The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-11-04

w hny Duu plhco.
s "Dinner time came, aud a most capital
/. dinner we had. We had selected one Of
! the best hotels. The eatables were dis.
. patched with becoming gusto, and then
D the dishes were removed, and at o sign
from mo the wine was brought on.
, "'Ah what have you here 2 asked
, Jack, betraying some uneasiness at the
appearance of the glasses and bottles.
"'Only little new wine. l replied,
as carelessly as l could. Mere juice Of
, the grape
! "'But it's wine, nevertheless, pursued
he.
ait isn't wine, cried Sam Pratt, who
was one Of tho hardest nuts old Neptune
: ever cracked.
r "'No,' chimed in Tim Black, another
, OF about the same stamp. Its only q
: little simple juice. Come on boy, gil up
"The glasses were accordingly filled.
Sam Pratt performing that duty. and he
. took good care that Jacks glass had q
good quantity of sweetened rum in it.
. "'No,' said Jack, as the glass was
moved toward him if you are going to
commence this, l will keep you company
with water while you remain orderly, but
l will not touch wine
"This was spoken very mildly and with
q kind smile, but yet it was spoken firm.
ly, and we could see tha. our plan was
about being knocked in tho head. We
urged him to drink with us-only one
glass, ii no more. We told him how in.
nooent it was, and how happy his social
glass would make us; but we could not
move him.
"'Then let him gov cried Tim, who
had already drank some. In fact, all of
us but Jack had drank more or less dur.
ing the forenoon. Let him 90. We
don 7 want the mean fellow with usr
"'That's it, added Sam. IF he's too
good to drink with his shipmatcs, We
don't want him.
"'Y ou misunderstood me, said Jack in
a tone of pain. Il am not too good to
drink with you, in the sense in which you
would take it. But Il do not wish to
drink at ALL
"'roo stingy-that's ALL, said l, deter.
mined to make him drink if l could.
But he looked at me SO reproachfully as
l said this that l wished | had not spok.
ken as | did.
oil you wish to enjoy your wine. mess.
mates said Small, at the same time ris.
ing from his chair, you can do SO, but
beg you will excuse me. | will pay nv
share OF the expenses of the dinner.
'.'And for your share Of the wine,'
said Tim, for we've ordered it for you
"'No,' returned Jack, Il cannot pay
for any Of the WING
"'Mean ! cried two or three at
breath.
"'No. no.messmates,not mean. | will
pay for the whole of the dinner-for ey.
cry article you and have had in the
house, save the wine
"And as he spoke he rung the bell He
asked the waiter who entered what the
bill was foi the company, without the
wine, and after the amount had been
stated, he took out his purse to pay it,
when Sam Pratt, who was our acknowl-
edged leader, caught his arm.
"'No--not So, said Sam. You shall
not pay for it, for ne will not eat at the
expense of one who will sneak out Of
scrape in this way. We want nothing
more to do with you unless you will take
glass of wine with us.
livery WE'LL said Jack and as he
spoke L could sec that his lip quiyered,
and that he dared not speak more.
"He turned toward the door then, but
before he reached ii Tim Black ran and
caught him, at the same time exclaiming
"'May l be blessed if You go off SO,
any way. You We commenced and now
you've got to stick it out
This was the..sigual for us to commence
again, and once moro we tried to urge
Jack to drink the wine, aud when we
found that urging would not do we com.
menced to abuse and scott We accused
him OF trying to step over US on board
she ship. and Of all other bad things of
which We could think For while the
poor fellow seemed inclined to lot his
anger get the upper hand but at length
he calmed himself and stepping back of
his chair, be said:
'Shipmates. will you listen to me for
a moment?'
"Silence gave consent. and in moment
more he resumed
Since matters have come 10 this pass,
l have resolved to tell you what | had
meant to keep locked up in my bosom.
"We had always thought from jacks
manner, that there was something pecul. |
lar connected with his early life, and we
were all attention in a moment.
my story is but very short onc he
continued, and l can tell it in a very
few words. From the time of my earliest
childhood l never knew what it was to
have happy home. My father was o
drunkard Once he had been a good
man and good husband, but rum ruined
his manhood and made brute of him.
| can remember how cold and cherries
was the first winter of my life to which
my memory leads my mind. We had no
fre-no food-no clothes-no joy-no
nothing; nothing but misery and woe
My poor mother used to clasp me to her
bosom to keep me warm, and once-once
| remember-when her very tears froze
on my cheek Oh! how my mother
prayed to God for her husband and |,
who could but just prattle, learned to
pray, too. And used to see that hus.
band and father return to his home, and
l remembered how my poor mother cried
and trembled.
"'When l grew older l had to 20 cut
and beg for bread. All cold and shiver.
ing l waded through the deep snow, with
my clothes in tatters and my freezing feet
almost bare. And | saw other children
OF my own age dressed warm and COM
Portable, and ! knew they we're happy