Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-03-01

der uniayOrable circumstances ! hope | an
prejudiced against you; | trust do not ut
tor the exact truth when I say that you ar,
a contemplate man."
Such language" began Jehn--but th'
Winter King roared, "Silencel" and thl
icicle spears pointed toward him with sucl
awful vengeance that he was immediatel,
silenced, and began to shiver
| have looked upon your course with ex
treme regret and dispeasure," resumed th,
Old Year "you have not improved me a
you ought TO have done. You have wasted
my precious moments, and have desired tc
warn you At your present rate Of traye
to pcrdition, you will not have many more
years to waste and insult aud your children
will curse your memory"
John was visibly moved at this allusion to
his children, aud he ycntured to remark al
suppose you refer TO my unfortunate weak.
ness for drinking"
Il do said the Old Year.
"Well, said Jehn, "if you have known
me for almost year, as you say you have.
you must be aware Of the number Of good
resolutions | have made you must know
perfectly well that have made up my mind
dozen times to swear off-that the thing
has got such holt on me that | can't give Il
ups it's no use trying"
"lt's because you're dastardly coward" 4"
roared the Old Year, in a voice OF thunder;
"its because you want to undo tho awful
evil OF a dozen years in moment, without
trouble, without pain. It's because you can't
bear the touch Of the caustic that must
burn away your fault. Miserable coward
Let your poor, suffering wife ill a premature
grave, let your four little girls go to pcrdi-
ton, but don't, o don't you bear the disci-
plinary throe which might make you once
more a man"
There was touch Of awful sarcasm in
the Old Years voice, and the Winter King
was evidently much "worked up"
lie won't bear the necessary pain, won't
he 2" said the latter, "he's averse TO the
cauterizatien, is he ? Well, he shall bear a
little. llo ye Arctic supemumeraries, touch
him with your two hundred and forty zero
poles, and teach him little endurance
At this command the earth opened with
loud cracking sound, and battalion Of
frozen imps jumped forth with wands of
concentrated frigidity, and they danced
around John Thompson, and their cold
breath burned him like hot iron, and they
touched him with their wands, and at every
touch John shrieked with pain, but there
was no such thing as escape.
"Will you promise never TO drink again %
said the ice king. "Will you ?"
al will, so help me Moses !" cried John
Thompson, in agony; and Immediately the
imps dessted and ranged themselves all
around, and John Thompson, looking up,
saw that the hands of the big clock over the
throne of the ice king were upon the figures
of twelve. The next moment the first stroke
struck, and the Old Year trembed and closed
his eyes, while two ice men supported him /;
as the strokes continued, the Old Year was
let gradually down backward, and when the
twelfth had struck, he was completely on
his back, while the rosy youth who was the
new year Qor new years are always born
mature enough to perform their functions),
waved his hand in token of his accession,
and smiled on John. The next moment
there was tremendous crash, and Mr.
Thompson found himself awake and remark
ably sober, while the clock in the city hall
tower (Which was always little behind)
was just striking twelve.
Ihunderl' l' said Mr.. Thompson, Z" what
a time have had !"
Just then he became aware that his fam
lily below were moving about, aud presently
a light on the stairs approached his room ;
the light was carried by his wife, who was
followed by series of little girls, symmet-
rically graded as to hight. In the hands of
the oldest OF them, some nine years old, was
borne triumphantly the turkey which John
had won.
| think, john" said his wife, " the least
you could do when you come home like this
is not to rouse the neighbors. You have
been shouting and screaming the last ten
minutes, as though the iiend had got you"
And the iend will get him, won't he,
mamma p chmed in one of the medium
sized daughters. " Because he's a bad man,
and won't give you any money"
But he's going TO be good papa, now,"
said the eldest, /" he's brought home a turkey
for New Years"
At this Johns glance rested upon the bird
from whose body, in several places, protruded
the straw with which it was stuffed, and
dim recollection of the evenings perform
ance came over him, and he turned over on
his bed and covered his face with his hands
Go away, Mary" he said to his wife.
" Go to bed at once you'll catch your death
of cold Go TO bed, children I'm all fright"
And these having departed, John spent
the rest of the night in making good resolu-
tions, in snatches Of fitful sleep, in thinking
of his previous career, Of his present weak
ness, of his gloomy future, with an occa-
sional prayer, 40 God, if there be a God
help poor wretch like me" to which the
answer seemed to come, with unvarying
monotony, Help yoursclfi suffer, and be
helped"
When morning came, however, John
Thompson was a changed man---changed in
that he recognized something of the difficulty
and hardness of his position-in that his
heart had been touched--in that he was re-
solved to endure something for something to
be gained. He made no observations about
reform TO his wife merely said he would
try and get her some money soon but she
noticed, with queer surprise, that he be-
trayed singular curiosity about household
affairs, seemed anxious about the coal, the
rent, and variety of things which had
troubled John Thompson very little for some
years past He also inquired about the
precise date of her birthday, which struck
her as most singular proceeding. lie
found that this event was about three months
distant Going TO his work that morning,
John soliloquized
"'rhat is where | have always made my
mistake-in not being able to bear, in not
counting the cost of reform, in thinking to
get up without pain, in wanting something
for nothing. Fool that was Now, il IL
tears my yitals out, will conquer"
Notwithstanding the valiant boast, how
ever John went to a physician that day, and
inquired OF him whether there was anything
that would destroy the appetite for drink.
But the sum of this gentleman's remarks
was this "You must cultivate and develop
the will power; IL will grow il you stimu-
late it ; It will in time balance the objection
able tendency, and il you persevere you will
conquer; but it will cost you effort-pain 70
"Just what the Old Year said" thought
John the same old story; well, let the
pangs come-the sharper the betterl'
Oh, when man makes up his mind 10
this, the battle is more than half won.
John resolved TO tell no one, as yet, Of his
new resolution, but on his wife's next birth.
day, in three months time, if he had kept
the faith, he would tell her, aud great would
be her joy. In the meantime he would so
arrange appearances that she should not
more than suspect and hope that new and
brighter days had come.
We will not bore the reader with the de-
tails of Mr. John Thompson's struggle-his
solitary struggle, his bitter struggle-for
him il was silent, bloody sweat Having
started with the idea that the job he was
about 10 do would be costly, he was not dis
appointed. For two whole nights he slept
not wink, and only by brief snatches for a
week his nerves became unstrung he
feared he would drop in a fit his hands
~. l. l.. l.