Year: 1868

factory in the whole country. Herehe toied day af
ter day and year after year, winning the confidence
[of his employer and the respect Of the entire com
fmunity. Finally, as has already been intimated
he was placed over the entire concern as kind o
manager or foreman. During these years of sober
honest energetic toll, he had amassed enough
money to purchase, and furnish elegantly, a beau


tiful and attractive little cottage Here, with the
beloved partner of his choice and his two lovely
little girls, he experienced the unalloyed delights
of domestic felicity. Everything went along


charmingly, prosperously and well, until the ser
pent entered his little Eden and tempted him away
from all that is pure, worthy and of good report:


A glass of wine on his way to the shop. Surely


there was no harm in that! He could well AFFORD


this little indulgence and it really seemed to be O.


material benefit to his health. Soon, however, 8
second glass was found necessary on his way home
lat night and thus the habit of resortng to alcoholic
stinulants became formed. -


This little indulgence, in itself, was really OF nc
account one way or the other. 1t did not make


him less industrious did not interfere in the slight
est degree with his duties. Could Tom Simmons
have restrained his lust after strong drink and beer
satisfied with these morning and evening draughts
no harm, perhaps, could have resulted from the
habit. But, alas poor Tom, like the rest Of u.s.
credited himself with more 6rmness and mora
strength than he really possessed and before many
months had passed over his head, he was surprised
to find himself occasionally staggering homewards
after his days work.


This was bad enough, God knows; but after a.
while things assumed more serious aspect
Whole mornings were spent at the tavern, playing
havoc with his employers business and deranging
all his plans at the mandatory. So things pro-
ceeded, until Mr.. Madison felt himself called up
on to threaten his foreman with discharge, which,
instead of arousing Tom to q sense of his danger
and disposition to reform, was misconstrued in
to an insult and resented, by Immediately resign
ing his place in the manufactory, and plunglng
headlong and through sheer desperation, into eve
ry species of dissipation.


A year from the time Tom took his first glass of
wine, he found himself deeply in debt, out Of en-
ployment, friendless, enfeebed in constitution and
without credit. All that remained to him was his
little cottage, now heavily mortgaged and the sad,
reproving faces of his unhappy family, now actu-
ally in want. In his sober moments he had occa-
sionally taken q full survey Of the ruin he had
wrought, and resolved to amend his life and bring
back the joy and gladness to his stricken family
and peace to his own disturbed heart at such
time Mr. Madison was always ready to befriend
him, not only with wholesome advice but with
profitable employment; but, somehow or other, it
seemed impossible to extricate himself from the
net which he had woven for his feet, and time af-
ter time had his employer been compelled to dis
charge him, until forbearance and patience had be-
come completely exhausted, and partook more OF
the nature of a wrong, than service to Toms
family and the community at large.


At the time our story opens, Toms name was a
mere bye-word in the community his house and
furniture had been sold at public auction for far
less than their value, and his now wretched wife
and daughters were the inmates of a hired garret,
sewing their poor eyes out for scanty support.