner,
and she inquired It's cause.
What Ia il JameAP' she kindly
asked why. never Jaw you look
90 sober before"
We'll. I'll tell yOu. Hannah" re-
turned the young man. with a slight
hesitation In his manner. Il have lust
been thinking that would buy a lot.
ssry ticket"
Hannah tanning dSd not answer i'm.
mediately. She looked down aud
snoothed the silken hair Of her babe,
which waa ehirptng like a rObln 10 her
arms. and the shades Of heF hand.
some features showed that abe waA
taking time to think
How much will II eostY' che asked
At length. looking half timldiy up into
her husbands face.
Twenty dollars" returned James.
trying to assume a conndsnew which
be did not feel
And have yOu made UP your mind
60 buy TIP
wei. think shall What do you
think about tip
IF you should ask nay advice.
should aay not TO buy IT."
But why SOP
For many reasonA.- returned HE
wife in trembling tone.
She would not offend her husband
and she shrank FROM giving him ad
vice which he might not follow.
In the ARA place. ahs said. II
shink the whole sciencs Of lotteries IL
a bad enc: and thsa you have DO
money 70 risk
But Just look at the prizsa.- said
James. drawing a scheme" from his
pocket Here u one prize OF twenty
thousand dollars. another OF ten thou.
sand. another Ave thousand. and 80 On.
Something tells me that Il buy a tick.
ct shall draw a lArgs prize And
then just think. Hannah. how easily
could pay all up for my houAa. and
perhaps have e good handsome sum
left"
The young man spoke with much
sarnsstnaas and assurance: bat he saw
that there waS a cloud upon his wifsn
brow.
EFT seems 10 me that the chance Of
drawing a prize Is very doubtful" said
Hannah, a. abe took tho scheme.
Here are many thousand tickets to be
Sold
The babe tried hard To snatch the
paper. and Hannah laid II aside.
II think shall run the risk" ~
sumsd James. Rtanctns once more over
che paper. and resting with q nervous
longing upon the hEnres which repre-
sented the higher prisas. There's Ran-
ney; he drew about eight hundred dol.
lars a year ago"
Yes, know IT," said Hannah. with
more warmth than aha had before
manifested, and what has become Of
the money! You know he has squan.
dsrsd It all away. All. James, money
II Of no use unless we come honestly
By it,
Honestly" repeated the young
man. Surely. there u nothing dis
honest In drawing q prize In q lot
1eryT'
ii think there Is" kindly but en-
phaticaliy replied the wife. "Aii games
Of hazard. where money Il as stake,
are dishonest Were you to draw a
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 II It not
gambling in every sense Of the word r.
@Oh. moi You look upon the matter
In too strong q light"
Perhaps | DO. but YET - II looks
% me. What you may draw. some one
else must lose; and perhaps II may be
some one who can afford the loss no
better Than you can. wouldn't buy
The ticket. James. Let Us live on the
products Of our honest gainA. and We
shall be happier"
James tanning was uneasy. He had
no answer for his wife's arguments;
1t least, no answer that could spring
from his moral convictions, and he let
ths matter drop. But the younR man
could not drive khs Giren from his
hsArG All ths nsxt day his bead was
full Of 'prizea.+ and while he was
ut his wegk hs kspt muttsring 10 him
esiG. Twenty Thousand dollars" Tea
thousand dol1axAS @BSga tAeasanA aol-
! An" 0A - g.