Little Wolf Part 34

"'We tempt and are tempted on every hand,' said Mr. Marsden thoughtfully. 'Society demands the social gla.s.s and we yield to its demands, and why? Because we have not the moral courage to do otherwise.'

"We have! I exclaimed, we have! you have, your sister has, the Captain has. You have never tried. You have never fully realized whither it tended--I have. Shall I tell you?

"At any ordinary time I would not have drawn the heart rending picture of the consequences of social drinking which I was then inspired to do. It was as if a frightful panorama of ruined fortunes, and ruined families was pa.s.sing before me and I described all I saw and when the view became too painful, too revolting for words, I bowed my head and wept.

"'For heavens sake, say no more,' cried out the Captain.

"Flora flung her arms around my neck, and mingled her tears with mine.

'What shall we do?' she asked plaintively.

"'We might draw up a total abstinence pledge and all put our names to it,' said Sir. Marsden quite cheerfully.

"After some pleasent discussion, his suggestion obtained favor, and was carried out without delay, and in half an hour's time we were all pledged to total abstinence from intoxicating drinks. The matter was duly explained to Flora, and she added her mark with an air of consequence quite amusing.

"Nor was that all; the enthusiastic little missionary stated that she knew of several wery nice sailors who would like to put their names on the paper, for she had seen them drink something out of bottles. She was accordingly permitted to present this pledge to her particular friends, who, it transpired, included the whole crew.

"I was much affected by a little scene which I witnessed in connection with her labors. A weather-beaten old sailor, whose only fault was his uncontrollable appet.i.te for rum, read the pledge carefully, and, shaking his head quite hopelessly, handed it back. 'I can't agree to that, little pet,' said he, 'I can't abstain, I'd give the world if I could, but I can't. I lay in bed the morning we set sail and thought it all over. I thought of my little boy and gal sleeping in their trundle bed. I thought of the pleadings of my patient wife, and I resolved to let liquor alone, but I can't do it--I was the worse for it yesterday. No, I can't abstain,' and his voice quivered.

"'May be, if you'd try again, wery, wery hard,' persisted Flora, who did not comprehend how uncontrollable the appet.i.te becomes.

"'No, my little pet--no--none but G.o.d Almighty can save me now--I'm in the breakers.'

"His look of despair moved me to step forward and interpose. Would not Flora have perished in the deep water, had there been no effort made to save her? I questioned.

"'You're a brave gal,' said he. 'I saw you go after her; you would have saved her if you could, and you would save me but you can't.'

"That's true, I replied, but G.o.d can. Jesus Christ will bring you safely out of the breakers, if you will cling to him. You are in great peril but it is not too late. Never give up the ship.

"Thus I talked until hope began to reanimate him, and he said 'when I get back to New York I'll try again to give up my dram and be a Christian.'

"Now--now, there's no time like now, I persisted, and finally he yielded, and said, 'Now it shall be. I'll put my name to the paper, and may G.o.d Almighty help me.'

"His name, John Hopkins, stands in full upon the pledge; the large crooked letters bearing traces of the struggle by which he was shaken.

"I am so glad that I ever read the Bible to dear old Mrs. Peters, for it was there that I learned the lesson, which I so lately taught the despairing seamen, and nothing can now wrest the sweet knowledge of a Saviour's love from me. My heart has found refuge in it.

"Do you remember the day that Tom dressed in your blue ap.r.o.n, with a bunch of keys at his belt and pretended to personate me at the head of an orphan asylum, how we all laughed? Well, I secretly wished myself capable of doing good in that way, and you may tell Tom that if I should ever attempt anything of the kind, I will give him a lucrative situation as general overseer of the establishment."

Two days later.

"Last evening we arrived at Aspinwall having made the trip from New York in ten days. This morning we bade adieu to our kind friends of the steamship, 'Northern Star' and crossed the Isthmus of Panama, a distance of about twenty miles, by railroad. A fine large steamer lay upon the waters of the Pacific awaiting our arrival.

"Having embarked, I found a little vacant nook, under the awning, where I am now writing, while the scenes of to-day are still fresh in my mind.

"I was enchanted as we pa.s.sed swiftly over the narrow neck of land dividing the two oceans. The dense, vine-clad forests, alive with birds of every brilliant hue, and bordered with gorgeous flowers; the low thatched huts of the natives, and the natives themselves in holiday dress of thin white, all conspired to awaken the most pleasing emotions.

