Elsie's Motherhood

by Martha Finley

  Chapter Twenty-third.

  "Put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite."--PROVERBS xxiii. 2.

  The happy day came, full soon to the fathers and mothers, at long lastto the eager expectant children.

  Old Mr. Dinsmore had accepted a pressing invitation from hisgranddaughter and her husband, to join the party, and with the additionof servants it was a large one.

  As they were in no haste, and the confinement of a railroad car would bevery irksome to the younger children, it had been decided to make thejourney by water.

  It was late in the afternoon of an unusually warm, bright November daythat they found themselves comfortably established on board a finesteamer bound for New Orleans.

  There were no sad leave-takings to mar their pleasure, the children werein wild spirits, and all seemed cheerful and happy as they sat or stoodupon the deck watching the receding shore as the vessel steamed out ofthe harbor.

  At length the land had quite disappeared; nothing could be seen but thesky overhead and a vast expanse of water all around, and the passengersfound leisure to turn their attention upon each other.

  "There are some nice looking people on board," remarked Mr. Travilla, inan undertone, to his wife.

  "Beside ourselves," added Cousin Ronald, laughing.

  "Yes," she answered; "that little group yonder: a young minister and hiswife and child, I suppose. And what a dear little fellow he is justabout the age of our Harold, I should judge."

  "Yes, mamma," chimed in the last named young gentleman, "he's a nicelittle boy. May I go speak to him? May I, papa?"

  Permission was given and the next moment the two stood close togethereach gazing admiringly into the other's face.

  "Papa," remarked the little stranger, looking up at his father, "I verymuch wish I had a face like this little boy's."

  "Do you, son?" was the smiling rejoinder. "He certainly looks like a verynice little boy. Suppose you and he shake hands, Frank."

  "Yes, sir," said the child, holding out a small, plump hand, "What'syour name, little boy?"

  "Harold Travilla, and yours is Fank?"

  "Yes, Frank Daly. Don't you like this nice big boat?"

  "Yes I do. Won't you come wis me and speak to my mamma and papa?"

  Frank looked inquiringly at his father.

  "Yes, you may go if you wish," returned the latter, and the two startedoff hand in hand.

  "Mamma, see! isn't he a dear little boy?" asked Harold, leading his newfriend up before her with an air of proud ownership.

  "Yes indeed," she said, bending down to kiss Frank and stroke his hair.

  "I think he's a good boy, 'cause he didn't come till his papa told himto," continued Harold.

  "A very good way to judge of a boy," said Cousin Ronald.

  "His name is Fank," said Harold. "Fank, that's Cousin Ronald, and thisis papa, and this is grandpa," and so on, leading him from one toanother till he had introduced him to the whole party, not even omittingBaby Herbert and mammy.

  Then Frank's papa came for him, saying the air was growing very cool,and it was time to go in.

  Our friends were of the same opinion and all repaired to the ladies'saloon, where, through the children, they and the Dalys soon madeacquaintance.

  Mr. Daly was a minister going South for the winter for the sake of hisown and his wife's health.

  Cousin Ronald took Frank on his knee and asked, "What are you going todo, my little fellow, when you get to be a man."

  "Preach the gospel, sir."

  "Ah ha, ah ha! um h'm, um h'm! and what will you say?"

  "I'll tell the people we'll sing the twenty-third piece of ham. How willthat sound?"

  "Rather comical, I think, my man. Are ye no afraid the folk mightlaugh?"

  "No sir: they don't laugh when papa says it."

  "Ah ha, ah ha! um h'm!"

  Mr. Daly smiled. "I never knew before," said he, "that my boy intendedto follow my profession."

  The ladies were weary, and retired to their state rooms shortly aftertea, but the gentlemen sought the open air again and paced the deck forsome time.

  "Have a cigar, sir?" asked Mr. Lilburn, addressing Mr. Daly.

  "Thank you, no; I don't smoke."

  "Ah ha! um h'm! In that you seem to be of one mind with my friends here,the Dinsmores and Travilla," remarked Lilburn, lighting one for himselfand placing it between his lips. "I wonder now if you know what you missby your abstinence?"

  "Well, sir, as to that, I know what some of my friends and acquaintancewould have missed if they had abstained from the use of the weed. Onewould have missed a terrible dyspepsia that laid him in his grave in theprime of life; another cancer of the lip which did the same by him afteryears of horrible suffering."

  "Ah ha! um h'm! ah ha! But surely those were rare cases?"

  "I think not very."

  "You don't think the majority of those who use it feel any ill effects?"

