ghtful drinker."

"How do you know when he's worse?" asked Mrs. West, for it was she.

"He won't swaller his food, mum, and you can't get no heat into him;
jest feel his hands." Mrs. West took the icy hand into her own, and
started at its chill dampness.

"This is no ordinary coldness," she said, with a nurse's quick
perception; for many years had passed since, obeying her husband's
mandate, she had found occupation for herself, and food for her
children, at the bedside of the sick and dying.

"He is dying," she said, touching the clammy forehead; "Oh, Roland, say
one word to your wife before you go." As if in answer to her appeal
there flashed a gleam of intelligence from the glazing eyes, and with a
tremendous effort one word broke from the blue lips with terrible
distinctness, and rang through the ward. It was the word "Forgive."
Then the eyes grew fixed, and the face slowly settled down into the
stillness of death. He who was once the pride of a fond father, and the
joy of a doting mother, had made his mark and gone from a workhouse bed
to answer before his Creator and Judge for the deeds done in the body.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

HOW A HUSBAND WAS LOST AND FOUND.[B]

"WELL, my girl, this is a spanking place to call our own," said Richard
Watson, as he surveyed with pride the two tiny rooms which formed the
new home to which he had just brought the woman of his choice. His
mother had left them together, after putting the last remaining touches
to the place; and they had completed their short tour of investigation,
discovering, at each step of their slow progress, some new trace of the
thoughtful care that had been bestowed upon the arrangement of the goods
and chattels with which the two young people had ventured to set up
housekeeping.

Richard was a mason by trade, and although his wages were not high,
they had enabled him to save something towards a rainy day, and to
furnish the aforesaid rooms.

Jane, his wife, had been a domestic servant in a clergyman's family for
many years, and had left, with mutual regrets, when Richard would no
longer wait for the fulfilment of her promise to him. There was only one
fault that her mistress ever had occasion to find with Jane; and, before
her maid left, she very faithfully pointed it out; showing her that
continued yielding to her failure would be likely to prove disastrous to
her happiness as a wife. Jane listened attentively, and promised