Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-06-16
ONLY A HUSK.

Tom Darcy, yet a young man,
had grown to be a very hard one. |
At heart he might have been all
right, if his head and his will had
been right; but these being wrong
the whole machine was going to the
bad very fast, though there were
times when the heart felt sOmething
of its old truthful warnings. Tom
had lost his place as foreman in the
great machine shop, and what
money he now earned come from
odd jobs of tinkering which he was
able to do, here and there, at private
houses for Tom was a genius as
well as a mechanic, and when his
head was steady enough he could
mend a clock, or clean a watch, as
a steam engine-and this latter he
could do better than any other man
ever employed by the Scott Falls
Manufacturing Company.
One day Tom had job to mend
a broken moving machine and
reaper for which he received five
dollars and on the following morn
ing he started out to his old haunt
the village tavern. He knew that
his wife sadly needed the money,
and that his two little children were
absolutely suffering from want of
clothing, and that morning he held
a debate with the better part of HIM
self; but the better part had become
very weak and shaky, and the de-
mon appetite carried the day.
So away to the tavern Tom went,
where, for two or three hours, he
felt the eXhilerating effects of the
alcoholic draught, and fancied him
self happy, as he could sing and
laugh; but, as usual, stupefactiOn
set in and the man died out. He
drank while he could stand, and
then lay down in a corner, where
his companions left him.
1t was late at night, almost mid
night, when the landlords wife
came into the bar-rOOm to see what
kept her husband up and she quickly
saw Tom.
Peter" said she, not in a pleas
ant mood, "why don't you send that
miserable Tom Darcy home? He's
been hanging around here long en-
Ough."
Toms stupefactiOn was not sound
sleep. The dead coma had left his
brain, and the calling of his name
had stung his senses to keen atten-
ton. He had an insane love for
rum, but did not love the landlord.
In other years Peter Tindar and
himself had loved and WOOed the
sweet maiden-Ellen GlOss-and he
won her, leaving Peter to take up
with the Vinegary spinster who had
brought him the tavern, and he
knew that lately the tapsters had
glOated over the misery of the
woman who had once discarded
him.
"Why don't you send him hOme?"
demanded Mrs. Tindar, with an inn
patient stamp of the foot.
"Hush, Betsy! He's got money.
Let him be, and he'll be sure to
spend it before he goes home. I'H
have the kernel of the nut, and his
wife may have the husk."
With a sniff and snap Betsy
turned away, and shortly afterward
Tom Darcy lifted himself on his
elbow.
"Ah, Tom, are you awake ,"
eyes"
"Then rouse up and have warm
glass"
"No, Peter, l won't drink any
more tonight"
at won't hurt you Tom-onIy
glass"
81 know it wOn'tv said Tom, but
tOning up his coat by the only but
ton left. 81 know it WON'T"
And with this he went out into
the chill air of midnight. When he
had got away from the shadow of |
the tavern, he stopped and looked |
up at the stars, and then he looked |
down upon the earth.
AYE" he muttered, grinding his /
heel in the gravel, "Peter Tindar is /.
taking the kernel and poor Ellen |
the worthless husk-a husk more |
than worthless! and | am helping |
to do it. | am rObbing my wife of |
JOY, robbing my children of honor |
and comfort, rObbing myself of love |
and life just that Peter Tindar NAV |
have the kernel and Ellen the husk! |
Wen See!"
1t was Il revelation to the man. |
The taVern-keeper's brief speech, |
meant not for his ears, had come |
the Risen One upon Saul of TartuS. /
Gwen Seen he exclaimed, set |
ting his foot firmly upon the ground; /.
and then he wendell his way home /.
ward.
On the following morning he said |
to his wife:
"Ellen, have you any coffee in the
house,
s'Yes, Tom" She did not tell
him that her sister had given it to
her. She was glad to hear him ask
for coffee instead of the old, old eli
der.
az wish you would make me cup
good and strong"
There was really music in Toms
voice and the wife set about the
work with strange tiutter at her
heart.
Tom drank two cups of the strong,
fraorant coffee, and then went out
with a resolute step, and walked
straight to the great mandatory,
where he found Mr.. Scott in the Of
flee. -,
trade over again. -,
SsFb. Tom what do you mean ~
81 mean that it's Tom Darcy, F.
come hack to the old place, asking
fOrarE for the past, and hoping |
IN So better in the future" 49,
" .Tom ~ cried the manufacturer,
starting forward and grasPlngr ms
hand. fare you in earnest! Is II
really the old Tom? i. and
OPS what is left of him, sir, anu
we will have him whole and strong .