The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-09-12
A SISTERS KISS.
rHR VALUE A BROTHER PLACED
UPON 1T.
why n Voting Man Refused n Friends
Invitation TO brink-IIe states Ills Rrn-
Sons and Wins His Friend Over TO the
Temperance Cause.

1
"Now, Tom, what will you have tc
drink"
Nothing more than I have, Roland,
and the speaker raised glass OF water
to his lips as he looked toward the com
panion with whom he was dining at 0
iirst.class hotel.
Nonsense, Tom; surely you will moi
refuse to take friendly glass with me p
"Of anything stronger than this, yes.
"But, Tom, You do not mean me to
understand that You never touch it; that
you have not sufficient self-respect to
touch it as only gentleman should? ?"
ROLAND, have known stronger mel,
than ], with Just MS much sclf-respect,
who have yielded to the tempter and
gone beyond the limits Of the social
glass, but even the knowledge of that
might not have kept me from indulg.
ing
"What was it. then ?"
"a sisters kiss"
"Bah sentimental nonsense Did
she bride you with kiss?'
"No; but listen. 1 have sister just
coming into womanhood - one of the
purest, lovliest women / think God ever
made. / have always had, whether l
deserve it or not, large share of her
warm, young heart, and every evening
when ] enter the house she puts her
arms about my neck and kisses me, with
a glad look Of welcome in her eyes.
! Roland, there are many things 1 prize
in this life, but l would give them all up
rather than that evening kiss. |
thought, as you did once, that / could
take friendly glass and let it go so far
and no farther, and / even had the glass
in my hand to carry it to my lips for the
first time, when the thought Of the kiss
1 would have that evening came into my
mind. Could 1 take 1t il l drank the
wine? Would not the odor of it still
cling TO my breath and poison the kiss
| knew then that must give up one OF
the ether, and the glass was put back,
for / could not give up the other, and
then I registered n solemn vow that, if
could help it, no stain Of that kind
should ever soil my sisters lips. A few
evenings after that we were out together
where the social glass was handel
round. Now, there was no one there
who did not consider himself gentle
man, and who would not, under IN,
circumstances, have kept within bounds
before ladies, and yet saw my siste
shrink from any she had seen touch til,
wine, and when we went home she spok
Of it, and, laying her head on my shoul
der, said, sadly:
"It makes me feel 80 sorry for thei
sisters, Tom
"Then made another vow-that
would never take to the house one VIII
took even q social glass. Perhaps wa
wrong to 60 so far, but I did not thin
of its being so hard. You see you or
one Of my oldest friends, one OF til
noblest and truest fellows know, all
one / am proud Of knowing, and when
heard you were coming here to live
made up my mind that our house shoul
be like home to you"
"Tom," said his companion, soberly
, "you have not gone too iar-no, M
. even in excluding me from your HON,
think / will like you all the better fc
it. / am glad you have .old me whf
You have. II l had had sister"
"Would you have done the same
Then do it now. Stop for the sake {
some other fellows sister. Surely, I'll
| time will come when you will wal
, another's sister for your own"
81 don't know, Tom," was the hesita
ing reply. eff 1 did stop for the SAX
of any other fellows sister, you woul
be that other fellow. What you hay
, said makes me little envious. Suppos
, I were to stop and then grow so yer
, envious-"
"Roland," said his companion, lool
, ing up, ~ must give her up to SON
one, | know, and there is no one
whom l would so willingly give her {
to you."
"Then, Tom, you have my word f
il that / will not touch wine again {
long as / live. Your sisters kiss HI
saved me as well as you-from what
[ God knows.'
Young men, there are other sisters
this world like the one | have told yo
! Of, and such sisters make wives sue
, MS man may be proud of having VOL
For the sake of the one you may me,
who would make your home so brigl
and cheerful you would be glad to g
to it, sure of welcomc-for her sake,
say, stop ere it be too late; bring II
shadow of that kind into her life, but |
strong to resist, that the time may con
when she will put her hand in yours an
tell you you have made her life n vcr
L |. Il L. Il