The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-12-04

uohui, W bptuu just rs tuty piths-
ed,n were planning how they would
spend the money. Little Maggie.
who had been promised new doll,
with real hair, was arranging the
scraps of calico out of which she de-
signed making the dollie's new
dresses.
"Mother, what do you wan,a7 said
the husband. al eau get along with
my old clothes, John; but you have
to be out in the cold SO much you
had better get you pair of good
high boots, some warm stuff for me
to make you pair of trousers and a
coat. Frank will need some shoes
and pair of trousers; Tommie wants
a coat; can make him some trousers
out of your old ones. Get some
dark calico for dress for baby and
some flannel to make Kim petticoat
Maggie needs some shoes aud dress
and some aprons, and you had better
get a dollars worth of quinine."
ayes; then I'll get a barrel offlour,
five gallons of molssses, So worth of
sugar, and the same in coffee; that
will take about all the money get
for the bale of cotton-so you will
not get thing, Bette"
81 don't need anything, John
eau turn my last years dress; and be-
sides, the weather will not be cold
and I'll not go out much" And she
kissed her sleeping babe, while a tear
trickled down her face. In her nm
seltishness she had arranged to pro-
vide for all the family except herself
She did not tell her husband that her
shoes were worn through the sole,
aud that The dress she proposed to
turn had been turned before.
Next morning John and his two
little boys were seated on the bale of
cotton aud on their way TO town by
daylight. Papa was in fine humor,
n d the little boys were in high glee
in anticipation of the good time they
were 10 have and the nice things
they were to buy with their dollar.
About noon the wagon drove up to
the warehouse, where the cotton was
sold; the team was uuhitched aud fed,
things" while papa" went TO the
bank to get the check cashed. The
check was paid, and John put the
money in his pocket, and bad started
back to his wagon, when he met a
friend ~ who said: John, let's go
and get q drink" After they had
drunk at the friends expense, John
ordered "the drinks; then another
friend came IN and they drank again,
and again. BY this time John was
pretty drunk. He sat down by the
stove to sober up before he went back
to where he left his little boys, prepa-
ratory to making his purchases. But
the effects of the warm fire soon put
ting him TO sleep, he forgot his hard
summers work; he forgot his tired
wife at home; he forgot his two little
boys, shivering in the cold; he forgot
his manhood, as he sat for hours in a
drunken stupor. When he awoke, 1t
was night. He staggered up and out
into the darkness-when he remem-
bered his money. Putting his hand
into his pocket he found it was gonel
Half dazed with drink and a sense of
his loss, he went to his wagon. The
mules were "asleep on their teet;;"
the two little boys had wrapped
themselves in an old quilt and were
asleep under the wagon.
john hitched up the mules, awoke
the boys and told them to get in;
then he started homeward. The little
ones knew by the wicked oaths their
father swore at the hungry mules,
that he was drunk. So they nestled
together and during the long, weary
ride home they never once said:
"Father, where is our dollar1 Where
are the nice things for mother and
the baby and little sisterr
But we will not follow them into
the house. We do not want to see
their little faces by the light of the
lamp burning so brightly within. We
do not care to see the tears of disap-
pointment when little Maggie finds
that papa has not brought her doll
"Tears are unmanly" and we fear
they would come unbidden to our
eyes If we entered that house and
looked upon the face of the wife and
mother when she met the man who
had promised TO love and protect
her. Her look Of despair would at
feet us even more than the tears OF
the little babes whom God has given
them.