  "I do indeed; though probably comparatively few are aware that tobaccois the cause of their ailments."

  "Doubtless that is the case," remarked Mr. Dinsmore. "I was a moderatesmoker for years before I discovered that I was undermining myconstitution by the indulgence; at length, however, I became convincedof that fact, and gave it up at once: for that reason and for the sakeof the example to my boy here, who has been willing to profit by hisfather's experience, and abstain altogether."

  "I have never used the weed in any way," said Horace, Jr.

  "And I," remarked Travilla, "abandoned its use about the same time thatDinsmore did, and for the same reasons. By the way, I met with a verystrong article on the subject, lately, which I cut out and placed in mypocket-book."

  "Ah ha! um h'm! suppose you give us the benefit of it," suggestedLilburn good naturally, "I'm open to conviction."

  "With all my heart, if you will step into the gentlemen's cabin wherethere's a light."

  He led the way, the others all following, and taking out a slip of paperread from it in a distinct tone, loud enough to be heard by those abouthim, without disturbing the other passengers.

  "'One drop of nicotine--extract of tobacco--placed on the tongue of adog, will kill him in a minute; the hundredth part of a grain pickedunder the skin of a man's arm, will produce nausea and fainting. Thatwhich blackens old tobacco pipes is empyreumatic oil, a grain of whichwould kill a man in a few seconds.

  "'The half dozen cigars which most smokers use a day, contain six orseven grains--enough, if concentrated and absorbed, to kill three men,and a pound of tobacco, according to its quality, contains fromone-quarter to one and a quarter ounces.

  "'Is it strange, then that smokers and chewers have a thousand ailments?that German physicians attribute one half of the deaths among the youngmen of that country to tobacco? that the French Polytechnic Institutehad to prohibit its use on account of its effects on the mind? that mengrow dyspeptic, hypochondriac, insane, delirious from its use?

  "'One of the direct effects of tobacco is to weaken the heart. Noticethe multitude of sudden deaths and see how many are smokers and chewers.In a small country town seven of these 'mysterious providences' occurredwithin the circuit of a mile, all directly traceable to tobacco; and anyphysician, on a few moments' reflection, can match this fact by his ownobservation.

  "'And then such powerful acids produce intense irritation andthirst--thirst which water does not quench. Hence a resort to cider andbeer. The more this thirst is fed, the more insatiate it becomes, andmore fiery drink is needed.

  "'Out of seven hundred convicts examined at the New York state prison,six hundred were confined for crimes committed under the influence ofliquor, and five hundred said they had been led to drink by the use oftobacco."[G]

  [Footnote G: J.E. Vose, in the "Family Christian Almanac," for 1876.]

  "Ah ha, ah ha! um h'm! ah ha! that's strongly put," remarked Mr.Lilburn, reflectively. "I'm afraid I'll have to give it up. What sayyou, sir?" turning to Mr. Daly, "has a man a right to a choice in such ama
tter as this? a right to injure his body--to say nothing of themind--by a self-indulgence the pleasure of which seems to him tooverbalance the possible or probable suffering it may cause?"

  "No, sir; 'What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the HolyGhost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, andin your spirit which are God's.'"

  "Right, sir, I was thinking of those words of the apostle, and alsoof these other, 'If any man defile the temple of God, him shall Goddestroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.'

  "We certainly have no right to injure our bodies either by neglect orself-indulgence. 'Know ye not that your bodies are the members ofChrist?' and again, 'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the merciesof God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptableunto God, which is your reasonable service.'"

  "It must require a good deal of resolution for one who has become fondof the indulgence to give it up," remarked Mr. Daly.

  "No doubt, no doubt," returned Mr. Lilburn, "but, 'If thy right eyeoffend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, for it is profitablefor thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy wholebody should be cast into hell.'"

  There was a pause broken by young Horace, who had been watching a groupof men gathered about a table at the further end of the room.

  "They are gambling yonder, and I'm afraid that young fellow is beingbadly fleeced by that middle aged man opposite."

  The eyes of the whole party were at once turned in that direction.

  "I'm afraid you're right, Horace," said Mr. Travilla, recalling with aninward shudder, the scene he had witnessed in a gambling hell many yearsago, in which the son of his friend Beresford so nearly lost his life."What can be done to save him? some effort must be made!" and he startedup as if with the intention of approaching the players.

  "Stay a moment," exclaimed Lilburn in an undertone, and laying adetaining hand upon Travilla's arm, but with his gaze intently fixedupon the older gamester. "Ah ha! um h'm! that fellow is certainlycheating. I saw him slip a card from his coat sleeve."

