Grayson Griffith [pp. 605-611]

SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.
chalk in his pocket, and whispered to all his play fellows that now they would have fine fun. Every urchin
was restless for play-time. Grayson Griffith was sure
the master's watch must have stopped or must be too
slow, and said so. At length the hour of recreation came,
and as soon as all were fairly out of the teacher's hearing, the aforesaid boy prepared to teach his fellows the
game of fox and geese. With his chalk he chequered
a board, and arranged his white and red grains in proper order-calling the white grains of corn geese, and
thered foxes. Soon he initiated every boy, and Grayson
Griffith among the number, in the mysteries of the
game.
Ere long it was proposed that every boy should ask
for a cent at home, and bring it to school. It was done.
Grayson Griffith asked for one cent, and his father
gave him two, and his mother one. They said he was
old enough to have pocket money. He was now nearly eight years old. In the playtime, all the boys agreed
to throw heads or tails, until they had won or lost the
money that could be had. At the end of the sport,
Grayson had seven cents-bibut on his way home, he
dropped one in the grass, and by throwing heads or
tails with another boy, he lost three more-so that at
night he had no more and no less than in the morning.
That evening he asked if his father would go to the
race next day. His father replied he did not know.
"Well," said Grayson, "I bet you three cents and my
barlow knife against ninepence, that Colonel Riley's
Firefly will beat General Hobson's young Medley."
"You will bet?" said Mr. Griffith. "Why, yes," said
Grayson, "did not you bet at loo, father?" Grayson
and his father, as by mutual consent, waived the conversation.
Next day Grayson told at school what had occurred.
Mr. Griffith did not go to the races; but in the evening
some of the gentlemen came to see him, and induced
him to bet as high as twenty dollars on a game at loo.
Grayson seemed hardly to notice the occurrence, yet he
was in reality closely observing, and caught several of
the expressions of the gentlemen visiters. The next
day, at a game of fox and geese, he cried "Damme
soul." And as he went to school he kept saying,
"Clubs are trumps-high, low, jack and the game."
He thought it sounded pretty.
In the meantime Mr. Griffith's family increased. He
had now three sons and a daughter; and Grayson
would often promise to show his little brother how to
play fox and geese when he should grow a little larger.
Mrs. Griffith had also played at cards when any very
special company was present, or she was much urged.
Mr. Griffith about this time gave a hundred dollars
towards building a church in the village, and subscribed
twenty dollars a year towards the minister's salary;
and many of the people had become very serious, and
even religious. The good minister, like his master
Jesus Christ, was very fond of children. All the children knew him in six weeks after he went to live in
Goodcheer, and they all loved him. They would speak
to him all the way across the street. One day Mr.
Goodnews (for that was the minister's name) called
at Mr. Griffith's, and asked Grayson if he knew
how many commandments there were. His answer
was, "I bet you I do." "But," said Mr. Goodnews,
"I never bet, my dear little boy. Did not you know it
was wrong to bet?" " No," said Grayson, "it is'ntFather and mother bet." Mrs. Griffith's face colored,
and she stammered out, "My son, you ought not to
tell stories, even in fun. You will make dear Mr.
Goodnews think very badly of your parents." "Any
how, mother, it is true," said the boy.
When Grayson was eleven years old, he was allowed to go to the races. Here his fondness for sport and
gaming was muchincreased. He also'saw many things
that he did not understand, and some that made him
shudder. His parents had given him at different times
money, which he had saved, and adding to which, what
he received that morning, the sum total amounted to one
dollar and a quarter. The race that day was chief ly between two noted animals, Major Clark's Rabbit,
and Colonel Nelson's Yellow Gray. Betting ran high.
At first Grayson bet twenty-five cents in favor of Rabbit; then he bet fifty cents against twenty-five on the
Yellow Gray; then he bet his remaining fifty cents
against another fifty cents in favor of Yellow Gray.
In the meantime he bought some beer and some cakes,
and paid away twenty-five cents of his money. When
he first remembered that he might lose, he thought ihe
would not be able to meet all his engagements; but on
reflection he discovered, that let who would win, he could
not lose all. The race was run. Rabbit was beaten,
and Grayson got his seventy-five cents, and paid what
he had lost, and had now left one dollar and a half. At
firsthe thought he would go home, and started-but a
boy stepped forward and said, he could show him some
tricks-that he had a rattle-come-snap, &c Grayson
went with him into the bushes, and there Grayson lost
one dollar at some sort of game, became vexed, and
went home. At night he would have determined never
to bet any more, had it not been that some gentlemen
came to his father's, and talked earnestly about their
gains. Then the thought entered his mind that it was
entirely owing to good luck that some succeeded, and
that he would have better luck another day.
A few days after the races, Mr. Griffith was called
to see his mother die. She had been a very worldlyminded, proud woman-but her last sickness had humbled her. With her last breath she spoke of herself
as a great sinner, and of her salvation as doubtful, and
most solemnly warned all her children not to follow her
example. The minister at Goodcheer went over to preach
the funeral sermon, and returning in company with Mr.
Griffith, he thought he perceived some seriousness in
his manner, and introduced a very friendly and solemn
conversation on the importance of preparing for death.
From that time Mr. Griffith began to change, and in
twelve months he and his wife both joined Mr. Goodnews's church. They also presented their five children
to the Lord. This was a great change, and was much
spoken of by the villagers. It is thought the father and
mother were both truly converted. The day the children were baptized, Grayson did not behave well in
church, yet he dared not to do anything very wrong.
The next day, when one of the boys laughed at him
for being baptized, he at first thought he would say nothing, and had he done so, all would have been well.
But the laugh tormented him. So in going home from
school he made fun of it, and said the old people had
got mighty religious. When he got home he felt dreadfully at seeing Mr. Goodnews at his father's; but he
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