TOMMY’S DIFFICULT PLACE.
By Pansy
Tommy stood still in the street considering. He had come to a difficult place in life. He was errand boy in general in the great shop where he worked, and as a rule nobody could have been found more willing and prompt at doing errands than he. To-day he was troubled. In his hand were several pieces of money, and with them he was expected to buy several bottles of a certain kind of beer of which the workmen in his room were fond. Tommy had known this for several days, and that they drank too much of it. In truth, Tommy’s opinion was that a single drop was too much. But he was a new boy, and they were grown men, and of course he said nothing. He had been sent for hammers, and saws, and nails, and once for a man’s dinner, and he had been prompt and willing, but this was a new errand. He had dropped his chisel and seized his hat, from force of habit, as soon as the order came, and was out-of-doors before he had taken time to consider. Then he remembered who he was: Pledged against using beer himself, pledged to use all honorable ways to keep others from touching it. Was it “honorable” to go for it, and bring it to those tempted men? Wasn’t that a sense in which that was “touching it”? “They will get it anyway, whether you bring it or not,” said a voice in his ear. “What if they do?” said conscience in reply; “you can’t help that, but you can help carrying it to them.” “You will lose your place,” said the voice, “and the men will swear at you and cuff you.” “What of that?” said conscience; “you didn’t promise to keep your pledge if it were easy and every one treated you well; you promised”— “So I did,” said Tommy: “O, dear! I ought not to go for that beer. But I shall get into trouble; what shall I do?” Then a verse he had learned but the night before seemed to come quietly and stand beside him. This was it: “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.” “I don’t see how the Lord can help me,” said Tommy: “the boss himself drinks beer, and he’ll take the part of the men; but I’ll try it.” What a fortunate thing for Tommy that he did not have to go a mile or more to find the One who was to help! There would not have been time for that. And it was well that he did not have to kneel down in the street, for that would have brought a crowd around him, and made much trouble; all he had to do was to speak so quietly that he could not even hear his own voice. Just a call for help! No explanation was necessary. Then he turned and went quickly back to the shop. “Back already?” said one; “where is the beer?” “I can’t get it, sir; I forgot at the moment; that is, I mean I did not know what I ought to do; but I am a temperance boy, sir; pledged, you know, not to touch it nor help anybody else to it; and of course I couldn’t.” For a few seconds the shop reeked with profanity; then one, older than the others, said:— “Look here, boys; quit that. I’m no tee-totaller myself; but it would be better for me if I was. I like the chap’s pluck. I shouldn’t want my youngster to bring beer, and this one needn’t if he isn’t a mind to. We’ll let him alone.” Some of the men growled. One said: “I’ll not swallow him, but I’ll tell the boss; he said Tommy was to do our bidding.” Sure enough; the “boss” happened to appear at that moment, was appealed to, and heard the story. He turned and looked steadily at the trembling Tommy. “So that is your stamp, is it, my boy? I guess you’ll do for up-stairs; I have been thinking about it and trying to decide. You may take off your apron and report up there.” Now “up-stairs” was a pleasanter room, with pleasanter men, and the wages were a dollar a week more. Tommy had had a trembling hope that he might be promoted there by spring if he worked hard all the fall and winter. As he marched across the long room to which he was bidding good-by so soon, he smiled broadly as he said to himself, “And He bringeth them out of their distresses.”—Pansy.