THE LOTTERY PRIZE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 88, 15 April 1911, Page 14

THE LOTTERY PRIZE.

Francis Puvion, blacksmith, a simple plodding mechanic living in Aniche, a small village in France, had the sudden impulse a year ago to try his luck at the game ducasse." On leaving the table he was a winner by 12s, a tremendous amount in tne eyes of Francois Puvion. Exulting over his good fortune in getting something for nothing the happy blacksmith put it aside to be used for a chance at the drawing of the big French lottery last year, the last drawing but one of the authorised game in France. After a consultation wath his wife, Puvion decided to plunge and try to secure the £40,000 prize In order to do this the 12s laid away had «S be ™.c. c f ease d by an additional sum of 4s a ■ V?l a ?lig? lig . ht mi s&iving as to the advisability of the extravagance, Puvion bought his ticket. His neighbour and life-long friend Edmond Dumoulin, was sad and downcast over the recent loss of his wife and daughter. Puvion, thinking to distract him, and give him something of interest to look forward to, proposed that he, too, should buy a lottery ticket. Dumoulin agreed, and gave him Bs, and told him to invest • ln a * lckefc for one of the smaller prizes. The morning after the v drawing! Puvion was returning home from early Mass, when he was accosted in the street by several excited people, who rushed to him with outspread newspaper in hand, l is was the way that the workman learned that Fortune had opened her arms to him. Almost stupified with emotion it was some minutes before he could recover w* 81 *; l h6t l his fi / st lhou^ ht ™» £ hasten to the home of his mother, who is 89 years old, and tell her the wonderful IE i,° n iv s? - ac his own house he found his Wl fe still m ignorance that tho lucky number had fallen to him. Their two daughters, who have a millinery shot, were sent for, and with the boy of 12, who was at church with his father, the whole family joined in the rejoicings. After the edge of the excitement had worn off iuvion remembered his friend, Dumoulin ±iis ticket had won nothing, but Puvion decided that inasmuch as he had persuaded Dumoulin to go in for this drawing ho mould shave in his own great ivindfall. The logic was loss sound than rho goodness of heart, but the mechanic decided to divide and give his old friend half of the £40,000* Puvion is 45 years old, and has never been outage of his own little town. Goingon the pnnciple of the old, philosophers, that work is necessary for the welfare and happiness of man, he intends to keep right on W j o! 113 t , rade ' and his daughters, of 20 and 22, who have hitherto been selfsupporting, are not to be pampered in idleness, such as might follow in the wako of sudden wealth, but are to continue in their line of catering to the "best families in tho village." The new mechanic "millionaire is tasting the sweets of prosperity He has been honoured by felicitations from the Mayor, anS tho bank hastened to assure him that if he wished it would give him the money in advance, ihe townspeople, and especially the marriageable young men, have discovered in a night what a delightful family is that of the man who won the big prize in the lottery.— Paris Correspondent, Natal Mercury.