supper. I thought that all she had to do was to look in my face and she
would know that I had broken my promise, and I was ashamed. She came up
later and asked me what was the matter, and I said I had a headache. If
I had had the courage to tell her then, things might have been
different! She brought me a cup of tea and bade me good-night.

The next night the Devil steered me into the same saloon. I drank again
and again, till finally I could drink as much as any man, and it would
take a good deal to knock me out.

I was still working for the merchant on Broadway, and my prospects were
of the brightest. They all liked me and gave me a raise in salary, so I
was now getting five dollars a week. But, you see, I was spending money
on pool and drink, and five dollars didn't go so very far, so I began to
steal. I had charge of the stamps--the firm used a great many---and I
had the mailing of all the letters. I would take out fifty cents from
the money and balance the account by letters mailed. I began in a small
way, and the Devil in me said, "How easy! You're all right." So I went
on until I was stealing on an average of $1.50 per day. I still kept on
drinking and playing cards. I had by this time blossomed out as quite a
poker player and could do as many tricks as the best of them. I used to
stay out quite late, and would tell mother that I was kept at the
office, and little did she think that her only son was a gambler!

The Bible says, "Be sure your sin will find you out," and it proved true
in my case. One night I was out gambling, and had had quite some luck.
The fellows got to drinking, and in fact I got drunk, and when I started
for home I could hardly walk. I fell down several times, when who should
come along but mother and sister, and when they saw me staggering along
they were astonished. I heard my mother say, "Oh! my God, my boy, my
only son, oh! what happened to you?" Mother knew without asking what the
matter was. She had often seen father reeling home under the influence
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