soon, in my stocking feet, holding my shoes in my hand, I would drop
quietly out of my window into the garden, and as quick as I could, by
previous arrangement, would join the others in a game of cards for the
smokes or the drinks. Father more than once said, 'Joe, I've heard
you're keeping bad boys' company. I hope it isn't true. If I have your
word for it that it isn't, I'll believe you, because _I've never yet
caught you in a lie_.' I confess I used to feel awfully ashamed and
guilty as I'd say, 'Whoever told you that told you a lie. You know
where I am at nine o'clock, sir.' And he'd say, 'That's so, my boy.
They must have mistaken somebody else for you.' But I knew better.

"When I was about sixteen, I went to work driving a bakery wagon, so
that I didn't see quite so much of my former pals, but delivering bread
took me into places where no honest or moral man or boy ought to even
dare to set his foot, let alone one like me; so I fell still further.

"For all that, a pure, good girl fell in love with me, and I with her.
I hated to deceive her, but made up my mind that I would cut it all out
when we were married, if she'd promise to be my wife; and so we became
engaged. But--I didn't cut it out. More than once she said, 'O Joe,
you've been drinking! I smell it.' I'd laugh, and make some kind of an
excuse, and she'd forgive me every time. Say, Mother Roberts, I hated
myself from head to foot for lying as I did to that pure, sweet girl."

"Go on, Joe, I'm listening."

"One night I joined the boys in a game of cards in a saloon on Sequel
Avenue. It appears that Mr. L----, the proprietor, who, by the way, was
a veteran G. A. R. man, had received quite a sum of money that day--his
back pension. _As God is my judge, I did not know this when I went in