St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-01-07
One Shining Curl.

lldNlDS OcCdSlOl, Il SuOTJ time since,
to call at the house of IA prosperous
merchant of our city, | specially ad-
mired and remarked upon the rare
beauty of small velvet casket, silver
bound, oblong in shape, and occupying
a prominent place on the elegant man
tel of the abundantly furnished library
THAT" said my friend, ''is one of
the few valuables in my possession
which | always take with me to my
chamber at night, and wish to have it
placed where my eye can readily fall on
it, when at home through the day.
will show it to YOU"
So saying he touched spring, and
the lid opened, showing a shining curl
of golden brown hair lying along the
box, while a spiral coil of silver wire
was ingeniousIy arranged so us to keep
the tress in place, without at all con
cealing it.
81 will tell you about it," he said
and this is the story the rich man told
me concerning the lovely easket and its
sacred contents:
You see, was restless boy; insist
ed, as many another had done before,
on leaving school while yet quite
young, and starting out to seek a fort
une. My father died during my infan-
cy, and though loved my gentle moth
er very dearly, and thought her the
prettiest little lady l had ever seen,
yet we were in straitened circumstan-
ces, and imagined that by going to
sea | might he able to earn something,
and so help mother along. | reflect
with some degree of comfort always on
the fact that the chief motive which in
fuenced me then was to secure an easy,
comfortable home for my mother, who
and happiness for fourteen years.
She parted from me reluctantly
enough but, boy-like, left her with
the stout assurance of the wonderful
things | intended to accomplish for her
interest.
Well, not to tire you, will say cir
cumstances entirely beyond my control
so often the case with n sailor-de-
tanned me from home for several years.
During this time | continually re-
ceived letters from my mother, in all of
which she specially warned me against
the use of Intoxicating drinks.
Being II mere boy when | left her,
and never having the slightest tempta-
tion to use anything of the kind, often
wondered why she should say so much
more about this one form of temptation
than any other. The sailors took their
grog very regularly, but t0 me it was
distastetul stuff, so | repeatedly assured
her in my frequent letters home-these
letters so full of boyish hope and ambi-
tinn Sn ful nf hunNancv and
tions of making money, piles of money,
with which sometime to go home and
take care of mother. God pity us all
Well, | shall never forget, we had been
cruising about one bitter cold winter,
and, getting short of coal, we made
port somewhere on the coast of France,
and the captain allowed us to go ashore
with his mates. Soon after reaching
the hotel, hungry, cold and tired, a
waiter entered our room with various
kinds of hot drinks, those enticing
French drinks, you know, so delicious
and seductive to the taste. Hardly
knowing what | did, raised a steaming
glass to my lips, and drained it to the
last drop. Good Lord What demon
took possession of my senses from that
momentP 1t was my first driak, you
see, of good wine. How | reached my
bed that night | never knew the
mate paid the bills at the hotel, and
the next night found us on board the
ship ready for fresh start. But, oh
the shame, remorse and bitter expert
ence of intOxicati0n! This is what
poor mother warned me against, time
and again /; but why WAS she so fearful ;
and why did that first warm glass OF
strong, rich wine madden me so
Could it be that my father-but no,
mother had never told me anything
against him, and, come to think of it,
she had never told me much concerning
father any way. Well, mother should
never know, that was one comfort and
mother never did know.
Six years after leaving my native
land | returned young man twenty
years of age; returned to find an aunt
watching my arrival, in the cottage
where l left my dear little mother
But where was she, that no warm rush
of welcome greeted her long absent
boy? Poor auntie! she tried her best
to break it to me very gently-a long,
choking silence-ah, well, you see it all
she was dead. | was made to under
stand it at last. My aunt arose after a
while, and, leaving the room for Il mo-
ment, soon returned with something in
her hand, relied in soft, white paper
it was this shining curl of golded brown
hair. Then she found voice to tell me
how mother had dropped and died, anC
Just before had herself cut for me thi.
wavy curl, and charged my aunt to de,
liver few last loving words of counse
to the dear boy she should never see
again in this life.
"She said" continued my aunt, "tha
yon were confident of making money
not one penny of which, she beggcC
and prayed. might ever be spent fo
Intoxicating drink of any kind"
Then followed the revelation | hat
momentarily suspected and then smoth
cred respecting my father. | Learned
how my poor mothers young life ha,
been blighted and her health destroyed
from learning too late, alas that sh,
had married man of intemperate hab
its, who soon became miserable
drunkaTd, and died suddenly from tn,
effects of strong drink.
Carefully wrapping the curl in it
wavy folds of white tissue, | placed i
in the secret drawer of an old fashione,
secretary, and securely locked it. SooI
after this, through the influence of
kind hearted captain with whom
sailed-and here let me say he neve
offered me glass of liquor all the thre
years | was with him, or ANYTHING els
iniurious-I obtained an excellent stu
alton in a ship chandler's store where
received steady and increasing pay.
AS | was careful abOnt my none
matters, ! used frequently to make de
posits in the bank, and also kept rol
of bills neatly wrapped away in tn