The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-04-22

N FUW udL, Hdu grown 10 D0 d
9 s very hard one. At heart
q ~ y he might have been all
NON right If his head and his
will had only been right;
but, these being wronr, the whole ma
chine was going to the bad very fast,
though there were times when the
heart felt something of its old truthful
yearning. Tom had lost his place as
foreman in the great machine shop,
and what money he now earned came
from odd jobs of tinkering which he
was able to do, here and there. at pri-
vate houses; for Tom was a genius as
well as a mechanic, and when his
hand was steady enough he could
mend clock, or clean watch, as well
as he could set up and regulate a
steam engine-and this latter lie could
do better than any other man ever
employed by the Scott Falls Manufac-
turing Company.
One day Tom had Job to mend up
a broken moving machine and reaper,
for which he received So, and on the
his old haunt-the village tavern. He
knew that his wife sadly needed the
money, and that his two little chill
dren We're in absolute suffering from
want of clothing; and on this morn
ing he held a debate with the better
part of himself; but the better part
had become very weak and shaky, and
the demon of appetite carried the day.
SO away to the tavern Tom went,
where, for two or three hours. he felt
the eXhilarating effects of the alcohol
ic draughts, and fancied himself hap
Ply, as he could sing and laugh; but.
as usual, stupefaction followed, and
the man part died out. He drank
while he could stand, and then lay
down in q corner, where his compan-
cons left him.
1t was late at night-almost midnight
when the landlords wife came into
the barroom to see what kept her hus
band up-and she quickly saw.
; Peter" she said, not in pleasant
NO. ~, "whv don't you sepd that mis- |
cradle Tom Darcy h l.N nes been
htnging around here ,ong enough
Toms stupefaction was not sound
sleep. The dead coma had left his
brain. and the calling of his name
strung his senses to keen attention.
He had an insane love of rum, but he
did not love the landlord. In other
years Peter Tindar and himself had
loved and wooed the same sweet mai
aen-Ellen Goss-and he won her,
leaving Peter to take up with the vim
egary woman who had brought him
the tavern, and he knew that lately
the tapster had gloated over the mis-
cry Of the woman who had once dis
carded him.
''Why don't you send him homer
demanded Mrs Tindar, with an impa
tient stamp of the foo
Hush Betsy! He's got more money.
Let him be, and he'll be sure to spend
it before he goes home. I'll have the
kernel of the nut, and his wife may
have the husk"
With a sniff and a snap Betsey
turned away, and shortly afterward
Tom Darcy lifted himself upon his ell
bow.
"Ah, Tom, are you awaken
eyes"
"Then rouse up and have a warm
glass"
Tom got upon his feet and steadied
himself.
mo. Peter, won't dring any more
tonight"
1T won't hurt you, Ton-just
glass"
Il know it WON'T said Tom, button
ing up his coat by the solitary button
left. "I-know-it-won't."
And with this he went out into the
chill air of midnight. When he had
got away from the shadow of the tav-
ern, he stopped ard looked up at the
stars and then he looked down upon
The earth.
AYE" he muttered, grinding his
heel in the gravel. "Peter Tindar is
taking the kernel, and leaving to poor
Ellen the worthless husk-a husk
worse than worthless.-and I am help
ang him to 90 it'll ar robbinG my
e