Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-02-16
"a Good Fellow"

Everybody in Leybridge knows and likes
" win Ashton, as he is familiarly called,
Nobody ever thought Of calling lin vii.
liam, but no one was ever known to address
him as Bill"
"Will has his faults" we admit, with
some little pride in cur candcr, "but then
he has the best heart in the world" after
which qualification we Of the church add
with serious look, "and If he would only
give his attention to religious topics, what a
help he would be TO the church."
We pray for him, rather spasmodically, |
fear, and the next morning, when, perhaps,
we meet him, VIII begins some nonsensical
narration concerning the latest "scrape in
which he has been concerned. the particulars
of which he recites with such yivacity and
apparent frankness, that we forget the words
Of advice or gentle reproof which we had
intended giving him, and we shake our heads
with an affectation of seriousness, which
our laughing tones belle, as we say, 80,
VIII, what boy you are !"
OF course the fair sex make much Of VIII,
the more especially that he is fine-looking-
perfectly splendid" the schoolgirls say.
1t is an indsputable fact that, exactly in
proportion as one Of these good fellows
is good-looking, are his faults diminished
among the generality of womankind
whereby a fine physique and dropping nous
tache hide a multitude of sins, which red
hair, freckles and an awkward carriage en-
tirey fail to cover.
win had no pronounced bad habits-so
we said. lie did not drink any to speak OF. -
" That is to say" he would remark 10 his
admiring chums, with the engaging frank
ness which somehow seemed of itself to be
= 4 - I
take it, and when don't let it alone eh,
BOYS z"
But only God and his mother know Of the
prayers that she sent up in his behalf, es-
pecially after Charlie Fulton's terrible death.
For Charlie had died in fit Of delrium
tremens Che was Just Wits age to day),
and before the tortured spirit left his body,
in a lucid interval h9 told old Doctor Gra-
ham that his first glass Of liquor was drank
with Will Ashton.
You know, Doctor said Charlie, " that
I wouldn't be seen to drink at Tom Greg
sons bar with the fellows that hang around
there. had too much pride for hat but
when VIII Ashton, whom everybody speaks
well of. offered me some wine in his room
that seemed very different But oh, Doctor,
it reused the cursed appetite which father
left me as an inheritance, and now, Doctor,
where am going ?"
lie died soon after in agonies unutterable,
and his gray-haired mother, who had seen
father and husband laid in drunkard's
tomb, knelt by her boys grave-so it was
sAid-and called on God to bring curses
upon viii Ashton's head, " for he killed my
boy I" she said, in anguish.
But then we all knew that old Mrs. Fulton
was a triAe demented, So we did not say
much in regard TO her accusations, as con-
nected with VIII, and when we learned that
he had offered her some pecuniary assistance,
which she had sternly refused, we said TO
each other What a noble heart he has !"
VIII played cards in a social way, you
| know" and though it was whispered by
some spiteful gossips that money was occa-
sionally lost and won in Wills room, and that
,Jem Green's peculations arose from pecuniary
| obligations incurred in the same manner, the
rumor was regarded as proceeding from
malice; so that when Will told Mr.. Eyeleth
who had gently demonstrated with him on
the subject, that a social game of euchre
was as harmless as checkers or dominoes
both are games Of chance, aren't they, Mr.
Mr.. Eleyeth ?" the young man said, laugh
ingly-we thought there was considerable
truth in his question and self-answer.
Mr. Mccormick found his son Johnnie
who has an intense devotion for his hand
some cousin VIII, playing euchrs with reck
less Sam Flint on the hay-mow, for stake
which, believe, were a dozen Bartlett pears
surrsptitiously obtained from Dea. Hayne'
garden and gave his son a severe trouncinl
therefor, disregarding the boys whimperiu!
plea, "Cousin VIII plays cards, and yoI
don't say it's wicked"
The billiard-table which made the Ley
, bridge House such place of resort for GU
Young men, was first instituted at VIII
suggestion and our public reading-roon
, where they had before been wont to resort
was now comparatively neglected moreover
| it was hinted that Deacon Pennell's oldes
boy and Hiram Rutherford, the minister
r son, were not unfrequenty seen there Of
: rainy evening
t Murray doesn't disapprove of billiar
PLAYING, and he's "A minister VIII Ashto
| said So" muttered Joe Pennell, as his fathe
r sterny catechised him regarding the rumor
Q which had come to the paternal ears. ] fea
, that Master VIII had paraphrased Mr.. Mu
2 rays remark concerning" innocent amus'
e ments to suit his own special views, thong
1 in this respect he is not alone
a Harm in smoking" said win to me on
Z day, with ingenious surprise, as suggeste
/ TO him that Johnnie Mccormick had n
csived a second castigatiOn for nauseatin
" himself with a purloined cigar; "why, Nj
a X, your own favorite Spurgeon says that
G good cigar is something to thank God fsr
!. And | was speechess, mere shame to me.
And so, when Maggie Armstrong SHINE
and covered her shame by leaving Leybridg
4 for life whose end is the blackness Of darl
4 ness, and it was known for q certainty wi
| L. I.t aH I'M 4
s ciety as usual Sowing his wild oats
/, said the matrons. AYES, dear, VIII is a Ii
|. tie fast but all young men must hay
/. their fling, so pa says" whispered the your
n maidens, or many of them, while one aud n
5 united in abuse of the unfortunate girl, an
Is said they always knew that dashing MAJ
e Armstrong would come TO shame.
h A few poor girls rather avoided the your
+ man after this, but the majority OF our lie
h bridge people metaphorically patted win {
q the shoulder and spoke 10 each other abo
e what good-hearted boy Win Ashton was
l. Three years after, by the way was call'
d 10 see dying woman who had been sent
,e the poor-house, mile OF two from lie
al bridge, having apparently come from a dl
If tance
M "Pm Marg Armstrong |" she said, stal
,t ing up in bed with delirious strengt
4 Drunken Marg they call me now. "
il used TO know me, Mr. X, when ! was
,e your Bible class. l'm only twenty-five yea
e. old, and dying, so they say, and II on
n. knew what came after, I'd be glad TO d
e. OH so glad |" she whispered, as she sank e
Is hausted on the rough pallet Of straw.
III Well, | said what | could. God knows
is tried to point the way, but the fever W
wasting her life, and there were only int
walls when her reason asserted itself, but
Is fore she passed away, she whispered 1T
IA win forgive him." but in the next brea
is she cursed him in hsr delirium, with wor
ly whose scathing power made me shrink.
IN | remember OF thinking, as drove slow
homeward, that very good heart In sor