Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-11-14

A PRACTICAL ADMONlT1ON TO TEMPER
ANCE.
"Shant 60 step further?"
"Only Just little wayne shall soon
be home now, and mothers waiting"
81 don't care. I've made up my
mind that I've walked too far already.
and Pm just going to sit down and rest !;
they must wait, and l shall do as l
choose"
"But father"
"Now don't you talk to me about
butts Charlie, because I won't have it.
7 shall sit down here, and you can go
and tell your mother not to wait-not to
watt" the man repeated, raising his voice
with the stupid anger of intoxication.
Still in spite of threat and refusal, the
child persisted in pleading that his father
should go home but his words only
seemed to strengthen the. mans obsti-
macy, and all the boy could do was to get
his father to turn aside from the high
road into a field close by, where the man
threw himself full length on the grass,
somewhat under the shade of the hedge,
and in few minutes he was sleeping
heavily, whilst the child sat down at
little distance, with strange kind of
unchildish patience on his features, to
wait until his father should wake. Poor
little Charlie be knew too well how
useless any attempt on his part would be
to rouse his father from that sort of
sleep.
Rather more than half an hour had
passed in this dreary waiting, and
Charlie was beginning to find all his
small sources of amusement fail him.
He had watched q large bee that kept
lowering over the convolvulus blossoms
in the hedge, and, wondered if he had
not nearly finished his days work, had
placed n snail out of harms way, and
had been tempted to chase beautiful
painted butterfly that fitted past him ;
| but he began at last to lose his interest
in bees and butterflies, for it was now
tea time, and Charlie was growing ter
ribly hungry. Still he did rot think of
deserting his post. for no one but the
child himself knew how often he had
kept his tipsy father off the country road
when carts or carriages were coming
along, nor how he had managed to guide
| Him in safety over the narrow bridge
that led across the river to their cottage
So Charley sat there quietly, though he
was growing more tired and hungry
every moment, until the sound of q
whistle at little distance attracted his
attention, the sound gradually coming
nearer and sounding more distinct, until
q young man jumped over the estile at the
end of the field and approached the
child. who then knew him to be gen.
tleman he had often met during the last
few weeks, sometimes sketching, some.
times wand ring about with his KNAPP
sack ON his back and his portfolio un-
der his arm. Indeed kind of half ac-
quaintance had sprung up between the
young artist and Charie-one attracted
by the glimpses he had caught of the
pictures contained in the wonderful
portfolio, the Other. by the child's visit
| full glances and his rustic beauty. Busy
with his own thoughts, land Judging from
his happy face they were very pleasant
ones-perhaps dreams of the time when
some wonderful picture of his should
hang on the walls of the academy, and
by SO doing help him on the road to
fame and fortune-Eustace Carroll had
half crossed the field before he noticed
Charlie and his father. Then his quick
eyes told him the meaning of the little
scene; the quiet, weary looking child
| anu tllb Sle6plHp ldUlltl, Will HIS uIlbluJ
clothes and collar and necktie ,lnfastened
and his face turned up to the blue sky
that looked down upon nothing so de
based rs this man, whom God had made
little lower than the angels, and who
by his own vice, had thus degraded him
self.
With the quick instinct Of childhood
Charlie understood the look Of DISCUS
with which the young artist turned tt
him, saying kindly as he did so:
"You are waiting to take your fathe
home, / supposeP"
Eyes, sir" replied the child, while
flush of shame spread over his face.
"Well, think he is likely to lie Their
for hours yet. Can't you leave himP"
mo, sir; he might be run over or fal
into the river if l left him to com
home by himself"
"Oh!'' said Eustace, as he glance,
toward the sleeping man and wendere