Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-03-31

"No, not so,' said Sam. you shall not
nay for it, for we will not eat at the expense
Of one who will sneak out of scrape in
this way. We want nothing more TO do
with you unless you will take a glass Of
wine with u.s.
"'Very WELL, said Jack and as he spoke
| could see that his lip quivered, and that
he dared not speak more.
He turned towards the door then, but
before he could reach it Tim Black ran and
caught him, at the same time exclaiming:
"'Nay, old boy, you don't go off SO.
You've commenced, and now you've got TO
stick it out
"This was the signal for us TO commence
again, and once more we tried TO urge Jack
to drink the wine and when we found that
urging would not do, we commenced to
abuse and scoff. We accused him of trying
to step over us on board the ship, aud Of all
other bad things of which we could think.
For awhile the poor fellow seemed inclined
to let his anger get the upper hand; but at
length he Gained himself, and stepping back
TO his chair, he said
/" Shipmates, listen to me for a moment
"Silence gave consent, and in moment
more he resumed:
"' Since matters have come to this pass,
have resolved to tell you what had meant
TO keep locked up in my own bosom
"We had always thought from Jacks
manner that there was something peculiar
connected with his early life, and we were
all attention in moment.
"'My story is short one,' he continued,
and can tell it in very few words. From
the time of my earliest childhood, / never
knew what it was to have happy home
My father was drunkard Once he had
4 L.,al H.. l.,,N
rum ruined all his manhood and made
brute of him. | can remember how cold
aud cheerless was the first winter of my life
to which memory leads my mind. We had
no fire, no food, no clothes, no Joy, no any
thing-nothing but misery and woe My
poor mother used TO clasp me to her bosom
to keep me warm, aud once / remember
when her tears froze on her cheek.
"W When grew older had to go out and
beg for bread. All cold and shivering /
waded through the deep snow, with my
clothes in tatters and my freezing feet almost
bare And | saw other children of my own
age dressed warm and comfortable, and
knew that they were happy, for they laughed
and sang as they bounded along towards
school. Those boys had sober fathers. 1
knew that their fathers were no better than
mine had been once; for my mother had
told me how noble my father could be, if
the accursed demon rum were not in his
way but the fatal power was upon him.
a. Time passed on and | was eight years
old, and those eight years had been years OF
much sorrow and suffering as pray God !
may never again experience. At length, one
cold morning in the dead of winter, my
father was not at home. He had not been
home through the night. My mother sent
| 10 10 / | m
| had gone half the way when | saw some
thing in the snow by the side of the road.
stopped, and shudder ran through me, for
it looked like human form. | went up to
it, and turned the head over and brushed
the snow from the face. 1t was my father,
and he was stiff and cold / laid my hand
upon his pale brow, and it was like solid
marble He was dead =
"'I went to the tavern and told the peo-
pie there what | had found, and the land
lord sent two of his men to carry the frozen
body of my father home o shipmates, |
cannot tell you how my poor mother wept
aud groaned She sank down upon her
knees and casped that icy corpse to her
beating bosom, as though she would have
given it life from the ws-nth of her own
breast. She loved her husband through all
, his errors, and her love was all-powerful
now. The two men went away and left the
dead body still on the floor. My mother
, whispered to me to come and kneel by her
| side. | did So My child she said to me,
aud the big tears were yet rolling down
) her cheeks, you know what has caused all
1 this. This man was once as noble and
5 happy and true as man can be-but oh, see
r how he has been stricken down Promise
t me. my child oh, promise me here, before
S God and your dead father and your broken
e hearted mother, that you will never touch {
!, single drop of the fatal poison that ha
q wrought for us all this misery
a $50 shipmates, | did promise, then anc
! there, all my mother asked, and God know
4 that to this moment that promise has neve
e been broken. My father was buried, anC
t some good kind neighbors helped us through
T. the winter. When the next spring came
e could work, aud earned something for m.
/ mother. At length found a chance to ship
and did so, and every time | go home
r have some money for my mother. Not 10
}. the wealth of the whole world would breal
}, the pledge gave my mother and my Coz
5 on that dark cold morning. And even ha
t made no such pledge, | would not toucl
o the fatal cup for know that | have fond
e doting mother that would be made miserabl
e by my dishonor, and would rather die tina
e to bring more sorrow upon her head. Pei
l. haps you have no mothers and if you hav
it perhaps they do not look to you for support
d for | know YOU too well to believe tina
e either of you would ever bring down 10y
h ing mothers gray hairs in sorrow to tn
k grave. That is all, shipmates. Let me &C
It now, and you may enjoy yourselves alone
s for do not believe that you will again urg
e the wine-cup upon me-
h GAS Jack thus spoke, he turned toward
d the door, but Tim Black stopped him.
1- "' Hold on, jack cried Tim, wiping hi
If eyes and starting from his chair. Yo
l. sha'n't go alone. | have got mother, an
d | love her as well as you love yours, an
your mother shall not be happier than mine
al for, by the love | bear her, | here pledg
s. myself that she shall never have a drunke
le son. | will drink no more'
lie "Give us your hand, Tim,' cried Sal
Pratt. I'm go with you
k, al waited no more, but quickly startin
,e from my chair | Joined the other two, an
ere long the whole of us had joined wit
As Jack Small in his noble life-plan. We calle
lie for pen, lux and paper, and made Jac
draw up pledge. He signed it first an
e. we followed him, and when the deed wa
10 done know we were far happier than "
or had been for years. The wine upon the tab
was not touched, aud the liquor we ha
Of drank during the forenoon was now all gor
le in its effects.
"Towards evening we returned to ii
III ship, There was frown upon the captain
re brow as we came over the side, for he ha
Of never known us TO come off from a day
liberty sober. But when we all came ovt
ID the side aud reported ourselves to him, h
,e countenance changed. He could hard
er give credit to the evidence of his own sense
OF So Look here, boys he said, after he ha
examined us thoroughly, what does tn
th mean 2
y, "Show him the paper whispered l.
ut "Jack had our pledge, and without speal
m ing he handed it TO the captain. lie took
9. and read it, and his face changed its 9,
W preston several times. At length | saw
ut tear start TO his eye.
Boys he said, as he folded up the p
.d per, let me keep this, and if you stick
ut your noble resolution you will never want
q friend while | live
ne awe let the captain keep the paper, an
when he had put it in his pocket he can
If and took us each in turn by the hand. Il
IS, was much affected, and knew that the ci
cumstances made him happy. From thi
k, day our prospects frightened Jack Sma
to no more had our envy for he took hold an
,u taught us in navigation, and we were prou
L. OF him. On the next voyage we all rated 1