235 

 THE LOTTERY. 



THERE is nothing that will more correctly illustrate 

 the humorsome credulity of human nature than a Lot- 

 tery ; and although the sketch that I am about to give 

 is very limited, yet, " to compare great things with 

 small/' the truth must appear highly probable. 



My friend purchased a share of a ticket in the 

 Lottery just ended. He was not particular as to the 

 number, but certainly fancied the one which he had 

 chosen was a lucky number. In this pleasurable hope 

 he continued from the time of purchase to the day of 

 drawing, and the week preceding was a period of 

 lively interest. The 17th of April was to be the event- 

 ful day. Had it been the first of the month a person 

 might have scrupled to purchase, merely because it was 

 considered a foolish day of old, and has probably so 

 continued to be thought among many silly moderns ; 

 but it was the seventeenth, and no one in the absence 

 of antiquated authority or traditionary testimony would 

 attach to any other day of this month a character only 

 peculiar to the first; but there are good grounds 

 for the belief, that neither ihejirst, the thirtieth, nor 

 any intermediate day would have operated to deter my 

 friend from " putting into the lottery, " and for this 

 indifference of dates he is entitled to much credit. 



On the first night of this memorable week my friend, 

 seated before the fire with another person who also held 

 a moiety of one 16th, witnessed the "popping out" of 

 a gaseous cinder. On the following morning I was 



thus addressed ; "Well, Mr. , I am confident 



that we shall have a prize, for last night a purse popped 

 out of the fire. " " Poh ! " said I, " was it not a coffin ?" 

 " O ! no, " replied my friend with earnestness, " I am 

 certain that it was a purse, for it was round and a coffin 



is long besides, Mr. and the maidens said so. " 



The next morning I was made acquainted with another 

 very favorable symptomatic token. The palm of his 

 hand had itched during the night " A sure sign, " he 

 said, " of receiving money ;" while a sensation equally 



