News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-11-07

fact that il was largely on his own
account. for the sake of his own
peace and quiet. that he had left Willis.
An answer came promptly that
week. 1t was in some particulars ex-
actly what he had anticipated. In
other ways parts of the letter sur
prised him.
1t was a matter Of great surprise to me-Mrs.
Preston wrote-that YOU had left Willis. He
writes every week, and he said nothing about
1t in his letter that ! received yesterday | am
more grieved and panied than | can tell you. OF
course | do not excuse Willis for his conduct. 1t
is what has been breaking my own heart for
| years lie knows full well the consequences,
and yet he chooses his | never told you
| that his grandfather drinking He
| used TO boast OF his temperance in drinking and
raid any man was fool to let the habit get the
| better OF him. He also claimed the liberty,
! he called it. to do as he pleased, and several
| occasions that ! know of he resented attempts to
restrain the liquor drinking in his own neighbor-
| hood His son. Willis father was born without
| any taste for liquor and think he touched
q drop, but Willis is suffering from the sins Of
! his grandfather. Willis is apparently a victim OF
the passion that his grandfather INDUCED in so
| boastingly and without any apparent personal
harm. Oh, when will men learn the terrible truth
! that what they DO or are will be repeated some-
! Whsre, some time in the third or fourth genera
| ton, and if they don't suffer some one will in
| the future? 1t seems to be OF the ineAorable
! laws OF God. But what have you done Mr..
, Blake2 Are you sure you have acted in the best
! way2 Was there no other way for you to do but
to leave my son Rlone9 What influence will you
| have now? Did YOU plead with him as you
might, did you leave him in anger2 Suppose
| l. his mother had abandoned him after all the
! times he has annoyed and disappointed and even
mo and mr.
times seven have forgiven him my knees before
God. That is because | am his mother while you
were only his friend. But did you do all that a
| friend ought to dor God help me not to be I'M
just to you. have tried to realize the position
| in which you were placed. But il Father in
| heaven dealt with US too severely how many OF US
! would ever come into the kingdom9 What l fear
for Willis now is that he will go down faster. He
, will become more and more reckless and make
| his friends more among the fast set than hereto
/ fore. If in any way you can still prevent this I
! pray God you will do SO. | do not know any
| other student in college who has any power over
| him. have thought to write the president, but
| ] know he is burdened with a great load and l
| hesitate. II / have said in this letter things l
should not, pardon me. You know the
heartache Of mother for her frstborn and only
son. The Lord bless you and give you success
/ Your FRIEND LUCILLE PRESTON
Edward reread this letter gravely.
The last part of it added to his self
accusation. At one time that same
evening he was almost on the point of
going over to see Willis and talk over
matters. But his pride and also his
natural obstinacy in keeping at thing
he had once decided upon kept him
back He answered the letter. after a
fashion and said in it that he would
serve Willis in any way he could if
opportunity offered. All the time he
was writing it he felt more or less like
hypocrite. Was this friendship? Had
he done all that friend could do? The
questions faced him repeatedly as he
tried to go on with his college work
aud were seldom out Of his mind.
Along with it all was present that
tinge of jealousy and bitterness to-
ward Willis that dated their real be-
ginning from his talk with Freeda.
So the winter term went on, rather
unsatisfactory for him. He was dis
contented from a number of causes
and was not getting out of the course
what satisfied him. He had real pride
in keeping up his rank in class, how
ever, and in spite of his troubles he
managed to retain interest enough in
his regular work to do his best.
There was another matter, also, that
began to interest him, and, for time
at least, it drew his mind away from
thoughts of Willis.
His paper route was in the heart of
the city and took him into stores, bust
In n nj
into some places that he knew were
evil. There was one place, especially,
a large room at the top of an office
block, that he very soon came to under
stand was nothing more nor less than
professional gamblers resort. Cen
orally he simply opened the door and
flung the paper in without stopping.
He had too many stairs to climb and
too big a load of papers to stop any
where on the route. But occasionally,
as men were going In and out, as he
came up to the door, instead of throw
ing the paper down inside where they
would step on it, he walked in and put
the paper on a table. The proprietor
of the place one day asked him to do
so every time, as his customers care
lessly kicked the paper on the floor If
it was thrown down there.
So, after awhile, as Edward fell into
the habit of entering the room regu-
larry, he gradually came to understand
just what was going on there. There
was an ordinance in Raynor that win
ter against gambling devices; but it
appeared to be a dead letter, and there
was hardly a pretext Of secrecy about
the matter of running the machines
and the tables. In this particular
place the violation of the law was
open and bold. Crowds Of young men
thronged it every night. One evening,
when the paper was delayed by an ac-
cldent and the carriers were all two
hours late, Edward noticed when he
went In several college men from the
fast set, and among them Willis, who
was trying one of the new machines
recently set up in the establishment.
1t was this sight Of Willis in this
place that really started Edward to
think about the iniquity Of the whole
business. We have spoken Of his
wholesome horror of the vices of
gambling and betting, This horror