The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1909-09-18

Saratoga Springs.
In a recent interview Pat Sheedy,
the celebrated gambler and lover of
art, told how he came to lead life of
chance.
He told the story of his meeting with
an old friend of his. Archbishop Ryan
of Philadelphia, at Saratoga. Though
they had gone to the springs for wide
ly different purposes, the bishop and
the gambler instantly struck hands.
"Come in and see my nieces." The
archbishop extended the invitation as
one who would not be refused. well.
If you insist. But first let's have a
pint of wine, bishop" insisted the man
of chance-"not whisky; that makes
a man of our nation want to fight.
Make 1t wine. the only drink that
makes a poor Irishman feel like rich
Jew"
His Start as a Gambler.
They Joined the archbishop's nieces
and the gamblers wife in the drawing
room. Then came the archbishop's
premeditated question:
Forgive me. Pat, my boy, but we all
want to know why such a man as you
ever became gambler"
That question Ill answer, your wor-
ship, but you must first let me tell
you how it seems to me. If I'm
wrong, you may show me afterward.
First let me tell you that l believe in
God as much as you do. Now were
ready for the start. l claim to be a
better man than you are. | can't help
being a better man than you are.
Now, listen and I'll tell you the rea-
son in little story.
"You and | had the same start. We
are of the same nation. We were of
families in the same circumstances,
who could give us little or no educa-
ton, so we trotted the same road un-
til we were fifteen. There we came to
crossroads. We stopped and haggled
about which road to take. You want
ed to go to the right l said, No; the
left's the way You went your road
as you thought best, and l took the
other road | hadn't gone fifty yards
before knew it was the wrong road,
but my pride, my dirty pride. wouldn't
let me go back. and admit it.
"You have gone on and reached a
high place and much honor. You've
looked neither to the right nor the left
but straight ahead. i have looked uI
and down and back and every direc'
ton. and I've seen-God help me. what
haven't seen? But I've learned more
than you have. bishop, for I've beer
to the college of experience. You
never forget what you've learned there
"Pat Sheedy, the Outlaw"
"You are an honored bishop of th
church. / am the man at whom ever,
finger of scorn is pointed. upon whom
every eye of suspicion Is turned. ! an
Pat Sheedy, the outlaw
"And now. bishop, | am coming t
the point. We had another schoolfel
low. We'll call him Michael Dillon
He loved q woman with a worship
| isn't given to you to understand.
| "She married him, but after awhil
| she turned him out of her heart an
| out of their home. 4 hate YOU sh
said to this man who loved her.
don't want ever to see you again. III
became a drunkard and a tramp. Year
| afterward she writes him. i was mis-
taken; come back to me- and b
starts to walk back to his home an
his happiness. He has walked for
week. He is footsore and hungry. ii
meets you at this hotel tonight. Yo
listen to him, but 1t is with prejI
diced ear You look upon him, but
is not with a warm eye. The derelic
drifts on with no help from you. II
staggers out of your presence. and b
rounds the corner of the veranda an
comes upon me, another old schoolfe
low. He isn't afraid to speak to mi
the Ishmaelite. He tells me his stor.
and what do you think / do?
There can't be the shadow Of
doubt about that, Pat said the bisho
II "Better Man Than You."
"Your excellency, If he met me /
would ride the rest Of the way home
He would get more than advice
, That's the reason claim to be be
ter man than you. Pve been to tn
| college of experience, aud / know
] You don't know what has made an
man become what he is. That Is on
( Of the things we learn to ask ou
! selves in the college OF experience
) Why is this man what he is? Wh'
7 sorrow that we never guessed has pt
him where he isy
The next day the archbishop can
J to the gambler and offered his han'
'I've been thinking over what ye
said. You drew picture OF me la'
night. believe God directed me bel
, to learn OF you. Pat Sheedy."
, 81 want to teach you that circun
, stances make man what he is," n
!, Sheedy said and has said a hundre
{ times since. Were not all pace
A nor trotters. We have our own ga
and we 60 that gait. and that galk