Thrown
with wild, uncouth men, and being reckless in the extreme, he opened a
gambling house.
"Why did you take this great interest in me?" I asked.
"Look here, young chap, you are altogether too inquisitive. I've got an
old father and mother way up in Ball Brooke, Connecticut, whose hearts
have been broken by my actions, and when I saw you in that hellish den
of vice you looked so out of place that I determined to save you. It was
impulse, my boy, and then again, it may have been the remembrance of the
one, at whose knee I used to lisp, 'Now I lay me down to sleep.'"
My recovery was very rapid from that time on, and when I was able to
work I secured a position in the commercial office in Hallville. One
evening after being paid I strolled into the "Three Nines;" Bill was
dealing faro, and I thought I might in a measure, show my gratitude
towards him by risking a coin. There was a big crowd standing around
the table, but I edged my way in and placed a dollar on the queen to
win. Luck was with me and I won. Once, twice, thrice, did the cards come
my way, and my stack of whites and reds was growing.
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