Year: 1876

how innocent it was, and how happy his
social glass would make us but we
could not move him.


"Then let him go I cried Tim, who
had already drank some. In fact, all OF
us but Jack had drank moro or less
during the forenoon. Let him go.
We don't want the mean fellow to with
us I


"'That's it., added Sam. IF he's
too good drink with his shipmates,
we don't want him.


"'You misunderstood me, said Jack,
in tone of pain. Il am not too good
to drink with you, in the sense in which
you would take it. But 1 do not wish
to drink at all


"'Too stingy-that's all, said !, de-
termined to make him drink If could.
But Jack looked at me SO reproachfuIy
as I said this that I wished I had not
spoken as did.


"'If you wish to enjoy your wine,
messmates, said Small, ut the same time
rising from his chair, you can do SO,
but beg you will excuse me. I will
pay my share of the expenses for tho
dinner


"'And for your share of the wine, ,
said Tim, for we've ordered it for
you


"sNo,' returned Jack, i caunot pay
for any OF tho wine'-


"Meanr cried two or three at O
breath.


"No, no. messmates, not mean. I
will pay for the whole of the dinner
for every article you and 1 have had in
the house, save the wine


"And as he spoke he rung The bell.
He asked the waiter who entered what
the bill was for the company, without
the wine, and after the amount had been
stated, he took ont his purse to pay it,
when Sam Pratt, who was our acknowl-
edged leader, caught his arm.


"'No-not So, said Sam. You shall
not pay for it, for We will not eat at the
expense of one who will sneak out of a
scrape in this way. Wo want nothing
more to do with you unless you will take
glass of vino with us.


livery we'll, said Jack; and as he
spoke 1 could see that his lip quivered,
and that he dared not speak more.


"He turned toward the door then,
but before he reached it Tim Black ran
and caught him, at the same time ex-
claiming:


"'May be blessed if you go off so,
any way. You've commenced and low
you've get to stick it out


"This was the signal for us to COM
mence again, aud once more we tried to
urge Jack to drink the wife; and when
we found that urging would not do we
commenced to abuse and scoff. We ac-
cuHed hlm of trying to step over us on
board the ship, and of all other bad
things cf which wo cou!d think. For q
while the poor fellow seemed Inclined to
let his anger get tho upper hands; but
at length he Gained himself and stepping
back to his chair, he sail,


Shipmates will you liston to me
for moment2"


"Silence gave consent, and in n mo-
meut more he resumed:


"'Since matters have como to this
pass, l have resolved to tell You what
| had meant to keep locked up in my
BOSOM


we had always thought, from
Jacks manner, that there was some
thing peculiar connected with his early
ifo, and We were all atteution in mo-
ment.


My story is but a very short one,' ,
he continued, 'and I can tell it in a
very few words. From the time of nv
earliest childhood never knew what it
was to have happy home. NV father
was drunkard Once he had been a
good man and good husband, but rum
ruined all his manhood and made brute
OF him. l can remember how cold and
cheerless was the first winter of my life
to which my memory leads my mind.
We had no fire-no food-no clothes
no joy-no nothing; nothing but misery
and woe My poor mother used to
clasp me to her bosom to keep mo warm,
and once-once 1 remember-when her
very tears froze on my cheek! Oh how
my mother prayed to God for her hus-
band; and I, who could but Just prattle,
learned to pray, too. And / used to see
that husband and father return to his
home, and [ remember how nv poor
mother cried and trembled.


When grew older had to go ont
and beg for bread. All cold and shiyer
ing waded through the deep snow.
with my clothes in tatters and my freez.
ing feet almost bare. And I saw other
children of my own age dressed warm
and comfortable, and knew they were
happy, for they laughed and sung as
they bounded along toward school.
Those boys had sober fathers. knew
that their fathers were no better than
mine had been once, for my mother had
told me how noble my own father could
be If the accursed demon rum were not
IN his way; but the fatal power was upon
him, aud though he often promised, and
though he often tried, yet he could not
escape.


"'Time passed on and I was eight
years old, and those eight years had
been years of such sorrow and suffering
as pray God I may never see another
experience. At length, one cold morn.
ing in the dead of winter, my father
was not at home. He had not been at
home throuQh the NIGHT Nv naathar