Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-09-04
Select Story.
TIE two PATHS.


Come George. Just drop at parting
Heaven only knows when We may meet
again. You are to settle among the hills
OF Berk shire in the West. and amid the
wales of Middlesex in the East. Just a
glass to our success" t.."
mo, Malcolm, if would accept true
pledge of success | must not seek it in the
wine cup | hold the cup as a signal OF
failure
They were young men, both of them
Just admitted to the bar, and ready to
enter upon the practice of their profes
sion.
And this bright crisp autumnal after
noon George and Malcolm werc'to sepa
rate They had selected their fields of
labor, and were prepared to enter upon
their work.
Pooh = cried Malcolm in response to
his friends last remark, there's promise
in bright wine of one knows how to use
it. Come and take parting glass with
me.
No. Naico!rn. you must not ask me.
Were to take the cup to my lips |
should fear it might prove a viper taken
to my BOSOM"
80 you moan 10 say that you are go
ing to be tectotaler"
Upon that course am resolved, and
let the future decide between us >
And shortly after this they parted.
Malcolm Carliu removed to MiddleseS
county. where he soon gained for him-ei
a host of friends and extensive practice
His intellect was brilliant his wit wa:
ready and caustic his humor was rich
and exuberant. and hi flow of language
was from fount of thought and imagery
that never failed. His path seemed i
pleasant one indeed. Only FLOWERS o
fairest cnlors and exquisite fragrance
hedged it, while sweet music kept time
to the dropping of the gli'toring sands ii
the glass. 1t was the path he had
chosen from the first. Its goal was the
highest possible plane of the social life
and presiding genius was the spirit of ,h'
wine cup.
He reached the goal ere he knew it
All the joys of life he had chosen had
been tasted ere he reached his prime. A
brief space. and the flowers began t.
whittier. the thorns protruded, bare ant
sharp the sweet music grew fainter al
discordant notes crept in to mar ane
break the harmony; and the sands of The
glass--dropping. dropping. dropping
had lost their glitter and now fell darkly
and solemnly into the black flowing tide
of time that was lost.
George Nixon Briggs established him
self in Berkshire, and pursued his way III
the path he had chosen. All that hs
was he owed to his own endeavors; ant
all that he could hope for in the future
must come through the same chanuel
At the age of thirteen he had been ap'
preniiced to a halter at White Creek
New York, where he remained two years
At the age of fifteen his brother hat
taken him from the hatter's shop ant
sent him to an academy. In one yea
thereafter his brother had died, from
which time he had been left to steer hi
own bark aud study his own chart.
True to the loftier instincts of his ma
ture, he had selected the path of hono
aud moral duty, feeling assured that it h
sought first the Kingdom of God and Hi
righteousness all other things would b'
given to him. He was social man
,reemiuently so-ano a more genia
compan,on never blessed the social circle
but he did not prostetute the higher ma
ture to the allurements of the festive
board nor did he allow himself to b
deceived by the falso glitter of the bac
cbana liam tinsel. He lived true to thu
nledge he had taken in his early manhood
the pledge of total abstinence from
intoxicating liquors-and the longer hi
,;ved the more reason he had to bless
God for the choice be had made. ''' 'l
At the age of thirty he wss elected tt
Conyress from the Berkshire district, ant