Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1894-06-07
A KINGS son.
"a True StOry.)

WNo AINiHS III Nii OIhulOuo iOit @
hotel TO station in country town in
central New York. The only other
traveller was lady dressed in deep black.
AS her cloak swept back saw the little
silver cross against her sombre gown. 1
had seen her in the corridors of the house
We had just left, but that was of no i'm
portance, as the little cross was all the in.
PRODUCTION needed. "This is the cross
worn by my little boy" she said, with
strange tremble Of the lip, that was
enough to let me know her little boy was
gone, "Before he died he said to me, Il
want you to wear my silver cross,
mamma and so l took his, and we
placed another on his breast on that day
when he was hidden away forever from
our sight" 1t is very hard to answer
when mothers speak like this, dear
children. There are no words, but the
answer is almost always one Of quick
springing tears, for you children do not
know how dreadful it is for the mothers
to have the little lives go out OF the
homes, even when we know they 60 into
one OF the many mansions which the
dear Christ has prepared.
l do not speak of this sad mother to
sadden my little brothers and sisters, but
because want to tell them OF u beauti-
full work for temperance that this little
boy, not yet eleven years old, did only a
short time before he died.
His father was prominent business
man, and, on one occasion, when he was
in the city OF New York, he was invited
to be one of the guests at very large
dinner OF prominent business men.
This dinner was held, if l remember
rightly, at tho great house OF Delmonico,
the famous restaurant OF which you must
all have heard. 1t was very beautiful
banquet room, and the table was shining
with glass and silver, and the lights
were burning brightly, and there was
everything to make it a very brilliant
grown-up occasion. Into this room the
merchant came, leading his little son by
the hand, for lie did not like to leave him
at the hotel alone, and so he brought him
with him, and the other gentlemen gave
him pleasant word or a smile, and
made place for him at the table. At
first he was just little embarrassed to
find himself in the presence Of SO many
grown-up people, but he ate his dinner
quietly, and listened while they talked,
and watched the ways Of older people,
just as boys will, and began to feel after
while that he was quite a big man him
self.
There were, as | told you, beautiful
silver, glass and china, and beautiful
flowers, and beside each plate were five
glasses of different shapes and sizes.
One of them was for water, one for
sherry, one for claret, one for cham.
payne, and a little glass for brandy, or q
cordial to be taken after the dinner was
over. The walters, who looked as grave
and serious in their white neckties as If
they were cergymen, hustled about the
table, and the first our laddie knew, one
of them was holding Il decanter of wine
over the glass that stood by his plate
The waiter was an old man, and he
smiled kindly down upon the little fellow,
as much as to say, cit is very good, shall
l give you some?" Startled and fright
ened, the little man looked toward his
father; but his father was engaged in
conversation and his face was turned
away. For moment the boys face
flushed with distress, and then, quick as
a flash, he turned his glass upside down,
and glancing up into the walters face
said, in tone that could be heard by all
the gentlemen near, SIS it wine2
never touch wine.' And then with an
anxious glance, lest the same temptation
might be offered to his father, he added,
"And my papa doesn't take any wine,
either"
And then for moment the little fell
low, who had begun to feel at ease and
happy, and to think it was beautiful
thing to be there, seemed suddenly to
have terror OF the place, and glanced
anxiously from one gentleman to anoth-
err. And now let me tell you what hap
pened. suspect they all had little boys
at home, and that every man of them,
even though he sometimes took wine
himself, wished that his own children
felt as this boy did, for instead of frown-
ing at him they smiled, and when the
waiter bent over them with his decanter
they quietly turned their glasses down,
or made motion for him to pass on.
And so it happened that in q place where
such thing was hardly ever known to
occur before, the dinner went on, and
scarcely man tasted drop OF wine.
AS the mother told me this ] thought