The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-07-17


the proprietor, authoritively.
Wonderingly, and with difficulty con-
cealing her aversion to her employer,
Annie Obeyed the summons.
"Why don't you ask those men to
drink ?' said he, gruffly.
because it's wicked =" was the posi-
tive answer. "You never stipulated
that 1 should ask men to drink. ]
agreed to sing and dance and play games
and talk nonsense, but fatty refuse to
sell anything, or entiee anybody to buy
anything to make them drunken
"Very well. You may leave. the es-
tablishment if you can't obey orders.'
Amie's heart sank within her. How
could she leave asituation, and the only
attainable one, when the starvation OF
herself and brothers and sisters would
result from her rashness -?
We know, good reader, that it is very
easy for US who are blessed with the
rights of choice in regard to what We
shall do to say that we would die before
we would stoop to this or that, but we
never know how weak we are until the
temptation that caused others to fall has
been meted out to US.
The poor girl looked anxiously into the
face of her employer and burst into tears.
"None o. that, Miss Daisy; none o.
that. You'll obey orders or you'll leave
my service. The least saids soonest
mended. As you're a novice, I'll ex-
cuse you for this once, on condition that
you make those fellows drink. They're
rich, every dog of 'em, and they come
here reg'l lar to have a good time. Must
make 'em pay for it. That's why you're
hired at such extraordinary wages.
Just use them snappin' eyes to the best
advantage and you'll coin cash for the
concern"
Annie was desperate. Taking a tray
from a side board, Oh which were a half
dozen bottles Of the most expensive
wines the house afforded, she ap-
preached the table where the men whom
she had been entertaining were await
ing her return.
Gentlemen ~ said she, and her voice
sounded grating and hard, whereas before
it was strikingly musical, az have some
distilled damnation here that am COM
manded to sell to you. There are snakes
in the bottles, wife-beating in the de-
canters and murder in the goblets.
There are orphans in the wake OF the
serpents' trails, and famine within the
circles Of their orbit. Buy, drink and be
merry, for jails and gibbets and peni-
tentiaries and police courts and aims
houses and brothels lurk in the cup, and
its destinations are wonderful. Buy
and drink, beg of you, for your patron
age is my bounty and your money the
protection of my rum-bereaved charges
from starvation"
'Well said and well acted, my pretty
charmer," said one. "Why don't you
become an actress ?p
ACTRESS, indeed Who could act a
more consummate tragedy than 1 am
acting now?"
The girl looked royalty beautiful in
her simple muslin robe. Her wealth OF
curling hair played over her bust and
and shoulders, and framed her pearl
white, rose-tinted face with a contrast
like unto pearl inlaid in ebony.
"How much a bottle ?" queried one.
"Eight dollars for this, and twelve for
this" holding forth some rare old
brands that might, after all, have been
compounded chiefly OF bad whisky and
poor molasses.
a twenty dollar gold piece was trans
ferred to her palm.
"Have a seat with u.s." said the pur-
chaser.
The eye OF Amie's employer was upon
her. He always looked after the new re-
cruits until circumstances broke them in.
She drew up a chair and sat down
upon its edge. The wine was poured
and four glasses were raised to four
mustached lips, and all were waiting for
her to raise her own sparkling goblet.
"Let me tell your fortune" said she,
suddenly. al can see spirits in the wine"
$50 can ! :" said man with silyered
hair, as he laughed heartily at the inn
agined pun. but tell us what you see."
Daintily the bright girl raised the
goblet and gazed into its ruby depths.
az see a maiden, fair, blue-eyed and
beautiful. Her home is a grand old
msnsion on a sloping lawn. Ivies
climb around great columns of solid
masonry. Roses creep upon fine trellis-
work and the air is laden with the per-
fume of violets. The maiden sits in
pensive mood and gazes abstractedly
over the lawn. \ carriage rolls up the
broad avenue. See! They are helping
an old man to alight. Oh, God, he is
drunk, furiously drunk. The maiden
advances to meet him, but the father
can see that he is her father-fells her
to the ground with a cruel blow. The
eoachman rescues her from bodily peril,
and they disappear within the walls.
The scene changes. 1t is a wedding
festival that greets my senses now. But
the fair bride is not among her own
kindred. Her fathers coaehman leads
her to the altar, and can see that she
has become party to an elopement.
Again the scene shifts, aud l behold
the bride toiling mother, in rude and
unattractive home in the great wilder
ness. The husband whom she chose