GRAMP AND GAMECOCK 79 



than this, I know perfectly well from my ex- 

 perience on one occasion (when I arrived breath- 

 less and just in time forcibly to prevent an am- 

 bitious attempt by him to thrash a man half his 

 age, and fully his size, who had intimated casu- 

 ally that my legal attainments were not quite up 

 to the mark) that he would not tolerate any criti- 

 cism of me from any one else. 



Now my respected father spent a good deal 

 of his spare time in superintending operations on 

 my farm, and in that respect was of great assist- 

 ance to me. There was, however, one thing in 

 which I was disposed to criticise his efficiency. 



Most of the unemployed help in our town spent 

 a large percentage of their time in the House of 

 Correction for drunkenness, and in the intervals 

 between sentences worked at odd jobs until they 

 received pay enough to go on a convivial " bat," 

 and when rounded up in the Police Court, took 

 whatever sentence awaited them with cheerful 

 acquiescence. 



Knowing this, I made it a rule never to pay 

 laborers of this class until they had finished their 

 work. Now, these men knew me from bitter ex- 

 perience, and also knew my respected father for 

 reasons of a contrary nature ; and so whenever 

 they felt the desire for alcoholic stimulants 

 coming over them, they found no difficulty in 

 wheedling an advance "on account" from the 



