Year: 1871

I .aH l."
right in the end, you may depend upon It,
That dream l had In the night, though,
still haunts me, Iwish you'd 30 up to
the shop"


"No, / won't,pI said again, "but you
may if you like"


"All right" she nodded, with another
smile, and after giving me kiss she went
out. did not thinh FOR a moment she
was in earnest, or wouldn't have let her
GO


In about an hour she returned, with the
pleasant news that she had been TO the
shop, had seen the master, and that / was
to go to work again on the following Mon
day morning, provided ] meant to keep
my promise of being a teetotalcr. rTI


Mary, my dear, said to her, when I
say a thing, | mean it, and, by Gods help,
I'll keep fast TO my word"


"I believe you with all my heart, Tom,
or 1 wouldn't have gone to the shop so
lse."


And did. went to the old shop the
next Monday morning little before six
o'clock, and the governor at once asked
me IL 1t Yves true | was a teetotaler and
whether meant to keep the pledge. I
asked If he ever knew me break my word
lie said No" and / told him wasn't
going to begin then. And set to work.
singing as merrlly aa lark, and quite as
tonished and alarmed the other wufkmen,
ay, ana the governor too, by the vast
Quantity Of work managed to get through
during the day. And the whole week
passed so quickly and happily that was
really surprised to find how soon II wns
ended. And when took home To Mary
every farthing of the FIRST weeks wages
we danced like two little children. and
laughed till we cried. And everything
seemed SO very joyous and different from
the dull, dreary weeks / had wilfullv
wasted--hot perhaps altogether wasted.
for | had been learning a wholesome les
son-that we thought we were living in
another and more beautiful world. The
! next day, Sunday, we went to church very
early, and asked the minister to offer up
that thanksgiving in the Prayer Book
which says: For all Thy goodness and
loving kindness to us and to all men, par-
ti6utdrty to those tobo desire n0to to offer mn
their praises and ManksgiUin1s for. TIN
tdEe nlercies U0uchSgffd unto them" Great
mercies indeed had been vouchsafed to us.
Mary again set about teaching me to
read and write; and this time with some
success In few month | was telerablv
good scholar, and began to devour all sorts
of books eagerly, particularly volumes of
history, biography and travels
When year after my return, our fore.
man gave notice that he was going to set
up in business for himself, cuf master
came to me and said, that in consequence
of my keeping the pledge he would make
me foreman in his place. l was to have
five shillings week extra for the first six
months, and after that another five shil-
lings week.


We were exceedingly careful and thrifty,
and soon paid off our debts and began to
save. The house we live in we bought
some time ago. and we have something
put by towards buying more. Haven't
we, Mary9


Now, can you wonder that | call her
my good angelo" She tau hit me to read
and write, she maintained me when l was
out of work, she obtained work for me
when wouldn't seek itmyself, and it was in
consequence of her making me promise to
become teetotaler that when the foreman
left stepped into his place; it's through
her that am the owner of house, and to
her / owe it that am not an outcast and
a vagabond.


The old saying is true one: "There
is nothing on this earth SO good as good
wife" t