Year: 1867

James Lanning was mechanic young, hon
est man, whose highest ambition was to gain com
Portable home for himself and wife, and to b
thought well of by his neighbors. He had bull
himself house, and there still remained upon it
mortgage of five hundred dollars but this sum h
hoped to pay in very few years, if he only ha'
his health. he had calculated exactly how long
would take him to clear off this incumbrance, ant
he went to work with his eyes open.


One evening, James came home to his suppe
more thoughtful than usual. His young wife no
ticed his manner, and she inquired its cause.


"What is it, James?' she kindly asked. "Why
never saw you look so sober before


ssWelL I'll tell you, Hannah" returned tht
young man, with slight hesitation in his manner
"I have been thinking should buy lottery tick
et"


Hannah Lanning did not answer immediately
She looked down and smoothed the silken hair o
her babe, which was chirping like little robin ii
her arms, and the shades of her handsome feature
showed that she was taking time to think.


''How much will it cost?" she at length asked
looking half timidly up into her husband face.
'Twenty dollars" returned James, trying to as
sumo confidence which he did not feel


stAnd have you made up your mind to buy it !?


'sWen, I think shall. What do you think a
bout it?''


''If you should ask my advice, james, should
say, do not buy it"


'sBut why SOP


For many reasons, )" returned the wife, In
trembling tone. She would not offend her hus
band, and she shrank from giving him advice
which he might not follow. "In the first place,
thing the whole scheme of lotteries is bad one
and then you have no money to risk"


'sBut just look at the prizes, said james, draw
ing scheme from his pocket "Here is one
prize of twenty thousand dollars, another Of ten
thousand, another of FIVE thousand and so on
Something tells me that if I buy ticket | shall
draw large prize. And then just think, Hannah,
how easily I could pay all up for my house, and
perhaps have good handsome sum left


The young man spoke with much earnestneSs
and assurance, but he saw that there was a cloud
upon his wife brow.


'sIt seems to me that the chance Of drawing a
prize is very doubtful" said Hannah, as she took
the scheme. "Here are many thousand tickets to
be sold" The babe tried hard to snatch the pa
per, and Hannah laid it aside.


II think I shall run the risk, - resumed James,
glancing once more over the paper, and resting
with nervous longing upon the figures which rep
resented the higher prizes. There's Barney, he
drew eight hundred dollars about a year ago."


"Yes, I know it," said Hannah, with more
warmth than she had before manifested, "and
what has become of the money? You know he has
squandered it all away. All, James, money is no
use to our happiness unless we come honestly by it


Honestly" repeated the young man. "Sure-
", there is nothing dishonest in drawing prize in
a lottery"


'I think there is, kindly, but emphatically, re-
turned the wife. "Al games of hazard, where
money is at stake, are dishonest. Were you to
draw prize of twenty thousand dollars, you would
rob a thousand men of twenty dollars each or at
least, you would take from them money for which
you return no equivalent Is it not gambling in
ever sense of the word?'


20, no; you look on the matter in too strong a
light"


"Perhaps do; but yet so it looks to me. What
you draw some one else must lose; and perhaps 1t
may be some one who can afford the loss no better
than you can Let US live on the products Of our
honest gains, and we shall be happier"


James Lanning was uneasy. He had no answer
for his wife's argument; at least no answer that
could spring from his moral convictions, and he let
the matter drop. But the young man could not
drive the syren from his heart. All the next day
his head was full of 'prizes," and while he was at
his work, he kept muttering over to himself,
s'Twenty thousand dollars" ''Ten thousand dol
lars" Give thousand dollars" and so on.


When he went home the next night, he was al,
most unhappy with the nervous anxiety into which
he had thrown himself The tempter had grasped
him firmly, and whenever he thought Of the lotte.
ry, he saw nothing but piles of gold and silver. In
short James Lanning had made up his mind that
he would buy the ticket. He went to the little
box where he had already hundred and twenty
dollars laid up towards paying of the mortgage on
his house. The lock clicked with astarting sound,
and when he threw back the cover he hesitated.-
He looked at his wife, and he saw that she was
sad.


20, I'm sure I shall draw prize, he said, with
faint, fading smile.


He took four halfeagles from the box and put
them in his pocket His wife said nothing She
played with her babe to hide her sadness for she
did not wish to say more on the subject. She had
seen the little pile of gold accumulating, and both
she and her husband had been happy in anticipa-
ting the day when the pretty cottage would be all
! their own. But when she saw those four pieces OF
Rold taken away from the store, she felt fore
$6hsdowing of evil. She might have again spoken
against the movement, but she saw that her hus-
band was sorely tender on the subject, and she let
the affair go to the hands of fate.


Aweek elapsed from the time that james bought
his ticket to the drawing of the lottery, and during
that time the young man had not moment Of real
enjoyment. He was alternating between hope and
fear, and his mind was constantly on the stretch.


At length the day arrived. James went to the
Office and found that the drawing had taken place,
and that the list of prizes had been made out. He
seized the list and turned away so that those who
stood around should not see his face. He read the
list through, but searched for his number in vain.
1t was not there. He had drawn blank! He
lef the Office an unhappy man. Those twenty dol
lars which he had lost had been the savings Of two
months hard labor, and he felt their loss most
keeny.


When he went home that night, he told his wife
that he had lost. She found no fault with him.
She only kissed him, and told him the lesson was
agood one, even thought it had been dearly bought


n n L L.