The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-08-15
Business Versus
Luck
By THONAS G. DEANE

There's lot of luck I'D the WOriu.
said John Jones. who in his younger
days had been an inveterate gambler
when I was betting on the cards my
friends used to consider me all gone
wrong. So | was. but it WAS not the
chances Of the game that did it; it waS
the fact that gambling has bad effect
on the gambler I'm speaking. of
course. of fair game. man who
plays with professionals is sure to get
cleaned out
Il was playing one of those games
once when was handed note from
Tom Andrews. an old friend of mine.
asking me to send him $500 Within Il
few hours | had won $1,000. and the
$500 was very small affair TO he
thought of sending Andrews the
money
"It occurred to- me that within a
few hours more | would probably have
lost all my winnings. then | could draW
on him for enough to start in with
again But | was so absorbed IN the
game that | doubt If this more than
flashed through my mind
81 didn't get cleaned out that day,
but did within week. ! didn't have
enough money to buy breakfast with
| was walking along the street looking
longingly into restaurants when VINO
should come along but Tom Andrews.
~ was much obliged to you fol
that loan you made me the other day.
he began.
What loanY You wouldn't believe
it, but | had forgotten all about the
$500 | had sent him. Then all OF a
sudden it all came back to me.
You're just the man want said
I'm strapped. Let me have hundred
or two to begin again
HE looked kind blank. Pm awful
sorry. he said 1 wanted that money
for a friend. not for myself. He had
once saved me from ruin. The day
sent to you he came to me and SAID
that he had the prettiest opportunity
of making a big spec you ever saw
All he needed was $500. Well. it put
me In a very. unpleasant position.
was under a great obligation to him.
and yet | hadn't the money for him.
so ! told him that ! thought | could
borrow it for him, but as he was GO
ing into a speculation with it thought
the lender should be interested in his
profits if he made any. knew you
took flyers with cards. and didn't
know but you'd take one in another
way. | wrote you all about 1t In the
note sent asking for the loan which
was Didn't you read IT,
mo. | didn't! | snapped. i may
take chances on cards. but I'm not
such a fool as to loan money to a man
| never heard of to speculate with
Let me have half dollar to buy q
breakfast with
TON let ME have $40. | ate up a
dollar of it and sank the rest in the
usual way.
about that time I fell In love. My
girl wouldn't have me unless | broke
off gambling entirely: so, az | couldn't
do without her. ! promised never to
touch a card again. We we're married
and to please her | went into the
safest business l could End. set up
a corner grocery But | must estab-
lish trade. and the only way to do
that was to trust those who hadn't
the money convenient TO pay with
This drew in the class of persons who
run up big bills and let the grocer
whistle for his money. started in
with a $4,000 capital that J. had won
at gambling, and it gradually got con-
verted into uncollectable debts.
Skinned along for awhile. Then one
morning the sheriff came down on me
and closed me out
IL went home to my wife and told
her that | didn't see the difference In
taking risks ON purchasers and ON
cards. At least what difference there
was was in favor of the cards. She
said that the trouble with me was that
| was no manager II we ever did
get set up again she proposed to take
the management of our affairs into
her own hands and would show me
that. while there was good deal in
luck. there were conditions on which
one could calculate almost to Ger
tainty.
But we didn't get set up in hurry
We passed through severa' years of
poverty that make my fess creep to
remember We had several kids and
to live in comfort required al income
we didn't have. | was tempted to
try the cards again, but my wife
wouldn't hear of it. | was too old to
get situation. and was so wracked
with worry that my health broke
down.
"One morning on opening MY mail
found letter from q man | rad never
heard Of inclosing check for $S4.5OO
The letter said that some years previ-
GUS he had purchased with money
loaned by me suburban tract. which
he had laid out into lots and had re-
Gently sold the last lot He had prom