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

little by little | yielded at last to the
oft-repeated opportunities and solicita-
tlons To try the dangerous luxury. Ii
is true my conscience troubled me sad
ly on every such occasion, although !
comforted myself somewhat with the
reflection that not Il penny had | ever
spent for anything of the kind, after all
my mothers particular injunction.
Poor, foolish boy that was, thus weakly
to argue!
But the subtle habit was beginning
to get stronger and stronger hold up
on me. Several times | had been as
sisted home from saloons, and more
than once from a private house and as
yet, from the very first drink | had ev-
er taken at the mates expense, | had
always been treated" by some one
else.
AT last, one night, there was quite a
company of us assembled in brightly
lighted, richly gilded saloon, which
Franklin Harris, one of my special
chums, had Just started, greatly to the
distress of his good. pious mother, when
suddenly ''the boys" turned on me and
demanded a drink.
Come" said one, "we've all stood
treat scores of times; it's your turn
now; don't be mean, Hal; invite us to
smile for once, can't you p
1t all flashed over me in a moment
my mothers petition the fact that |
had meanly evaded ever paying for the
drinks, yet always accepted them at
the expense of my companions whenev-
er offered. How could L accede to their
prOposal-and yet that taunt of being
called ''mean" especially when my
course justified it-no, couldn't stand
that.
just then / remembered having roll
ed up and placed away my money be-
fore going out for the evening.
"Well, hold on a moment" | said,
and, trying hard to quiet my struggling
conscience, | ran to my room, few
blocks off, and hastily snatching my
roll of bills from the drawer, relocked
it, and hurried back to Harris saloon.
''Now for it," l said, upon re-entering.
''take all you want; see, here is ample
pay for all you can hold" unwrapping
my roll of bank bills. The next mo-
ment | recoiled as if bitten by serpent
indeed.
"Good heaven !" exclaimed, "what
is this ?" for, like a living thing. a soft
curl of bright brown hair swiftly I'M
curled itself along the palm of my
hand.
While l stood aghast, gazing as if in
terror at the mute power held in my
outstretched hand, heard Frank Har-
ris say, under his breath, not unkindly,
by any means:
ala some young girls hair, who has
gone. | suspect y
"And we all of us have something of
the kind, I'll warrant" gently added
Fred Reynolds, whose sweet young sis
ter had died about a year before.
Come, Hal, pnt it up, boy we won't
drink Tonight
NO. not tonight or at any other
night at my expense" | Numbered out,
for to control my voice at all, | had to
raise it powerfully at first then in a
softer key, added:
Boys, this is my mothers hair; she
is gone, yoH know, dead ~ and then !
preached them temperance sermon.
| hardly know what | said, in fact,
never quite knew; but we all went
home sober enough that night, and
about Il week after Frank Harris called
to see me, and said that, greatly to his
mothers delight, 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
temperance pledge. "And by the bles-
sing of Almighty Cod" reverently ad-
ded the merchant, II have sOlemnly
kept that pledge. Peace and prosperi-
ty have attended me; my old habit of
taking care of money-not boarding
all by any means-joined with strictly
temperance habits, have gradually
! brought me the comfort / so coveted as
a boy, and have never ceased to thank
God that instead of grasping my roll of
bills, that otherwise fatal night, took
in their place that shining curl of
golden-brown hair. Yes! | always
want it where my eyes can rest upon it
at any moment. Do you wonder at it p
he concluded with smile.-FdiH IrU-
ina IN Golden Rule.