e, his wife
appeared to him in a dream, and confessed her sins towards him during
her life, and prayed his forgiveness, and added, that in token of
reconciliation he must accept three numbers to play in the lottery,
which would certainly win a great prize. But the husband was obstinate,
and absolutely refused to follow the advice of a friend to whom he
recounted the odd dream, and who urged him to play the numbers. "Bah!"
he answered to this good counsel; "I know her too well;--she never meant
well to me during her life, and I don't believe she's changed now that
she's dead. She only means to play me a trick, and make me lose. But I'm
too old a bird to be taken with her chaff." "Better play them," said his
friend, and they separated. In the course of a week they met again. "By
the way," said the friend, "did you see that your three numbers came up
in the lottery this morning?" "The Devil they did! What a consummate
fool I was not to play them!" "You didn't play them?" "No!" "Well, I
did, and won a good round sum with them, too." So the obstinate husband,
mad at his ill luck, cursed himself for a fool, and had his curses for
his pains. That very night, however, his wife again appeared to him,
and, though she reproached him a little for his want of faith in her,
(no woman could be expected to forego such an opportunity, even though
she were dead,) yet she forgave him, and added,--"Think no more about it
now, for here are three more numbers, just as good." The husband, who
had eaten the bitter food of experience, was determined at all events
not to let his fortune slip again through his fingers, and played the
highest possible _terno_ in the lottery, and waited anxiously for the
next drawing. He could scarcely eat his breakfast for nervousness, that
morning,--but at last mid-day sounded, and the drawing took place, but
no one of his numbers came up. "Too late! taken in!" he cried. "Confound
her! she knew me better than I knew myself. She gave me a prize the
first time, because she knew I wouldn't play it; and, having so whet my
passions, she then gave me a blank the second time, because she knew I
would play it. I might have known better."

From the moment one lottery is drawn, the mind of the people is intent
on selecting numbers for the next. Nor is this an easy matter,--all
sorts of superstitions existing as to figures and numbers. Some are
lucky, some unlucky, in themselves,--some lucky only in certain
combinations, an