Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-11-06
CHAPTER TX.


seen again on the picnic grounds.
CHAPTER TX.
One morning, few days later, Joshua
was walking moodily up the village road
with his hands in his pockets. He was
rejecting, In a spirit of great discomfort
on the hardships of his situation.
Here am l." he said to himself, "eigh.
teen years old, and father treats me like
boy Of ten. I'm most man, and ell
he gives me FOR pocket money is twenty.
fve cents a week. There's Dick Storrs
whose father isn't a quarter as rich Ea
mine, gets dollar q week. He's only
sixteen, too
One important difference between him
self and Dick Storrs did not occur to
Joshua. Dick worked in shoeshop, and
1t was out of his own wages that his faith
er allowed him dollar a week. Joshua
earned nothing at all.
"1t's meal !" reflected Joshua. There
amt boy of my age in Stapleton that's
so meanly treated, and yet my fathers
the richest man in town. l wish l knew
what to do to get little money"
At this moment he saw Sam Crawford
approaching him. Sam was perhaps a
year younger than Joshua. he had for
merly lived in the village, but was now
in situation in New York, and was
only in Stapleton for few days.
How are you, Joshua?" said Sam.
I'm going round to the ice cream saloon.
Won't You come with meT
Yes, II you'll treat. l haven't got any
money"
"YOu ought to have. The old mans
got plenty"
That's SO. But he's getting meaner
every day"
Look here" said Sam, suddenly; 81
have an idea. Did you ever buy lottery
ticket?"
mo" answered Joshua.
"There's fellow l know in New York
that drew a prize Of a thousand dollays,
and how much do you think he paid, for
a ticket" ~"
II don't know" ~
give dollars. How'sr that for high %
How long ago is tAat2' asked Joshua,
becoming interestedg
"Only two MONTHS ago."
do you know him?"
Yes, l know him as well as l know
you. HeS4s clerk in a store just opposite
ours. when he got the money he gave
half a dozen of us big dinner.N We had
q jolly time"
"a thousand dollars for five ~ repeat
ed Joshua. He was awfully lucky"
1.-THE fellow was speaking of gets
lottery papers regularly. I'll ask him
fol one, and send 1t to you as soon as l
get back to the city"
II wish you would" said Joshua.
Wouldn't 1t be something great if 1
could draw a prize of thousand dol
lars?"
"I'll bet It would. 1t would make you
Independent of the old man. You wouldn't
care much for his twenty-five cents a
week then"
Joshua and Sam went into the ice
cream saloon, which was kept open dur
ing the summer only, in a small candy
store, by a maiden lady who made a
scanty income from such limited patron
age as the village could afford. Joshua
piled his companion with further quss-
tons, to all of which he readily replied,
though 1t is doubtful if all the answers
were quite correct. But Sam, having
been in the city a few months, wished
to be thought to have very extensive
acquaintance with it, and was unwilling
to admit ignorance on any point.
Early the next week Sam returned to
his duties in the city, and Joshua await
ed impatiently the promised lottery pa
pCrs. Sam did not forget his promise.
On the third day after his departure a
paper came to the village postofice, di-
rected:
Joshua Drummond, Esq,
"Stapleton."
This was promptly taken from the Of
fee by Joshua, who had called on an av-
erage twice day for this very paper. 1t
pI owed to be printed on yellow paper.
and fairly bristled with figures, indicat-
ing the large sums which were weekly
distributed all over the country by the
benevolent managers of the lottery. Here
was a scheme in which the principal prize
was but a thousand dollars. However,
the tickets were but dollar each, and
a thousand dollars for one was certainly
a handsome return for a small outlay.
There were others, however, IN which the
principal prize was five thousand dollars,
and the tickets were, in due proportion,
Ave dollars each.
The more Joshua thought It over, the
more convinced he was that a large sum
of money was likely to come to him
through the lottery If he could only man
ege to raise money enough to buy q
ticket. But the problem of how to get
the necessary Ave dollars he was as far
a. ever from solving.
While in this state of mind he hap
pcned one day to be in the store at noon,
and alone. Nichols the head clerk, wish
ed to 60 to dinner, and was only waiting
for Walter to get back from an errand.
IT wish Walter would hurry up" he
grumbled. "My dinner will get cold"
"Tll take your place till he gets back,
Mr.. Nichols" said Joshua, with extra
ordinary kindness for him.
"Much obliged, Joshua" said the sales
man. 'I'll do as much for You another
time. don't think you'll have long to
wait"
No aooner had ha 0ona than Io.h,.