"The villages at both ends of the route were swarming with natives, the women with baskets of cake and fruit and beautiful birds for sale, the men eager to carry our luggage for 'two bits.'

"A small proportion of the women were bright and pretty; one really beautiful, with liquid eyes and smooth jet braids, upon which were fantastically perched a pair of green, trained birds, was very popular with the pa.s.sengers, and soon emptied her basket.

"I purchased her pet paroquets and sent them to console Flora, whom I left sobbing quite piteously in the Captain's arms. We promised her papa to make our arrangements to return on his steamer and his promise to lash me to the rigging in the event of a storm still holds good."

CHAPTER x.x.xV.

A VISIT TO MRS. SHERMAN'S ROOM--DADDY AND HIS NEW SPOUSE--OMINOUS SIGNS.

Before opening another letter, let us pay a flying visit to the Sherman family, and also to Daddy and his spouse.

The former are to be found in their old quarters at Pendleton, the latter installed in the brown house at Chimney Rock.

It is near midnight, rather an unseasonable hour to intrude upon our friends, but no matter; at the house we shall first enter; regular habits do not prevail.

We will now imagine ourselves in the broad hall, on the second floor of the finest hotel in Pendleton.

Open softly the door at your right. There the eldest Mrs. Sherman lies sleeping. Her grey hair is parted smoothly under her white frilled cap, her hands are folded resignedly upon her breast, and the angel of her dreams has imprinted upon her features the chastened smile so often seen upon the face of age.

We would fain prolong her slumbers, for, alas, we cannot stay the swiftly drifting cloud, that is coming to darken her waking hours: the silver lining of which she will not see, until, a spirit winged for glory, she soars above it.

A confusion of sounds from below reaches us. Footsteps are upon the stairs, uncertain, shuffling, as if grouping in darkness. Low, persuasive voices are heard, a sharp retort follows. "No, Clara is fiendish when I have been drinking, I will not meet her."

A woman has just brushed past us. She stands at the head of the stairs, pale and determined.

"Bring him not here," she hisses between her closed teeth, to the men who are a.s.sisting her husband to mount. "Take him to your own homes--listen to his ravings. Bear his insults; blows if need be.

Perform the most disagreeable services for him. Yes, even imperil your lives in his service, you who are his disinterested friends. You, who have enjoyed your baccha.n.a.lian revels with him, take the consequences.

Bring him not to me. I despise, I hate the man who cannot control his appet.i.te--I tell you away with him!" she shrieked, as his friends continued to urge him upward.

"Clara." A hand is laid gently on her arm. Her mother-in-law stands trembling beside her; the noise has awakened her, and she has come out in her night dress. "I will take Edward to my room and quiet him; he shall not disturb you, my daughter."

"I am not your daughter. I will no longer be his wife. I will leave the house this moment never to return. He has disgraced me long enough. I will not bear it. I will not be the wife of a drunkard. I have told him so times without number. You may soothe him if you like--pet him--give him peppermint--I will not live with a man who cannot control his appet.i.te."

Tears and entreaties, are of no avail; the determination of the high-spirited wife remains unaltered, and she has gone forth to her father's house, leaving her mother-in-law not quite alone with the invalid, for Louise and the doctor have been summoned.

Meanwhile, how thrives Daddy?

We shall see by the morning sun. It has just risen, and so has Daddy.

He peeps out and the sun peeps in, blinding his old eyes and cheering his old heart. He and Recta are happy now. Hear him whistle like a boy as he dresses. Recta helps him put his rheumatic arm into his coat sleeve, and he kisses Recta.

Both leave the room, and as they pa.s.s a door standing ajar, push it open; Here is little f.a.n.n.y Green standing with bare feet before the open window, brushing out her flaxen hair.

"O, Daddy," she exclaims, "a bird flew in here awhile ago, a real live bird flew right in at the window, and throbbed his wings so hard against the gla.s.s that he woke me. Why, before I could catch him, he flew out. Do you think it would have been wicked to have caught him, Daddy?"

"Laws, no, f.a.n.n.y. 'Tween you and me, the Honey would have ketched him in a second. She was uncommon spry when she was a leetle gal."

"O, Daddy, may--"