Year: 1877

the crisp rings of his short, brown hair,
and felt much better after striking his
balance with his conscience, which had
been making rather an urgent demand,
just then.


All, who are not entirely hardened.
have these occasional calls of conscience
but few possess sufficient strength of
character to meet its demands promptly
and squarely they are just off with a
promise to pay at some apparently more
convenient searon, as in the case OF this
gay young Harry Miles. a#s


Lets see.' he continued, with q
thoughtful whistle, August, January
five months l can finish my wild oats
IN tnat time, and then for reform Ia
long face and the steady snail-trot of a
proper life, as the old folks dub it. Ev
cry letter from home is full OF warnings
and cautions against tha, broad road :
but the simple, old fogies don't know
how broad and jolly the road really is,
nor how long I've been travelling therein.
My pretty Maud, with only her eighteen
years, is wiser than they, and has guess
cd somewhat of my course How sweet
ly she pleads in this letter for her Harry
to be his own noble SELF and turn now
into the upland of safety. There is al
ways danger in delay she adds omi
nously.


Heigho I! but cant do it now. must
have time to screw up thy courage: and
then the New Year is fine time to begin
anew. as 1t were-turn down the blotted
page and begin on clean one!


The young man arose and proceeded to
put his hat Oh before the little mirror in
his lodging room; settling 1t to bis salts
faction with jaunty tip, he drew on his
gloves and then sauntered down the
street 10 join his gay companions, and
spend half the night in pleasure seeking
and carousing.


He was not naturally bad, this young
clerk in the counting -house of BaddoeN
g. Co. on the contrary, his inclinatiols
were rather toward goodness; but he
was of pleasure loving, volatile nature,
as his kinky, yellow brown hair and tri
ght blue eyes fully attested.


For the first year in the city, he &C n
Quoted himself with stcadiness and cor
rectness, after his simple. home. bred way,
and quite succeeded in gaining the conf
dcnce and respect OF his employers, AT
terward. as he became more intimate
with other young men and clerks city
bred, and not few Of them decidedly
tass, he grad1ni iisv vfA4nd himself s,reying
h'oo6tef4t III The ways and 4 hcing-mare ins
til those, he often failed to exercise
even their Judgment and caution in the
persuit Of its pleasures. TWAS "deuced-
ly dull" as he termed it, in his cheap
lodgings of an evening, and after the
steady tread mill Of the counting house
all day "a fellow needed something stir
ring"


Everywhere he was a favorite; "a jol-
ly good fellow they called him, sunny
tempered and handsome, and liberal to
fault. The very kind tnat go so quickly
to the bad


Even this careless youth had, at
length began to realize how slippery was
the ground under bis feat His aroused
conscience, strengthened by a pleading
| letter from his sweet heart, had given
him day Of gloomy abstraction, quite
rare to his sangune temperament. 'I'll
just wait until the New Year." that had
been the final compromise, and he kept
on in the old way light and buoyant,
and sadly true, more wild and reckless
than before. at must be a short run,
SO Il see to it that it is merry one,
he said gayly.
Some four months after this one of his
EMPLOYERS took him aside and said with
decision:


"Young man, you must put on the
brakes or we shall discharge you For
the first year and half we have no COM
plants, but lately. your work is not up
to the mark Besides it is against our
rule to keep dissipated clerk in our en-
ploy"


Henry's face flushed hotly, and he stan :
mered:


"You are quite right, sir; but / am
going TO do better; am going to leave
all my bad habits behind with the old
year. Indeed, sir, am"


"Humph." growledsthe old man "a
New Years reform I've heard of such
things before; but, young sir, what will
suit your case is to begin Now" %"


There seemed to he clap Of thunder
In that last word, and it rang in Henry's
brain all day with deaf-Ling sensation,


That evening he determided not to 90
out; so be sat alone in his cheerless
lodging-room with his elbows resting on
the rough deal stand, his head in his
hands, and his thoughts plunged in the
depths OF gloom By-and-by, he was
aroused by hearty slap on the shoulder
and we'll known voice in his ear;


why, Hal, old boy, what are you
mourning here for? Come we've been
waiting for you. It's time for the IVAN
ity ; but first well drop in at the corner
and take something to drive dull care
away. You look decidedly blue "


Harry hesitated. He had firmly in
tended to refuse but then it would be
ntolerable to send the long winter
evening in that dull cherries room with
himself: that is, his conscience.


No; he must get rim OF himself he
thought, and hurrying on his overcoat,
was in readiness to accompany his friend,
where in gay scenes and sparkling liquor
he succeeded in getting rid of himself
most efeetually


Itwas in December then, only few
more weeks He would make tue most