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

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0 casIon. although ! comiorled mysel
/, somewhat with the reflection that no
! a penny had ever spent for anything
, OF the kind, and that, after all, IA
mothers particular injunction Poor
foolish boy that ] was, thus weakly Il
argue,
But tho subtle habit was beglnninl
to get a stronger and stronger hol(
T upon me, Several times had beer
assisted home from saloons, and more
than once from q private house and
as yet, from the very first drink that
had ever taken at the mates expense
| had always been "ircated" by some
ono else.
At last, one night, there was quite
q company OF rs assembled IN O
brightly lighted, richly sildcd saloon,
which Franklin Harris, one OF my
special chums, had just started, great
ly 10 the distress OF his good pious
mother. when suddenly thc boys"
turned on INC aud demanded drink,
"Comc," said one. "wcve all stood
treat scores Of times its your turn
now don't DO mean, IIal, invite us TO
smile for once, can't youi'
II all flashed over me IN n moment,
my mothers petition; the fact that /
had mcanly evaded ever paying for
tho drinks, yet always accepting them
at the expense Of my companions
whenever offered. How could | ad-
code to their prcposal-and yet that
taunt OF being called "mean," cspec.
tally when my course justified it; no,
couldn't stand that.
Just then | remembered having
rolled up and placed away my money
before gcing out for tho evening.
"Well, hold on n moment" | said,
and trying hard to quiet my struggling
conscience, ran to my room n few
blocks of, and hastily snatching my
roll of bills from the drawer, re-locked
it, and hurried back to Harris saloon.
'Now for it,: | said upon re.enter-
ing, stake all you want; see, here is
ample pay for all you can hold un-
wrapping my lrol OF bank bills. The
next moment | recoiled as if bitten by
serpent indeed.
"God in IIeaven!' exclaimed,
"what is thisw for, like living thing,
soft coil OF bright brown hair swift
" uncurled itself along the palm of
my hand.
While l stood aghast, gazing as if
in terror at the mute power held in
my hand, heard Frank Harris say
under his breath, not unkindly, by
any means:
"Ha! soma young girls hair, who
has gone, I suspect !"
"And we all OF us have something
of the kind, III warrant gently ad-
ded Fred Reynolds, whose sweet,
young sister, had died about a year
before; "Come, Hal, put it up, boy,
we won't drink tonight"
"No! not tonight or any other
night at n.y expense,"I thundered
out, for to control my voice at all |
had to raise it powerfully at first, then
in softer key added: "Boys, that
is my mothers hair. she's gone, you
know. dead?" and then l preached
them temperance sermon. hardly
know what said, IN fact never quite
knew, but we all went home sober
enough that night, and about a week
after Frank Harris called to see me,
and said greatly to his mothers de.
light he had given up the saloon. and
was going into an entirely different
business. And CHANGING to meet
Fred Reynolds the next evening, we
went in company and signed the Tenn
pcrance Pledge. Sand by the bless
ing OF Almighty Cod reverently ad-
ded the merchant, 81 have solemnly
kept that pledge. Peace and prosper
ity have attended me; my old habit
of taking care of money hot hoard
ing all by any means-ioined with
strictly temperate habits, have gradu-
ally broughr me the comfort l so cov-
eted as boy, and | have never ceased
to thank God, that instead of grasp.
ing my roll of bills, that otherwise
fatal night, took IN their place that
shining curl Of golden brown hair.
Yes l always want it where my eyes
can rest upon il at any moment. DO
YOU wonder at it," he concluded with
o smile.
An old Presbyterian elder went to
sleep in his pew last Sunday night,
and dreamed that he died, and went