  The words had scarcely passed his lips when a voice spoke apparentlyclose at the villain's side.

  "Ah ha, I zees you vell, how you runs de goat shleeve down mit de gardsand sheats dat boor poy vat ish blay mit you. Yoh, sir, you ish von pigsheat!"

  "How dare you, sir? who are you?" cried the rascal, starting up whitewith rage and turning to face his accuser.

  "Who was it? where is that Dutch scoundrel that dared accuse me ofcheating?" he cried, sending a fierce glance about the room.

  "Vat ish dat you galls me? von Dutch scoundrel? you man mit de prokennose; I say it again: you ish von pig sheat."

  This time the voice seemed to come from a stateroom behind the gambler.Towering with rage, he rushed to the door and tried to open it. Failingin that, he demanded admittance in loud angry tones, at the same timeshaking the door violently, and kicking against it with a force thatseemed likely to break in the panels.

  There was an answering yell, a sound as of some one bouncing out of hisberth upon the floor, the key turned hastily in the lock, the door wasthrown wide open, and a little Frenchman appeared on its threshold innight attire, bowie knife and pistol in hand, and black eyes flashingwith indignant anger.

  "Sir, Monsieur, I vil know vat for is dis disturbance of mine slumbers?"

  "Sir!" said the other, stepping back, instantly cooled down at sight ofthe weapons, "I beg pardon: was looking for a scoundrel of a Dutchmanwho has been abusing me, but I see he's not here."

  "No sir, he is not here!" and the door was slammed violently to.

  "Ha, ha! man mit de proken nose, you vake up de wrong bassenger. Ha, ha!I dells you again you ish von pig sheat!"

  Now the voice came from the skylight overhead, apparently, and with afierce imprecation the irate gamester rushed upon deck, and ran hitherand thither in search of his tormentor.

  His victim, who had been looking on during the little scene andlistening to the mysterious voice in silent wide-eyed wonder and fear,now rose hastily, his face deathly pale, with trembling hands gatheredup the money he had staked, and hurrying into his state room, lockedhimself in.

  The remaining passengers looked at each other.

  "What does it mean?" cried one.

  "A ventriloquist aboard, of course," returned another. "Let's follow andsee the fun."

  "I wonder which of us it is!" remarked the first, looking hard at ourparty.

  "I don't know, but come on. That fellow Nick Ward, is a noted blacklegand ruffian: had his nose broken in a fight and is sensitive on thesubject; was cheating of course."

  They passed out, our party close in their rear.

  "Where's that Dutch villain?" Ward was screaming, following up hisquestion with a volley of oaths.

  "Who?" asked the mate, "I've seen none up here; though there are some inthe steerage."

  Down to the steerage flew the gambler without waiting to reply, andbounding into the midst of a group of German emigrants seated there,quietly smoking their pipes, angrily demanded which of them it was whohad been on the upper deck just now, abusing him, and calling him acheat, and a man with a broken nose.

  They heard him in silence, with a cool, phlegmatic indifference mostexasperating to one in his present mood.

  Drawing his revolver, "Speak!" he shouted, "tell me which one it was, orI'll--I'll shoot every mother's son of you!"

  His arms were suddenly pinioned from behind while a deep voice grunted,"You vill, vill you? I dinks not; you ish mine brisoner. Dere ishnopody here as did gall you names, and you vill put up dat leetle gun."

  A man of giant size and herculean strength, had laid aside his pipe andslowly rising to his feet, seized the scoundrel in his powerful grasp.

  "Let me go!" yelled Ward, making a desperate effort to free his arms.

  "Ha, ha! man mit de proken nose, you ish vake up de wrong bassengeragain," came mockingly from above. "It ish me as galls you von pigsheat; and I dells you it again."

  "There, the villain's up on the deck now!" cried Ward, grinding histeeth in impotent rage. "Let go my arms I let go, I say, and I'll teachhim a lesson."

  "I dinks no; I dinks I deach you von lesson," returned his captor, notrelaxing his grasp in the least.

  But the captain's voice was heard asking in stern tones, "What's thecause of all this disturbance? what are you doing down here, Ward? I'llhave no fighting aboard."

  The German released his prisoner, and the latter slunk away withmuttered threats and imprecations upon the head of his tormentor.

  Both that night and the next day there was much speculation among thepassengers in regard to the occurrence; but our friends kept their owncounsel, and the children, cautioned not to divulge Cousin Ronald'ssecret, guarded it carefully, for all had been trained to obedience, andbesides were anxious not to lose the fun he made for them.

