e
night afore they 'ad 'im tattooed."

TO HAVE AND TO HOLD

The old man sat outside the Cauliflower Inn, looking crossly up the
road. He was fond of conversation, but the pedestrian who had stopped to
drink a mug of ale beneath the shade of the doors was not happy in his
choice of subjects. He would only talk of the pernicious effects of beer
on the constitutions of the aged, and he listened with ill-concealed
impatience to various points which the baffled ancient opposite urged in
its favour.

Conversation languished; the traveller rapped on the table and had his
mug refilled. He nodded courteously to his companion and drank.

"Seems to me," said the latter, sharply, "you like it for all your
talk."

The other shook his head gently, and, leaning back, bestowed a covert
wink upon the signboard. He then explained that it was the dream of his
life to give up beer.

"You're another Job Brown," said the old man, irritably, "that's wot you
are; another Job Brown. I've seen your kind afore."

He shifted farther along the seat, and, taking up his long clay pipe
from the table, struck a match and smoked the few whiffs which remained.
Then he heard the traveller order a pint of ale with gin in it and a
paper of tobacco. His dull eyes glistened, but he made a feeble attempt
to express surprise when these luxuries were placed before him.

"Wot I said just now about you being like Job Brown was only in joke
like," he said, anxiously, as he tasted the brew. "If Job 'ad been like
you he'd ha' been a better man."

The philanthropist bowed. He also manifested a little curiosity
concerning one to whom he had, for however short a time, suggested a
resemblance.

"He was one o' the 'ardest drinkers in these parts," began the old man,
slowly, filling his pipe.

The traveller thanked him.

"Wot I meant was"--said the old man, hastily--"that all the time 'e was
drinking 'e was talking agin beer same as you was just now, and he used
to try all sorts o' ways and plans of becoming a teetotaler. He used to
sit up 'ere of a night drinking 'is 'ardest and talking all the time
of ways and means by which 'e could give it up. He used to talk about
hisself as if 'e was somebody else 'e was trying to do good to.

The chaps about 'ere got sick of 'is talk. They was poor men mostly,
same as they are now, and they could only drink a little ale now and
then; an' while they was doing of it they 'ad to sit and listen to Job
Brown, who