of drink. But here was something she could not understand. Here was her
only son beastly drunk, and she cried bitter tears. She took hold of one
arm and my sister the other, and we finally reached home. I was getting
pretty well sobered up by this time, and knew I was in for a lecture.
My mother hadn't whipped me of late, but I dreaded her talk, and then I
wished I had never met Mike ----.

Mother didn't say anything until we got home. She put me to bed, brushed
my clothes, and told me to go to sleep. About two o'clock I woke up.
There was mother kneeling by my bedside, praying God to save her boy and
keep him from following in his father's footsteps. I lay there and
listened and said amen to everything she asked God to do. Finally I
could stand it no longer; I jumped out of bed and knelt beside my mother
and asked God to forgive me. I threw my arms around mother's neck and
asked her to forgive her boy, which she did. I determined right then and
there to do better and never to drink any more.

I really meant to start all over again, but I didn't take Jesus with
me--in fact, I think the Devil owned me for fair. I was pretty good for
about a month, kept away from Mike and the other fellows, and mother
was delighted. But this did not continue long; I met Mike again, and
fell into the same groove, and was even worse than before.

Barnum was running his circus in New York then, and Mike and I decided
to see the show and took a day off to go. I had not got leave of absence
from work, so on our way home we planned what we could tell our bosses
when we went to work the next morning.

When my employer came in that morning I told him I was sick the day
before and not able to get out of bed. He just stood there and looked at