Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-01-01

See~SS
ingless things had been talked about. Nathan
arrived at point where he found courage to asl,
Mabel if she thought her father would ever con.
sent to receive him for son-in-law.
"He has spoken with me on the subject" an.
swered the maiden, frankly and firmly, and
he told me that if you made as good man
morally and socially, as you had thus far been
as boy and youth, he should be happy to see
me your wife"
For some moments after that, the youth thought
more than he spoke; and the glistening tears
that stood in his eyes told how deep were his
feelings
On the following me-ning Nathan went to
the shop, happy and buoyant. About an hour
afterwards Joseph Cooper made his appearance
looking sleepy, and with a pale face
! well, joe said Nathan, "what sort of a
| time did you have last night q
Glorious glorious cried Cooper; Rum
enough, though, and was fool enough to drink
some"
This last clause was spoken in changed
tone
"Why, did not know that you ever drank p
said Nathan with surprise
= don't like to- but had to do it last night.
They hung on so that l couldn't get rid of it."
"Ah, Joe, you'd better have taken my advice
last night
"And how long is it since you have become
so nice ?" asked Cooper, with some irony"
"Only since last evening" kindly replied
Nathan; =" and even then became only from
the plain advice and counsel of another"
+" But we had some rare sport"
" And what kind of sport was it p
90, some-I tell you. And as Cooper thus
spoke, he gave a significant wink, and went to
his bench"
Joseph Cooper was only two and twenty, and
had been an apprentice to Mr.. Clark until his
majority, since which time he had been at work
as journeyman.
Nothing more was said on the subject of the
last nights scrape until near the middle of the
afternoon. 1t near three o'clock when the
deputy sheriff entered the shop and enqured for
Joseph Cooper
Where is Cooper? the officer asked of n athan
Wilder.
"That's him, at the other end of the shop
sir"
Let's see, resumed the visitor, glancing over
paper he held in his hand where were you
last night
'.At home, sir"
"You didn't go over to the back village ?"
No. sir. I've concluded to let that company
go without me, hereafter"
Good I'm glad of that uttered the sheriff
emphatically and then he went along to where
Cooper was at work
lie spoke with the Young man and the latter
turned pale as death. There was much evident
begging and praying, but in vain. The officer
had come for Joseph Cooper, and he could not
90 without him. SO Joe washed his hands and
put on his coat and hat, and then with trem-
bling step he accompanied the officer from the
shop.
When Nathan went out, after his DAYS work
done, he learned the whole story. On the
night before, party of young men had gone
over to the back village and had carousal at
Billy Waynes; and on their return they tore
down fences, carried away barn doors, opened
barn yards and LEI the cattle out, stole water
melons and several other things of like charac-
ter. News had been received there that the par
ty were coming, and they Were watched. They
We're seen to do these things, and though il was
too dark to distinguish faces at the time vet all
who were at MacWayne's were known, and they
had been traced to their mischief
That very evening the whole party, fourteen
in number, were arraigned before Justice and
the complaint was entered against them. Poor
Cooper pleaded that he had nothing to do with
tba = Il
he asserted his innocence.
You have been in this same company be-
fore ? said the justice.
"1es sir" hesitatingly answered Cooper.
And you have known their character for mis-
chief and disturbance p
." Yes sir; but l.
Never mind. now" interrupted the Judge
You should have thought of all this before. No
one man of this party would have ever gone
alone and done that work. It takes gang to
make such doings worth the while, and you have
been member of that gang some time If YOU
would be pure and above suspicion, you must
be'oare ~hat company yoa keep"
After this, the justice Went on to speak of the
many wicked deeds which had been done in
times past and which, for the sake of the friends
of the perpetrators, had been passed over, but
the thing could not be overlooked now The
crime may have been sport to the doers, but poor
honest people suffered heavily. A stop should
be put to it.
i" !" said the Judge, "can only impose a fine of
twenty dollars and think the enorrnitv of
the offence demands q heavier penalty, must
commit you to be tried at the next term of the
Superior Court
Each of them required TO give bail in the
sum of one hundred dollars Nathan Wider be-
came bail for Cooper, and the others found bail
among their friends
That night Nathan went home wiser man
and in his heart he thanked Mr.. Clark for the
| counsel he had given Joseph Cooper went
home WISER too, but he was miserable and un-
happy He now saw what evil company had
done for him, and he wished that he had been
wise before