The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1897-06-10
IHE MAN WHO SPOILED rHf
MUSIC,


oiisu heard riusiss .uts rollieklns 'oni
10 tb. tap room. Aod it tspt ssmipr l.
70 bim. lnn lesst o seos OF dlaeren
v.Js bs timsslt va, the MAJ wn'
spoiled I'll be tn musio'
He ws, got 10 The Brightest possible cot
sniou tr ~ ugumer, .bi certainly no
.lrsbuuor 10 be convinced Of u0il
I ,hat hs iid not wsnt 10 believe, sud 20
convinced be wu 30 every minute sdiet
J. he conviction Every sish. sbout hiu
tal the u.edes. II not the sourds, iorcst
I it home upou him, 90 tbst here coulC
tot possibly be any mi',sFe
/ II VAS saudsy afternoon about ionl
o'clock lie was lsaning against the val
By the dirty fireplace, unSsshed snd 1t
bic shirt sleeves. The room looked Al
vretched as the man himself snd as dirty
/ blsokeued aud broken, With di,ty uindo~
pAnes either plastered over wi'h pspe' ol
stuffed ont With rags, The lickosy iurni
/ ture was there simply becsuse it sould
+ fetch no,hirg elsewhere, Sestsa on The
other side Of the fireplace was the white
faced End slattetnly wife, holding tiny
Bit Of mo tally at hsr btPast and breath
Iing a heavy sigb that told Of burden
there great deal heavier than the baby.
Oae word summed the whole reason o'
the yretonedness drink. Not bad sort
Of smAu bat this Que thing, able 10 earn
ssod wages aud to have . comfortable
home, yet no idle miscresnt ever dsslt
amid greater sluslor or kept oil about
him 10 greater misery.
80 It was on this Sunday afternoon,
Jack stood, ss GROSS SO oonId be, rssdy to
let ont his misery upon the hrst victim
he could hud, a. II any one we're TO be
blamed sooner. TbeD 1t was the door
opened suddenly with bang and in
burst two little msideus singing merrily;
eyes and faces, hsnds snd ieet, sll were
fall OF music. They had come from the
Mission Sunday school aud ths last hymn
was 10 their ears aud came cheerily ring
ing from their lips:
am so glad that our F4thsf 10 heaven
Tells OF his love 4 the book be has given.
They had Just got 10 the line OF the
chorus, am so glad, and it came in at
the opened door with sncb bounding
Rladness as they lifted the latch and felt
that they we're in the freedom OF the home
Il am 90 clad then suddenly they osme
far enough to see their father. Instantly
the voices we're silsnced, the sunshine
died out Of their eyes With frightened
look filling their faces they shrsnk outside
the door and shut ii nsisslsssly.
The silence that followed was unbroken
by sound. The wifs sat mourniully
looking at the blsckened ashes OF the
fireplace, with the little one sslsep IN her
arms. That abrupt and suddsn silence
smote jacks heart; those changed faces
and the little frightened maidsns bushsd
like that he felt that be had do le it sll
He seemed to hear again the hsppy burst
I am 80 glad, and th that dreadful stop
ping He was going to ask with an oath
why they didn't go on singing, bnt they
weren't there and 80 il was no use to do
that, besides he knew we'll enough, too
we'll, why they had stopped 40 II came
sbout that be lifted himself from the
wall and thrust himself isrcely into bis
jacket and went slouchipg towards the
d oor. He strobe out OF the court and
away on, anywhere, until be got outside
the streets and into the more quiet and
pleasant roads; then be slacksned bis
pace, The ferceness had turnsd to
grief and at last there came the words
muttered to himself. Thals what | am
always doing; spoil all the music,
II was dreadful to think OF it as he
turned II ovar. How mueh it meant He
thong 9ht Of his wife and the sweet voice
she had long ago and how, back in the
OLD times, they bad sung together. And
now TO think OF her sitting ther. so white !
faced and SILENT She never even sang
ihe baby Of to sleep only kept On Sigh
log. Anyhow, not when am thsrs
.sil Jack; spoil slI the music.
II was dreadful TO think about IL, OF
The places be had been 10 sss carpenter
aud the chances be had had and how ono
tier snother he had lost them all through |
lac drink and now the frat to get the
notice TO gait, the last to be offered job,
va, he who bad prided bimself en- bis
work. Oh. dear, I've been 'poiling oil
he music for years. sighed Jack.
So IL came shout thst poor Jack, so hnr
isrsd and helpless, stepped there ana
then and put bi. face into bis hands and |
lsid, God htlp mel He had eons on,
never thinking where be was going, until
now he found hinsslf outside ths long
,tretch OF To. houses, and was under the
green trees and In the midst OF the fields
The lark sang overhead, th. thrush and /
he blsckbitd rang out their richest notes
10 the branches above him crowd Of
Ipsrrovs met sod chirped the very loud
at, merris., music they had srsr lesrntd. |
ad there. 10 ths sunset, JACK lssnsd or /
gate aud lel bis soul how ont to God IN
B el elplessne.s snd sorrow and longing,
1t wa qnite dark before be passed 10 at
b. sq1slid sourt where be lived snd turn
. With Aush iuto has wrstonsd home.
Poor Jack, hI. heart ". very sore
broash that night .ud, uls.p or swske,
lssiu Epd sgain ths words osns ssdly 10
biz lips, spoil I'll the music,
TIE reIt dsv he wss up aud 81 81 Day
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