Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1880-06-23

Of making money, piles OF money
with which sometime TO 60 home an
take care Of mother,-God pity Us all
Well, | shall never forget, we ha'
been cruising about Que bitter col'
winter aud getting short Of coal, ~
made port somewhere on the coast o
France, aud the Captain allowed M
to 90 ashore with his mates, soo'
after reaching the hoiel, hungry, cold
and tired, a waiter entered onr roor
with various kinds OF hot drinks those
enticing French wines, you know, St
delicious aud seductive TO The TASTE,
Hardly knowing what did' ! raised
a sleaming glass to my lips ano
drained II to the last drop Good
Lord What demon took possession
Of my senses from that momehlF II
was my first drink you SEQ OF good
wine. How ! reached my bed lha'
night | never knew Tho mate pa'o
tho bills at the hotel AMI the next
night ionnd us aboard tho snip ready
tor a fresh start l'ut oh ! the shame
rcmorsc. and bitter repentance which
followed this first experience OF intox'
ication This was what poor mother
had warned mo against time and
again but why was she 50 fearful,
and why did that. first warm glass OF
strong, rich wine madden me no I
Could il be that my iather,-but no,
mother had never told me anything
against him, and come to think Of it,
she had never told me much concern
ing father any way. We'll, mother
should never know. that was one com.
fort; and mother never did know, at
least not in this sad world.
Six years latter leaving my native
land. | returned Young man twenty
years of age returned to find an aunt
watching my arrival, in the cottage
where | had left my dear little moth
er. But where was she, that no warm
rush of welcome greeted her long alb
sent boy? Poor auu,ie she tried her
best to break it to me very gently,--a
long choking silencc,--"ah, well, You
see it all, she was dead. l was made
to understand it at last. But | must
hasten on. MY aunt arose after
n while, and leaving the room for a
moment, soon returned with some
thing in her hand, rolled in soft white
paper. 1t was this shining curl OF
golden.brown hair. Then she found
voice to tell me how mother had
dropped and died, and just before 60
ing had herself cut for me this wavy
lock, and had charged my aunt to de-
liver q few last loving words of coun-
sci to the dear boy she should never
see again in this life
"She said" continued my aunt,
"that YOU were very confident OF max
ing money, not one penny of which,
she begged and prayed, might ever be
usedl for intoxicating drink of any
kind"
Then followed the revela, i'm l had
momentarily suspected and then
smotbered respec:ipo nv father. I
,sarned b,w NV noor mothers Young
lite had been bliehted and her health
destroved from i,ayino discovered too
late. aiasl than shsabad married a man
,f ntor, .,or.ts ksE;,s who soon be.
came q miserable d,uukard and died
,,dd,n,, iron, ,bo o4scts of strony
drink
Carefully vranpinp the curl in It's
wavv folds Of white tissue, I placed it
in q secret drawer Of an old fashioned
secretarv and securely locked it in,
soos ofter ,h;s tbrouob tbe influence
of tho k;nd.bearted cantain with
vb,m T had soiled.-apd here let me
son ho ,o,or o@srsd ma q o,ass Of
,;onor all the wears I was with him. or