Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 323, 13 November 1891 — A BOYS FIRST DRINK AND WHAT CAME OF IT. [ARTICLE]

A BOYS FIRST DRINK AND WHAT CAME OF IT.

A TRI*E STORY. lii a visit to tbe Leavenworth, Kan, prison, during my address on Sabbath I observedaboy; not more than seventeen or eigbteen yēars of age, on the front seat intentW eyeiug me. The iook he gave me was so fuli of earnest longmg it spuke vol\inies to me. At the £Īose of the service l asked the warden for ail interview with him, whieh was readily £ranted. As ho approached Ime. his foce grew \ deathl3 T pale, and. as he grasped iny { hand. heeouM not resirain the fast- « falling tears. j with eino- j tion, he said:— I kt l hav« becsn in tbis ■ prison two j years. and you are the first person | that has ca!led for the fifst j wpnaan who ihns spoken to ine." S "How'is this, iny child? have' you no friends that love you? Where is vonr tnother?" The great browti eyes, switnming with tears, were slo\vly uplifted- to miue,Tind •ho repJied:- f'My friends are all in Texas. My mother is an invalui, and fearing that the knowledge of the terrible fall. would kill her, ī have kept my whereabouts a profoynd secret. For two veurs I have bornc mv nwful homesiekness in silence for her sake. 5? As he buriod his faee in his hands and heartgiek* soba bnrst from his tronibling frame, it seēmed to mel eouid eee a painomma of the days and nights, the long weeks of home-f*ick longing,thaf haddragged their weary Jei\gth out ovei two years. ; ' ]: So I ventured to ask; lf How mueh : longcr have you ? v i years/\ was the repJy, ae | frail liule hami treu»bled with | s«ppressed emotiou. | <% Five yeara &% your age'" I exelaimeii. %t How did it hāppe»?'* ,v Well, M he repH«td» a Jong story, bot VII noake it short I started out from home to try ta do soinethmg !br i mys©llr. Comit»g t* Leavenworth> Ifound &chespWardi/iK and ooe aight ace*sted aisnvitati<& onfc <irtbeyotgsp [ man tci gō into « driuking s*teosi. I ihe irat Ume in my H&I dr&nir a ghoa «f li<|uor. lt |hred myt»raia. h a oonfuseti rek «aMbrftoce aiNhe qQarr«i> Bobiebody vras dtabbed. The ldoody waa ibDud in my band. 1 waa iudioted for an «tsauM witb ißt*nt to kili." "Pive years fbr the tho>ughtlass aoeeplaooe of a gUro of v liqttor ia i«ffW Ul«stmti»K tbe SeripU>r«

of pahHe** -#-& boya,b«ttiet ,c ī W fredi her t^#!. Boa 4 t JffiF te'worlā Ml%er wbm I a®. Befcter noA tell het aiaytfciftg »tait lae. Jūst~ges a \km.mm &sr, So I eanlook upoh itf Ōh t I *m so for tny nidther!" . "The of tfe& boy drojjped dowD i»io my lap, with a wāilisg eqb; I laid my hand upem hie head. I v thbught cf my bwn bōy, and for a few iaoments was sileDt, and let the outburst of sosrow have vent. Presently I said: "Mttiray, if- X

were your mother, and fche odor of a thousand prisons was upon yoa, Btill you wodl<3 be my boj. I should like to know wbere you were. u ls it rigbt to keep that mother ia suspenseY I>o s\ippose that there ever has bcen a day or night that she has not praved for her wandering boyT~ NoV M«r- ~ ~ ray, I will on!y cotißent'iou wnfee your mother on <?Oftsideration that yoa will pern\it ib« to -write the whoie truth, jusl- as on& i»other ean write to anothrr"" After souk< argumeni hi? eonEeni wa? finally obtainrd, and a ietter was hustiiy penne<t an<i sent on its wtiy. A week or m elftps?ed, \vh '-> tho f<vāowing letter was receiv» .! . from Texas:< — u Dear Sister in Christ: Your letter was thivS day received and 1 hasten to thar*k yo« for your words of tender syihp athy r H nd for tidings of my boy—the first we hav» had iii two years. When Murrav left ho!j*e, we thous:ht it would not lonp. .As- the months roiied 011. the family had given him up for dead. bnt 1 felt surē God wouid give n\e back my boy. -t As i— write. /rom the eoueh of an invalid, my h«sanl is in W——nursing auother son, who is iving at the gatt of death with typhoid fever. 1 ooaid not wait has rcturn to writeto Murray. I wrote and toid him, if i couid how quu'kly I would go and piilow his head upon mv hreast. just as I did when he waa a linie child. 4My poor, drnr hoy—so generous % ki»d, and loving! What could he Uaw done t« deserve this pumshYou did uot menlion hif? emne. but say it was committed whiie under the inAuenee of drink. • ; l did know he hwl ev<irtasted Uquor. We raised six boye, and never knew one of them k> be uader ihe infiueni-« of drink. Oh! is there any plact? in this Natkm that is safe when ou? boys have left 4h« home I6W? vk O Ood, wiy sori>ow ls graler tha&loanbea£t I lmt I prty you fe> U> him, . ,'i* hfa pl«oe in oW *wi kis )mit fer Ui wMMom M> thflw> wrtlWr. ' I .mt* U&br twts o»er m |btt «rf Bwrt hmk, 1 <ak«i q«N«(iott: "o<«r touf»iU oofatiDU« - Uk» Hqttor • lstgtt« wttb Wl $tTi» oC •»»» •> « > ■