Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-03-30

ohh tutTSt, gave 1t TO DaHa-
| Iou see we couldn't bother ourselves
with glasses, Dana he said, laughing.
but if you don't like jug. you can take
up this little dish of pond to drink out
of, but prefer the jug, my boy
1t VIII answer every purpose, said the
unsuspecting Dana, hastily raising it to
his lips, and taking hearty swallow !;
but what kind of water is this said he,
setting it down with frowning brow
., the Jug has got little warm in the
sun, that's ALL said Healy, with a ringing
laugh, in which he was joined by the
keans, who perfectly understood the game
they were playing
thought you had forsworn every
thing of this kind, Healv ?'v
All, let the old women swallow that
story. your mother among the umber.-
| We all know better than to drink water
when brandy Is to be- had for our money,
/ Dana
But we all know well enough that our
heads would be clearer if we let it alone
said Dana, who had not yet forgot all his
| past repentaEces and resolves on the sub
| ject.
I: for one, don't know it. said Charley
kean, quickly, for L never feel better
than | do after taking glass
| A TRADE of sarcasms from all three
was now levelled at the cause of tempe
rance aud its supporters and SO keen
and witty were the satirists against the
milk and water zealots, as they called
them, that Dana, with his appetite sharp
ened by the draught he had taken, soon
began to be ashamed of his scruples, and
torgettul of everything bat tue ridicule he
was exciting, and the qualification Of his
craving appetite.
! Heaiy knew his weakness. and his plans
had been laid from the first to ensnare
him. Instead of being reformed. as he
had pretended, he had been secretly
| plunglng deeper into vice ever since his
suspension from college, and he was now,
with his cousins, who understood the
game, endeavoring to draw Dana into a
snare for the sake of fleeing him of his
money.
They caught plenty of fish, and when
noon arrived, they landed made a fire.
cooked some fine perch and pickerel, and
sat down to tempting dinner under tie
shade Of magnificent oak bv the side of
the lake Dana, by this time was in as
/ high spirits as any of them. and was not
frightened in the least when Paul Kean
drew pack of cards from his pocket. and
proposed game; he was, in fact, so ca
ger to join IN it, that they gave each other
a significant wink at their success.
! They played there some time, with va
rious success, till the jug was empty and
then Jack hean proposed that they should
ADJOURN to the store. and get something
/ better. The Captain had sly back
room too, he said, that would accommo-
date them much better than the cold
ground. They went, accordingly, and
were soon seated around table in the
/ Captains sly hole with his best liquors
standing tenptingly before them and the
cards circulating more briskly than ever :;
and so absorbed did they soon become in
their game, that the hours flew by as if
they were minutes, Iunoted and unno-
ticed
At first, Dana was very successful; but
the scales soon began to turn against him :;
this only made him more eager he staked
larger sums, and drank deeper. perhaps to
sharpen his wit; and when his money
was all gone SO infatuated had he become
i as to stake his credit; and when thev
arose from their last game his name was
appended to notes to the amount of seve-
raj hundred dollars to the Keans. who
! had agreed to share the plunder with
| Healy Dana, by this time, had become
SO stupid and insensible as hardly to re-
alize his heavy loss and when he got up
to leave the accursed place with his com
panion, he staggered, and fell heavily to
the floor
There, what shall we do now q said
Jack Kean, inquiringly. We've done
for him, boys you see; but we never can
get him home in that plight. and if we
could, what would mother say 2
They bad taken care to keep tolerable
sober, themselves, the better to take ad,
vantage Of him; and they now got him
up, and endeavored to make him walk off
the effects of the liquor, but without sue
cess, for he was too far gone The Cap
tain finally offered to furnish him with
lodging If they would help to get him in
to the house and Healy was to come for
him next morning.
| Mary Aston was sitting alone by the
window, in Mrs Leedsy's keeping room.
Iadmlring the golden sunset clouds as they
lay piled up in the west, thinking of the
/ frightful danger she was in the evening
before, at that time, and of him who had.
as she thought, been SO provldentially sent
for her deliverance, when the sound of
voices without attracted her attention.
She heard them come into the entry: the
door was opened, and Capt Leedsy came
/ forward leading reeling staggering, too
u l. !
on the other side by stranger. She
gazed upon them with astonishment, and
a slight exclamation of surprise escaped
her lips when she recognized the drunken
wretch before her as her deliverer She
started up. looking pale and reprovingly
upon the group, who were anything but
pleased to find her there, witness of such
4 scene. The Captain uttered few words
of excuse and our friend Healy. who was
his other assistant said his friend had
E avnd his "a that do nd