The Red Cloud chief., 1880-10-21

vaguely wondering now ms ofoNhcf.
with his refined tastes. could endure
such disgusting associations. when sud
denly there seemed to be n luli in the
noise. and two mems VOICES rose loud
and furious. One l instantly recognized
As Estabrook's.
81 ran To the window Or was q
ground foor) and looked In. Near the
window was a table, and q, IL were
seated two ruffilnly looking men with
Charles and Esiabrook. They all had
cards IN their hands. and IL only need.
ed one glance at NV brother infiamed
face. and eyes flashing with drunken
rage. to make my heart sink with shame
and grief. A revolver lay on the table
before one OF the men.
lies a cheat. a thief cried Esta-
brook, trying to rise on his unsteady
legs. Il say, Charles with a terrible
oath. that scoundrel drew the card
from his sleeve. | saw him Lets 60
into EN-
You scoundrelsr erie ms brother,
grasping the man nearest him by the
shoulder. II was the man before whom
the pistol lay. He stretched out ms
hand TO seize il. but Cbarles had caught
il before him. / sprang through tie
low window, but Ormond by that tine
bad reached the struggling men. saw
him throw himself upon Charles. and
then almost instantly head the Hash
and report Of the pistol. The crowd
fell back with exclamationsof horror.
lies shot him. He's shot his best
friend / heard somebody say, as blind
with terror, | stroy to maze my way
amongst the surging crowd Who was
shot? What words "a paint my feel
ings, Was nv brother killed?
Then | heard a faint voice say,
1T was an accident. He never meant
il. The pistol went Of. | know,
Charles. yoG did not see me-
Those were his last words. Yes.
there Law noble Will Ormond, and my
brother knecljng over him, very white
now, and with a look Of horror in his
ewes which never quite left them until
I closed the lids over them q lew short
months a~fterward.
.'He never spoke one wOri in de-
Tense or extenuation of his act. IL was
easily proved that the pistol went oil IN
the struggle, as Ormond triedto wrest
it from my brothers hand. Crazed
with drink, he did not even know who
was irving to take it from him. nor
how the trigger was pulled. But from
that hour he held himself the guiltiest
wretch on earth.
"A stronger and more stubborn ma
ture would have resisted and con-
quered the despairing consequences of
this dreadful accident. But ny poor
brother drifted as INTERESTINGLY n this
sea of misery IS he had done On a sea
of pleasure. Drink numbed the pain
of remorse, So he fled TO it for relief.
He did not drink among boon COM
panions. nor was he ever excited in the
slightest degree by the liquor. He
poured IL down to stupefy himself
when he was alone, and grew more and
more silent after every glass.
IL demonstrated with him. showed
him how our poor stern old father $
heart was almost broken by this uic
dial course of the son of whose bril-
liant career he had such hopes. I'M
plored him not to let a woful accldent,
for an accident it was, destroy all pow
er of will.
81 never had any, he answered.
with a pitiful smile, 'or, at least. il l
had, il was feeble, and il is too lte to
strengthen it. You can't turn a reed
all at once into an oak, a YOU? ! try
to spare my fathers pride, for if | am 4
drunkard. no one sees it but you and
these four walls. It's easier for m to
drift in this numbed state out OF life
than TO face the world again with this
weight on my heart always, You know
/ always do what is easiest
THE end was not long coming. His
sensitive frame soon gave way TO the
cruel poison. But his mind. unObscured
by liquor, was clearer a few hours ne
fore his death than it had been since
that fatal night.
Its nearly over, Harry he sad.
feebly, and I've been all wrong, all
wrong. I've drifted to the end I've
been craving, but what lies beyond?
Well. it's too late now to worry. Per-
haps God may have mercy on the crea-
ture He made so weak, and who made
himself so selfish and wicked So then
he closed his eyes, and IN a little hour
drifted from time to eternity.
..Do You wonder, Max. why l was 50
shocked at your thoughtless words? Of
late / have seen i'm you some OF your
uncle's traits; not his brilliant Sc
MUS, but his susceptibility TO al
outward impressions, and his easy
Incidence in surrendering himself 70
them. Nothing else would have induced
ne 10 open the old wound by telling his
story. and by laying bare his faults be-
fore you. l loved him so dearly. have
mourned him so faithfully, that after
all these years l cannot hear that word
drifting without seeing him before me
in all his wonderful beauty. Sitting as
YOU do now in the sunset, and them
but let the curtain be drawn over that
picture forever."-M. b. Williams, IN
Youths Companion.
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