Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883, 1882-12-16

to fail him. He became moody and
distracted. By-and-by some one BAN
tered him upon it, and asked him what
was the matter.
He answered.
II was thinking, did Tom tell the
truth when he said / was sober and
thriftyp"
And thereupon they all excleimed:
"Of course he did ! Oh was ever
a man soberer or more thrifty?"
Because pursued the host, pathet.
"ically, shouldn't want q friend to
lie on my account
"Oho! Sensible to tho lastl Fill
up!'
But the host would drink no more.
He bade the others enjoy themselves
as much, and as long as they pleased,
but they must excuse him.
Without him, however. the sport
Jagged, and when they found there was
to be no card-playing they soon dis
persed.
And after they were gone, the young
man sat down alone and thought, and
the word "Sober and thrifty" "Sober
and thriftyl'' rangin his ears, and he
repeated them aloud.
And then he repeated
MAY he be ever as sensible as he is
at this moment!" And then, with a
shifting of his clenched hand upon his
bosom, he exclaimed, tom did not
lie! I will not let him lie"'
On the following day the youth went
to the bank, and was closeted for half
an hour with the manager.
On the morning of the next day a
paragraph appeared in the papers, an
nouncing:
ave are rather panied to announce
that F. B, heyoung man who
was the inheritor of p fortune little
more than two years ago, has lost
every penny. Misfortune has befallen
him; false friends have betrayed him;
so that now his bill for less than a hun
dred pounds has gone to protest
On the next day after this the young
man Eve will call him Fred) went to
Tom Amberly, to whom he had given
hundreds and thousands, and asked
him for the loan of hundred pounds.
"'Pon my honor, Fred, wish I had
1T; but, really"
Theyouth waited to hear no more.
He tried half dozen others, and with
the same result; save that one man.
who had won two thousand pounds
from him at one sitting, offered to give
him five pounds; but he wouldn't lend
him.
Then Fred went to his rooms and
sold off his furniture, and gave them
up; and from that time was lost to
sight for several months.
It was getting towards Christmas
time that society paper came out or
certain morning with paragraph
which, to certain set, was startling
"We are happy to state sad mistake
was made few months since in the
announcement of the entire loss OF Mr.
F. BIS fortune. He had at that
time been very unfortunate, and
through some strange mistake, bill OF
his went to protest; but he is all right
now. The manager of the bank where
his account is kept informs us that he
will honor the young mans check fol
hundred thousand pounds witt
pleasure. All is web that ends well.
Within four-and-twcnty hours o.
that time Fred was in receipt of {
dozen gushing notes, from as many
different individuals, offering him any
help in their power to give, and beg
ging him to remember the old friend
ship.
Only one of them did he answer, ant
that was the note from Tom Amberly
"Do you remember, Tom, that yo,
once offered toast in my rooms il
honor of myself; and you called M
your Sober and thrifty host And
resolved in my heart of hearts from
that moment that you had not lied!'
And when the Christmas bells wer
ringing Fred led the dear girl of hi
old-time love to the altar, and took he
hand in wedlock, promising that tn
night had passed, and that the morn
! ing had dawned upon new and bette
life.
There is but little originality o