The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-18
FIREMAN JEl.

roathcr ii j.. 90 De surel WIN you bcso rood
D. 90 close tho door and take a clairl You
re can't get up 20 reach y0I ono: and
maybe youll take OIL your coat anl pat it 20
the fir % dry. I'm sorry there's no one 70
dry if for yoa, nut I'm an alone today. Boz
.e and thc little ones are gone out Tor tho
gay. which happens unluckiiv for they very
seldom al leave me 40 once One Of ths
children generally stays with mc, and very
good they all are 10 me. bat that's then
mothers doing. Bessie Is always telling them
they must help her 20 take care OF Uncle
Dick however hard times may be and
Jen has IA smart little family 60 SEQ after
they never let mo want for anything. Many
a time havo ! known Jem stint himself 70
get mo a book or something or other be
thought might interest me, and whom tell
him be spolis nc be- says lis no more than be
ought 10 do.
No. sir. / haven't been ablo 20 stand for
many o long day. almost nino years, and !
got Lurt il an accident-loa.tways, u wasn't
an accident exactly. 1t was "a bad business
for nae. but. alter al, 10 was O good thing for
some of as. ao mustn't complain. though IL
did seem hard at first. rs it wasn't any fault
81 mine. Perhaps you would like 70 hear
about Sc. o. pass away tho Tins till this storm
S. over.
Dear me- 70 seems as though st were only
Yesterday that + used t. drive between THIS
and london. and how fond / was Of my ca
zinc. o. DO sure. had no home or any one
belonging ~ nae except my haif sister Be
size. WHO was q good many years younger.
and out iu service, Sd / gave an nay heart to
my work, aul nay engine was quite like a
friend 90 me-. There was not such another
On The line ] declared. knew every crank
and valve of the Old thing and could almost
believe 10 Wasa live creature and knew me,
sd No. did t answer o. LILY touch. anu go at
tine exact pace / chose. How l enjoyed rush
n- sl0n- with the wind whlstlng around
me, AMI tho fields seeming TO hy past us
Wei Welf ! shall never DO 1t again
bat. aitl alb. it was the saving Of Jem. aud,
/ IT. lost my engine. gained d great deal OF
love. and that's much better.
hal been driving for some years when
Jcm was put on o. my engine as fireman.
which to ten thetruth. / was rather s0rTyfOI.
N0t that Do and / were not good friends, for
sac bad known each other all our lives, and
Jem wanted 90 be more tuan friends, for he'd
ii hankariH- after Bessie. Sho lad - liking
for lim. toe. and perhapsl It was $40 wonder,
ior Be was just the lad for any girl 90 fancy
tall and good looking, full Of fun, and as
good natmcd and kind hearted q fellow al
tho bottom as need De.
III fact. but for one thing ! should have
been willing enough for him to have married
Bessie. bat that one thing was just the thing
that brings certain ruin on SD many. just the
ono thing that makes q homo miserable and
poverty stricken; that makes o wiio-ahl 10
one bat tne poor woman herself knows what
il makes @ wife. As heard a poor creature
say one night as she was trying 70 get alol-
the man She bad tho misfortune 10 call ha5
band. God Almighty help the poor woman
that marrias q drunkard, for Do ono olso
AN
Bat 1 was thankful to see that. though sno
made no secret Of being fond Of Jcm, Bessie
was q good. sensible girl, and wouldn't prom
Use % marry him if no would 60 OIL drinking.
IF y0I don't care enough for me to givoi IL
up. Jon. she'd sag to him, eve should never
be happy together. I'll never many a man
/ should be ashamed Of. let alone other r5ss-
oas. and TIN l can feel sursI can trust you
III stay where az.
Jem would coax and implole. and some
times turn rusty and vow he'd have nothing
more to say 10 her, but Bessie held hcl own
He might give hcfup, It he wouidn give
no his drink, " she said and thea Jem would
promise led not touch any more. Dut Moth
Ing came OF it,. Ha had always something 70
say for wantngit.
II shan't be ablc 10 stand it much longer"
l said to Bessie the next sunday she was out
with m. Ws We're very fond u each otl@I
and enjoyed a walk together. Il can't 60 "a
putting up with him, besides I'm not sure
shat ! OUGHT 90 let Llm 60 on lake this. Ihcrc,
Won nceint fret over lt, my girl. 1 wish you
would give him up, you'll NOT have him With
my consent as long as he goes on ike this"
Indeed. ] slollilrr think Of it, Dick,
poor Bessie said. "Ishould think It downright
wrong 70 marry him, but do have patience
with him. l can't help hoping ben e.voit
mp and do better some day.
"Wel. hops Lo may said, d%oubtfully;
"hes been alOng time thinking OF Ii. IVe
done INV best with him, aud can't 10 any
more but perhaps Lol get pulled up some
day. It's long lane that has nc turning,
they say, and maybe hen cossto the turn
ny enc If these days.
Littio did / thlnk that Jems turning, and
"a very sharp one, was h he reached Ia a lev
hort hours.
! strollcd back rather sadly after / had
parted from Bessie, for she was in low spirits
about Jem. and ! did not know how 10 com
fort her. There was not much chance, as IN
as [ could see, that be would mend his ways,
and as we'll as being sorry for poor Bessie, 1
was very fond of Jem, and couldn't bear L.
see BIN going down bill and running himself
BODY and soul fg want OF a little self con
troll. so made ~ nay mind 20 try again and
see If / could not stop him. dare say /
should have done my best, for / wanted them
both % be- happy, but ! an afraid II had
been able % Sc how it was 70 come about !
should have sArunk back from my share IL
IL. Tho next day was bank holiday, and quito
late Ia tho day / wa ordered 10 run ii special
that for some reason or other was uneN-
pectedlv wanted. We had done our usual
trim. and | had dismissed Jcm, and by this
time knew tic was probably INDUCING him
self after his usual fashion, and l doubted
very much whether BIO would be lit t. come.
However, there was 80 help for it, ! could
not get any one else without making a fuss
over IL. 30 I hurried off IN search Of hin.
After some time / found him Ii ono OF his
favorite resorts, and with a good ceal OF
49,
trouble succeeded in getting him to leave h5
choice companions and come with me. We
had to hurry 70 the station, Jem growing and
grumbllng the whole way. and had no time
to spare, 50 / was very much provoked when,
inst at the last moment, Jem gave me the
Sip and disappeared / waited a few min
u,es ia a great worry, and was Just going to
send one of my mates % ask for goods fire.
man, when ho appeared and bundled on to
the engine. / relieved myself by storniing
al him Indignantly, at which be looked very
surly. though he said nothing, and westarted.
In ii very short time | discovered that
might almost as well have been alone, for my
/ companion we4n t. horrid temper, and either
F, could moi, or would not, DO anything prop.
erly, venting his Ill humor by banging tho
things about and dropping rho Goals all over
tho place. had never seen Jom IN such q
gtato before; he was often rather surly al
first, but | could generally manage 70 smooth
hin down, and be was too good tempered a
I fellow too keep IL up long. But this time he