He still wanted someone to show deep love for him and to take an interest
in his welfare; and though he constantly tried to smother the deep
suffering he felt it still smoldered in his heart. This, perhaps, caused
him to crave all the more tobacco that in a way had dulled his senses
and caused him to realize his troubles less.




CHAPTER V

The Card Parties


While John was forming new acquaintances at school, Satan was not
asleep. John's active mind was soon being schooled in many evils that he
had not known before. And to make the matter still worse, John's father
had a number of bachelor friends with whom he was in the habit of
meeting for pleasant evenings, and their amusements were mostly drinking
strong drinks and playing card games.

Among these men, as among his schoolmates, John became a favorite; and
he was often praised and admired for his shrewd and manly ways. And when
the report concerning his intense desire to become a man was circulated
among them, they urged him to drink beer, saying that it would make him
more manly and that all men must learn how to drink and smoke if they
would be thought of as being manly. As a result John was soon able to
drink his share of the beer, although he did not like the taste at
first. Besides this, John discovered that at these evening gatherings he
could often replenish his supply of tobacco by slipping a little from