The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-12-29

himself and would be down NJ inc noon
hour.
For be II known that Jack, besides
being an excellent workman. knew it,
and was often reproved by his friends
for talking shop" on all possible and
Gas Dickens has it) impossible occa-
sions. He had also become 80 enam-
ored of the nonsensical saying, at is a
good mans CASE" that he made no,
the slightest effort to restrain very
strongly formed taste for drink. he
could give the names of all the great
men of the earth who were hard drink
ers, from Alexander the Great to Ed
gar A. Poe, and he was perfectly salts
fled that all his skill rs workman and
his incorporate habits bore Siamesc-
twin relationship to each other.
Such was the chum who undertook
to restore Arthur to his old time light
hcartedness. Beginning by inviting
Arthur to spend an eveningat his home
which invitation had never before
been extended he made use OF the ac-
ceptance Of the offer to have his friend
engaged in conversation by his father,
mother. and sister, Mary-a sweet girl
of seventeen.
BY sklliully combining the talk to the
most cnlivcning topics, Arthur was
made to recover much of his LOST cheer
fitness. and the next day his fellow
workmcn noticed IN agreeable change
in him.
Two or three evenings Il week were
now spent by Arthur with his new
made friends, and hi, checrlulness in
creased from day 10 day, Then Arthur,
who had sold out everything ON his
parents death and gone to boarding
house, changed his quarters and went
to room with Jack. And now that the
two friends were thrown So constantly
into company, for Of course they went
to and returned from work together, il
did not take great while for Arthur'a
melancholy TO entirely disappear. |
venture also to sai that Marys bright
eyes had ~ much TO do with restoring
him 10 his accustomed "aycty, for 1t Is
certain that half = year had barely
elapsed from his first entering the Swift
family until he had received Mary
promise of her hand when he should be
twenty years Of age.
But Mary's parents had not SO rcadl-
~ consented TO make over the welfare
of their only daughter to Arthur's care,
for Arthur Of late had become rs CON
viyial--to put it mildly-as Jack in his
habits; and though he did not lose time
at the workshop as Jack did il was
merely because he was 50 much superb
or in physical strength to him. He
certainly managed to get rid OF hi,
handsome salary with the same rcgu-
larity that he weekly received it. Ii it
had not been that Mary had somewhat
strongly put the blame for her lover
upon her brothers shout
ders, her father would never have con-
scented to part with her 10 Arthur, for
he had little faith in the probability of
his reform after marriage. But Mary S
defence of Arthur had so much force to
it that he had said Take her, my
boy, and God deal by you ~ YOU do By
her
Scyen years have passed. On the
top floor of house in shabby gcntecl
street, we find the Bolton family. Ar
thur has developed into fine looking
man, and Mary into a pretty matron.
Three children have blessed the union
Mary, now aged six, and Arthur and
Jane-tw twins tour years old. Their
house bears evidence of anything but |
plenty. The furniture is of the simplest |
and cheapest kind; the parlor is the !
only room that boasts u carpet. The |
look of love which brightens Marys
face when her husband addresses her
seems to be blended with one of resig-
nation. The children though warmly
enough clad, and apparently well fed,
seemed possessed of a feeling of respon-
sibiity painful to the acute observer in
of their years.
Arthur still works with the Slick
Brothers, and earns his old, excellent
wages. But when he and Mary were
married he had nothing saved. They
began housekeeping on credit, and had
never been able to get out of the rut
into which they had fallen. For. when
Arthur had settled for his morning
dram at the corner. his evening drinks
NJ the Dutchman >, his noontime pint or
so, and the Sunday "nips" that didn't
count. little more than enough to pay
for the bare neccssaries of life remain
I'd; SO there was always groccr's bill,
4 butchers, bakers, and u milkman's
10 be paid.
Now Arthur was not a hard-hcartcd
father or husband by any means, and l
I'M sure if Mary had ever spoken to
him about IT, he would have made an
,ilort to change his habits. But she
never breathed word on the subject
in fact she seemed to consider Arthur
perfection; and were not he and the
children all she had to loyco
For poor Jack had been found drown
I'd Git was supposed he fell from fer
y boat while intoXicatedD, and his faith
n and mother were both under the sod
now some five years.
But things were destined to improve
n the Bolton family, and this is how
/ came about:
1t was Christmas Eve, and Mary and
Arthur were sitting by the fire in the
liichen, The children and neigh
DORIS little girl were in the parlor the
title girl having brought in a doll her
lncle had brought her to show 10 her