As Quick As The Telephone

Olie nijrh't a well-known eitizen oí a western city, who had been walktag for eomc time in the downward path, carne oint of his house and started down to-wn for a niglvt of carousal witto eome oíd eonipanions lie had pTomteed to meet. Hiis young wife tiiaö besoiight hian wtth implorlng eyes to epemid tlie evening wilth lier, and hiad remimded him of the. time when evenings paesed in tor company were all too shiort. Hfe lüttle danghter had eluing about liiis knees and coaxed in her pretty, wUial way for "pa1 pa." .to teil ter some bed-time stories; trat h.abït was stronger than love for plvild a.nd wifo, and he eluded her tender queetioniiiigs by tlie deceits and excuses which are tlie comvenient refuge oï the intemperate, and so went on his way. When he wns gome bl-oi-ks distant früin tome, he found tlia.t in changiag hi's voat he had ïorgotten to remove his wallet. auid he could not go on a driaikhig bout without money, eveu thouifli he kmew lite famiiy needed it, auid luis wiEe was eooóomizing every da.y inore and more in order to make u.p Ji'te déficits; so he hurried back and orept softly past tlue window of hlB lHlttle hiome in order th-a-t he might steal in and obtain it wlttout running the gaumtlet of either questions or caresses. Bnt as he looked throusth the window Bomettdng stayed h;s feet; there was a fio-e in the grate within- for tta nilghit was chilly- and it lit up the little pa-rlor and brought out iu Ktartlimg effect the pictures on the wal!. Hut these were nothins to the pictures on the hearth. There in the soit gl'ow of tlve fili-elight knelt his cliild at her mother's feet, lts small hands clasped in prayer, its fair liead bowed; an,d, as its rosy lips whispered ■each word with ehildish distinctness. the father listemed, spell-bound, to tire words whdch he hhnself had so often uttered at Mb own mother's kne: ■■Xow I lay me down to sleep." His tlioughts ran back to his boybood days, aind as he compressed his beaa-ded lips hie could see in memory tthe face of that mother, lons since goqie t'O rest, wlio had tauglit his owa iafant Lips prayers which he liad long ago lorsotten to utter. ïhe chJJd went on and completed hier little ver.se, and th.eu, as prompted by thie mother, eomtinued: 'Goid bless mamma, papa and my OAvn eeli"- thiein there was a pause, and ehe lvfted her troubled blue eyes to hier mofcher's face. "God bk's papa," prompted the mother oitly. "God blet-s papa," lisped the little ome. "And - please send him home sober.'' He could not hear the mother as she eaid tliils, but the child followed in a cleíir, iinspired tone: "God- bless "papa- and please- send - hiim- home- sober. Amen." Mot'her and child sprang to their feet in alarm when the door opened so suddenly, but tliey were not afraid when they saw who it was, returned so 'soon; but that night when little Mary was being tucked up in bed, after suich a romp with papa, she said in the sleepiest and most contented of "voices: "Mamma, God answers almost aa quáck as thie telephone, doesn't he ?"