The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1877-01-25
WAITING FOR THE NEW
YEAR.
BY MARY RUSSELL.

I'll just wait until ;hc New Year!'
Henry Miles ran his fingers through
the crisp rings Of his short, brown hair
and felt much better after striking hi,
balance with his conscience, which had
been making rather an urgent demand
Just then.
All, who arc not entirely hardened
have these occasional calls Of conscience
but few possess sufficient strength o
character to meet its demands prompt,
and squarely; they are Just Off with /
promrso to ay at ZONE apparently more
convenient season, ~ in the case of thi.
gay young Harry Miles.
Lets sce." he continued. with q
thoughtful whistle, august, January
Eve months. / can finish my wild oatl
in that time, and then for reform IL
long face and the steady snail.trot of a
proper life, AS the old folks dub it.
Every letter from home is full of warn.
ings and cautions against tina: BROAD
road but the simple, old fogics don't
know how broad and Jolly the road really
is, nor how long Eve been travelling
therein. My pretty Maud, with only
her eighteen years, IL wiser than they,
and has guessed somewhat of my course,
how swcctly she pleads in this letter for
her Harry to he his own noble SELF and
turn mar into the upland of safety.
There is always danger in delay" she
adds ominOusly.
Heigho but | can't do il now I
must have time to screw up my courage.
and then the New Year is a fine time TO
begin anew, AZ ii were-turn down the
bIotted page and begin ON a clean one 1"
The young man arose and proceeded
TO put his hat on before the little mirror
IN his lodging. room settling il to his
satisfaction with a jaunty tip, he drew
on his gloves and then saun,crcd down
the street to join hi4 gay companions,
and spend half the hiyht in pleasure.
seeking and carousing.
lie was not natu rally bad, this Young
clerk in the counting house of Brsddock
" Co. on the contrary, his inclination,
we're rather toward goodness; but he
wa. OF q plcasuro.loving, volatile nature
as his kinky, yclIow-brown hair ant
bright blue eyes fully atteat,d.
Fol the first year in che city, he con
Quoted himself with stoadinrss and cor
rectness, after his simple, homc-brcd way.
n quite succeeded in gaining the conf
dence and respecto OF his employers. After
ward IA he became more intimate withoth
cryourg mcnand clerksoit bred and no
a few of them decidedly fast, he gradual
ly found himpclf straying into forbidden
paths; and being more innocent in thu
ways and penalties % sin than those, h,
often failed TO exercise even their iulr
nent and caution in the PURSUIT Of ii,
pleasures. II was "oeucedly dull" NJ h,
termed it, in his cheap lodgings of ar
evening,a and after the steady tread mill o.
the counting house all day "a fellow
needed something stirring"
~Evervwherc he was n iavori,e; "a iol
ly good fellow" they called him, sum,
tempered and handsome, and liberal TO 4
fauls. The very kind that 60 80 quickly
TO the bad
Even this careless youth had, al
length, began to realize how slipper,
was the ground under his feat. Hi
aroused conscience, strengthened by I
pleading letter from his sweet heart, hat
given him a day Of gloomy abstraction
quite rare to his sanguine temperament
IN just wait until the New Year
that had been the final compromise, AM
ne kept on in the old way, light an,
buoyant, and, sadly true, more wild ant
reckless than before. at must be-
short run, so I'll see to it that it is a mer
ry one" he said gayly.
some iour months after this one of hi
employers took him aside and said will
decision:
Young man, you must put on tn,
brakes or we shall discharge you. Fo
tne h'st year and Il halt we have no com
plants, but lately your work il not II,
TO the mark. Besides it is against on
rue 70 ."ep a disgipatcd clerk in on
mered:
iou are quite right, sir; but I an
going to do better 1 am going to leay
all my bad habits behind with the oil,
year. Indeed, sir, am"
Humph," growled the old man, al
New Years reform I've heard of sucl
things before but, young sir, what vii
suit your case is to begin N0wI".
There seemed to BE- a clap of thundeI
IN that last word, and il rang in Henry
brain all day with n deafening sensation
That evening he determined not to &c
out; 80 he sat alone in his cherries;
ipuginS'room with his elbows resting OIL
the rough deal stand, his head in biz
nanus, ana ms thoughts plunged in the
depths OF gloom. By.and-by, he wa.
aroused hv a hearty slap on the sbouldar
and 9 v%ell.known voice in his ear:
why, Hal, old boy, what are vo,
mourning here for? Come, we've basn
waiting 'or you. It's time for the Van.
ity but frat wen drop in at the cor
ner anu take something to drive dull
car away. You look decidedly blue"
Harry hesitated. He had firmly in
tended to refuse (; but then il would b.
intolerable 70 spend the long W ntei
sytnlng in that dull cherries room
with himself; that IL, his conscience
No; he must get rid of himself, he
thought. and hurrying on his overcoat,
wa in readiness TO accompany his friend
where in gay scenes and sparkling lipuol
he slicce'ded in getting rid of himself
most effectually.
II was In December then, only a few