Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-03-10

was In no state Co criticise, shared
profoundly in the feeling.
When the stiffness was once more
perfect, Alan shouldered the port
manteau, carried IL in, and shut and
locked the garden door; and then,
once more, abstraction seemed to fall
upon him, and he stood with his hand
upon the key, until the cold began to
nibble at Johns fingers.
"Why are we standing here p"asked
John.
"Ehp" said Alan, blankly.
"Why, man, you don't seem your
self, +" said the other.
"No, I'm not myself, said Alan; and
he sat down on the portmanteau and
put his face in his hands.
John stood beside him swaying a
little, and looking about him at the
swaying shadows, the fitting sparkles,
and the steady Stars overhead, until
the MINDLESS cold began to touch him
through his clothes on the bare-skin.
Even in his bemused intelligence
wonder began to awake.
al say, let's come on to the house."
he said at last.
eyes, let's come on to the house."
repeated Alan.
And he rose at once, reshouldered
the portmanteau, and, taking
the candle in his other hand,
moved forward to the lodge.
This was a long, low building,
smothered in creepers; and now, ex-
cept for some chinks of light between
the dining-room shutters, it was
plunged into darkness and silence.
In the hall Alan lighted another
candle, gave it to John, and opened the
door of bedroom.
"Here," he said, .'go to bed, Don't
mind me, John. You'll be sorry for
me when you know"
"Wait bit," returned John, 1--we
got so cold with all that standing
about. Let's go into the dining-room
minute. just one glass to warm
me, Alan"
On the table in the hall stood a
| glass, and a bottle with a whisky
label on tray, It was plain the bot
tie had been just opened, for the cork
and corkscrew lay beside it.
Take that" said Alan, passing
John the whisky, and then with a GER
tain roughness pushed his friend into
the bedroom and closed the door be-
hind him.
John stood amazed. Then he shook
the bottle, and, to his further wonder,
found it partly empty. Three or four
glasses were gone. Alan must have
uncorked the bottle of whiskey and
drank three or four glasses, one after
the other, without sitting down, for
there was no chair, and that in his
own cold lobby on this freezing night!
1t fully explained his eccentricities,
John reflected sagely as he mixed
himself grog. Poor Alan! He was
drunk; and what a slave to it poor
Alan was, to drink in this unsociable,
uncomfortable fashion! The man who
would drink alone, except for health s
sake, as John was now doing, was ut
terly lost. He took the grog out, and
felt hazier, but warmer. 1t was hard
work opening the portmanteau and
finding his night things; and before
he Yves undressed the cold had struck
home to him once more. well"
said, he, "there's no sense in getting
i'll with all this other trouble" And
presently dreamless slnmber buried
him.
When John awoke 1t was day The
low winter sun was already in the
heavens, but his watch had stopped,
and it was impossible to tell the hour
exactly. Ten, he guessed it, and
made haste to dress, dismal reflections
crowding on his mind. But it was
less from terror than from regret
that he now suffered, and with his
regret there were mingled cutting
pangs of penitence. There had fallen
upon him a blow, cruel indeed, but
yet only the punishment of old mis-
doing; and he had rebelled and
plunged into fresh sin. The rod had
been used to chasten, and he
had bit the Christening fingers.
His father was right; John
had justified him; John was no guest
for decent peoples houses, and no fit
associate for decent peoples children.
And had broader hint been needed,
there was the case of his old friend.
John was no drunkard, though he
could at times exceed, and the picture
of Houston drinking neat spirits at
his hall table struck him with some
thing like disgust. He hung back
from meeting his old friend. He
could have wished he had not come
to him; and yet, even now, where
else was he to turnp
These musings occupied him while
he dressed, and accompanied him into
the lobby of the house. The door
stood open on the garden. Doubtless
Alan had stepped forth, and John did
as he supposed his friend had done.
The ground was hard as iron, the
frost still rigorous. AS he brushed
among the hollies, icicles jingled and
glittered in their fall; and wherever
he went volley of eager sparrows
followed him. Here were Christmas
weather and Christmas morning duly
met, to the delight of children. This