Old Stories 237
name, and Hooker by nature; and you've hooked it all.”
the devil and the card-players
In a Connecticut village four men were visiting together one evening, At length one of them proposed that they should have a game of cards. They were aware of the wickedness of card-playing, and knew very well how scandalous the proposal was. Nevertheless, after a little argument, they agreed to play for a short time. On a stand in the corner of the kitchen was a candle whose flame had eaten nearly down to the socket. Said one of the men, “We'll just play till the candle burns out. There can’t be much harm in that, I’m sure.”
“Very good,” said the others; “we’ll stop when the candle burns out.”
They played one game, two games, three games, and still the candle burned. The candle burned, and game followed game until morning came, and the first rays of daylight startled the four players.
Then they knew that Satan himself had been their companion through the night. Who but the Devil would have kept that candle burning for so many hours for such a purpose?
