bers that might or might not come out of the wheel in lotteries said
to be drawn in certain Southern States, but chiefly in Kentucky. The
numbers rarely if ever came out. The chances were too remote. After her
husband's death she began fretting over the smallness of her income. It
was not sufficient to give her daughters the advantages she desired
them to have, and she knew of but one way to increase it. That way was
through the policy-shops. So she gave her whole mind to this business,
with as much earnestness and self-absorption as a merchant gives himself
to trade. She had a dream-book, gotten up especially for policy buyers,
and consulted it as regularly as a merchant does his price-current or a
broker the sales of stock. Every day she bet on some "row" or series of
"rows," rarely venturing less than five dollars, and sometimes, when she
felt more than usually confident, laying down a twenty-dollar bill,
for the "hit" when made gave from fifty to two hundred dollars for each
dollar put down, varying according to the nature of the combinations. So
the more faith a policy buyer had in his "row," the larger the venture
he would feel inclined to make.

Usually it went all one way with the infatuated lady. Day after day she
ventured, and day after day she lost, until from hundreds the sums she
was spending had aggregated themselves into thousands. She changed from
one policy-shop to another, hoping for better luck. It was her business
to find them out, and this she was able to do by questioning some of
those whom she met at the shops. One of these was in a building on a
principal street, the second story of which was occupied by a milliner.
It was visited mostly by ladies, who could pass in from the street,
no one suspecting their errand. Another was in the attic of a house in
which were many offices and places of business, with people going in and
coming out all the while, none but the initiated being in the secret;
while another was to be found in the rear of a photograph gallery. Every
day and often twice a day, as punctually as any man of business, did
this lady make her calls at one and another of these policy-offices to
get the drawings or make new ventures. At remote intervals she would
make a "hit;" once she drew twenty dollars, and once fifty. But for
these small gains she had paid thousands of dollars.

After a "hit" the betting on numbers would be bolder. Once she selected
what was known as a "lucky row," and