  Mr. Lilburn and Mr. Daly each at a different time, sought out the youngman, Ward's intended victim, and tried to influence him for good.

  He thought he had been rescued by the interposition of some supernaturalagency, and solemnly declared his fixed determination never again toapproach a gaming table, and throughout the voyage adhered to hisresolution, spite of every influence Ward could bring to bear upon himto break it.

  Yet there was gambling again the second night, between Ward and severalothers of his profession.

  They kept it up till after midnight. Then Mr. Lilburn, waking from hisfirst sleep, in a stateroom near by, thought he would break it up oncemore.

  A deep stillness reigned in the cabin: it would seem that every one onboard the vessel, except themselves and the watch on deck, was wrappedin profound slumber.

  An intense voiceless excitement possessed the players, for the game wasa close one, and the stakes were very heavy. They bent eagerly over theboard, each watching with feverish anxiety his companion's movements,each casting, now and agai
n, a gloating eye upon the heap of gold andgreenbacks that lay between them, and at times half stretching out hishand to clutch it.

  A deep groan startled them and they sprang to their feet, pale andtrembling with sudden terror, each holding his breath and straining hisear to catch a repetition of the dread sound.

  But all was silent, and after a moment of anxious waiting, they sat downto their game again; trying to conceal and shake off their fears with aforced, unnatural laugh.

  But scarcely had they taken the cards into their hands when a secondgroan, deeper, louder and more prolonged than the first, again startedthem to their feet.

  "I tell you this is growing serious," whispered one in a shaking voice,his very lips white with fear.

  "It came from under the table," gasped Ward, "look what's there."

  "Look yourself."

  "Both together then," and simultaneously they bent down and peered intothe space underneath the board.

  There was nothing there.

  "What can it have been?" they asked each other.

  "Oh, nonsense! what fools we are! of course somebody's ill in one of thestate-rooms." And they resumed their game for the second time.

  But a voice full of unutterable anguish, came from beneath their feet,"'Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip thetip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue: for I am tormented inthis flame," and in mortal terror they sprang up, dashed down theircards and fled, not even waiting to gather up the "filthy lucre" forwhich they wore selling their souls.

  It was the last game of cards for that trip.

  The captain coming in shortly after the sudden flight of the gamblers,took charge of the money, and the next day restored it to the owners.

  To Elsie's observant eyes it presently became evident that the Dalyswere in very straitened circumstances. They made no complaint, but withher warm sympathy and delicate tact, she soon drew from the wife all theinformation she needed to convince her that here was a case that calledfor the pecuniary assistance Providence had put it in her power to give.

  She consulted with her husband, and the result was a warm invitation tothe Dalys to spend the winter at Viamede, where they would have all thebenefit of the mild climate, congenial society, use of the library,horses, etc., and be at no expense.

  "Oh how kind, how very kind!" Mrs. Daly said with tears of joy andgratitude, "we have hardly known how we should meet the most necessaryexpenses of this trip, but have been trying to cast our care upon theLord, asking him to provide. And how wonderfully he has answered ourpetitions. But--it seems too much, too much for you to do forstrangers."

  "Strangers, my dear friend!" Elsie answered, pressing her handaffectionately, "art we not sisters in Christ? 'Ye are all the childrenof God by faith in Christ Jesus.' 'Ye are all one in Christ Jesus.'

  "We feel, my husband and I, that we are only the stewards of his bounty;and that because he has said, 'Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one ofthe least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,' it is thegreatest privilege and delight to do anything for his people."

  Mr. Travilla had already expressed the same sentiments to Mr. Daly, andso the poor minister and his wife accepted the invitation with glad andthankful hearts, and Harold and Frank learned with delight that theywere to live together for what to their infant minds seemed an almostinterminable length of time.

  The passage to New Orleans was made without accident or detention.

  As our party left the vessel a voice was heard from the hold, crying indolorous accents, and a rich Irish brogue, "Och captin dear, help meout, help me out! I've got fast betwane these boxes here, bad cess to'em! an' can't hilp mesilf at all, at all!"

  "Help you out, you passage thief!" roared the captain in return, "yesI'll help you out with a vengeance, and put you into the hands of thepolice."

  "Ah ha! um h'm ah ha, you'll have to catch him first," remarked Mr.Lilburn with a quiet smile; stepping from the plank to the wharf as hespoke.

  "Ah, cousin, you are incorrigible!" said Elsie, laughingly.