FATHER VAUGHAN'S DREAM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 8 November 1907, Page 4

FATHER VAUGHAN'S DREAM.

FAMOUS PREACHEKS VISION OF A GAMBLER AT HEAVEN'S GATES. Speaking before a large and fashionable audience at the Mansion House, Dublin, on Wednesday, August 28, Father Vaughan said that a storv was told of a certain noted gambler who died and found himself, by sonic good luck, in heaven. Being- out of place there, he asked leave to go down to his own quarters, and there he gambled away his return ticket, the lady cheat who iron it getting thereby to "heaven Father Vaughan said that he, too, had had a dream about the subject. He fancied that he saw in one of the outer courts of heaven the well known London gambler referred to pacini; to and fro in search of a "pal," but none such came. At last, being abk to stand the lonely situation no longer, he went to St. Peter at the golden gate, and, confessing that it was by cheating tliat he had passed through, he begjpl for a pass-out ticket, to see what his old friends were doing down below.

There he found art enormous crowd of well known betting men and women in a low and suffocating room—all being forced to play bridge with no stakes and dead silence ' For some time he watched at the various tables the faces of the players, in which rage, despair, and hatred were depicted in eveiy feature. At length the passion to play awoke once more in him, he drew forth his. return ticket to heaven, he played, aad he lost.

The return ticket was secured by .1 r.oted and fashionable woman in society, who was known to be a continued cheat She dashed with, the release ticket from the gambling saloon, making for the iron gates- There she was met by Satan, who, after congratulating her on her luck, pointed to Jht words, "Not transferable.'* 'she screamed, and tore the ticket to threads, when the devil led her back to the tables to resume her everlasting play. "See," he exclaimed, "these letters of fire, 'All hope abandon ye who enter here '"