The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-03-22

know what be hsv seen nor done"
That's the dinctum I" cried the red
bearded man, in delighted approval.
Then singing in his high quavering
'Tvixt me an vou really think
Itb almost time ter take drink
he broke into . wild hiccoughing laugh,
inexpressibly odious to the boy.
In the preparations for departure all
the lights had been extinguished, except
. single lantern, and multitude of shad-
ows had come thronging from the deeper
reccsses of the cave. In the faint glim-
mer the figures of the men loomed up, in
distinct, gigantic, distorted. They hardly
seemed men at all to Dick; rather some
evil underground creature, neither beast
nor human.
And he was to be made as besotted, as
loathsome, even more helpless than they,
in order that his senses might be sapped
away, and he should remember no story
to tell. Perhaps if be had not had before
him 80 vivid an illustration of the malign
power that swayed them, he might not
have experienced so strong an aversion to
it. Now, to be made like them, seemed
q high price to pay for his life. And
there was his promise to his mother! As
the long, lank, lazy-looking mountaineer
pressed the whiskey upon him, he threw
it off with gesture 80 unexpected and
vehement that the cracked jug fell to the
floor and was shivered to fragments
Dick lifted an appealing face to the
man who seized him with strong grip.
"I can't WON'T" the boy cried
wildly. "I-I-promised my mother! -
He looked around the circle deprecat-
ingly. He expected first a guffaw and
then blow, and he dreaded the ridicule
more than the pain.
But there were neither blows nor ridi-
Guile. They all gazed at him, astounded.
Then a change, which Dick hardly COM
pretended, fitted across the face of the
man who had grasped him. He turned
away abruptly, with bitter laugh that
startled all the echoes.
"AI promised my mother, toop' he
cried. "1t air good that she's whar she
can't know how hev KEEP it,
And then there was q sudden silence.
It seemed to Dick, strangely enough, like
the sudden silence that comes after
prayer. He was reminded, as one of the
men rose at length, and the keg on which
he had been sitting creaked with the mo-
tion, of the creaking benches in the little
mountain church when the congregation
started from their knees. And had some
feeble, groping sinners prayer filed the
silence and the moral darkness!
The executive committee promptly
recovered himself. But he made no fur
ther attempt to force the whisky upon the
boy. Under some whispered instruc-
tions which he gave the others, Dick was
half led, half dragged through immensely
long black halls of the cave, while one of
the men went before carrying the feeble
lantern. When the first glimmer of day
light appeared in the distance, he under
stood that the cave had an outlet other
than the one by which he had entered,
and evidently miles distant from it. Thus
it was that the distillers were well en-
abled to battle the law that sought them.
They stopped here and blindfolded
the boy. How far and where they drag
ged him through the snowy mountain
wilderness outside, Dick never knew. He
was exhausted, when at length they al
lowed him to pause. AS he heard their
steps dying away in the distance, he tore
the bandage from his eyes, and found
that they had left him in the midst of a
wagon road to make his way to Birk's
Mill as best he might. When he reached
it the wintry sun was low in the western
sky, and the very bones of the "pea
fowel!" were picked.
On the whole, it seemed sorry Christ
mas day, as Dick could not know then
indeed, he never knew-what good re-
suits it brought forth. For among those
who took the benefit of the clemency ex-
tended by the government to the moon
sinners " of this region, on condition that
they discontinue illicit distilling for the
future, was certain long, lank, lazy-look-
ing mountaineer who suddenly became
sober and law-abiding citizen. He had
been reminded, this Christmas day, of
broken promise to dead mother
Youths Companion.