The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1857-10-23
MiaMLlann.
Oh! the Drinkl

/
John B. Cough;
There is no power on earth that can
make a fiend like the power Of drink
One circumstance in my own romines-
cenoes l will give you. was asked by
an individual to 60 aud eco tho hardest
case then 10 town. l said;
IL have no right to 60 and see him;
he will say to me, who sent you to sec
met Who told you / was a drunkard9
You mind your own business aud / will
mind mine; you wait till you are sent
for l have no right to so to him." l
said.
WELL said he. he is a hard case; he
beat daughter Of his. fourteen years Of
age, with a shoemaker's strap, so that she
will carry the marks to the grave
Said /. hes brute
His wife is very i'll now with the fe-
yer, and the doctor says he thinks she
cannot get over il; the man has not been
drinking for several days, and if you can
get at him now, think you might do him
good
thought I would 60. l knocked at
the door; he came to open il. He had
been at ono or two Of our meetings The
moment he saw me he knew me.
Said he Mr. Cough, l believer
Yes, that's my name: would you be
good enough TO give me a glass Of water,
II you please
Certainly. said he, come in
So l got in. | sat on one side Of the
table and he on Che other. There were
two children in the room playing together,
and door halfway open, that led into
the room where the wife was ill., l sat
and talked with him on everything l
could think Of but the subject; talked
Of trade and crops, railroads aud money
matters; and then l got on the public
houses, and then drinking, and he headed
me of again. looked, and l thought
saw a malicious twinkle in his eye, as
much at to say, Young man, you are
not up to the business yet was about
to give it up, but l think providentialy
[ saw the children.
said to him, You've got two bright
looking children here. SIR
'Ohl yes, yes, bright little .hings'
Said 1, you love your children, don t
your
Bless the childrenl 10 be sure I love
them
Said I, Wouldn't you do anything to
benefit your children?'
He looked at me as il he thought some
thing else was coming after that.
We'll, to be sure, sir, said he. "a man
sugltt0slosSNerythingt 10 benefit bis Ohild-
rem
Then stood up so that I might GET
out of the door as speedily as possible,
and said, Don't be angry with me; am
going to ask you plain and simple
Iquestion; you know who | am, therefore
you won't be angry. Suppose you never
use any more Intoxicating liquor, don't
you think your children would be better
off?'
well, WE'LL, said he, you have got me
this time
Said 1, You have got good wife,
hay'nt you?'
Yes, sir, as good a woman as ever a
man had for a wife,
And you love your wife?'
10 be sure l do; it is natural that a
man should love his Wife
'And you would do anything you could
to please yoursY
well, 1 ought to-
Suppose you wore to sign a temper
ance pledge; would that not please herY'
by thunder, l rather think it would
l could not do thing that would please
nay wife better than that If was to
put my name down there, why, the old
woman would be up and about her busi-
ness in two weeks, sick as she is
Said I. then you will do it?'
Yes, guess will do IT, And he at
once opened closet, took out pen and
ink, and spread out the pledge, and he
wrote his name.
The children had been listening with
eyes, ears and mouths wide open, while
We were talking about temperance. They
knew what a drunken father wasS they
knew what the principle Of abstinence
would do for him; aud when he had
signed, one said TO the other: Father has
signed the pledgep 'Ohl myp said the
other, now III 20 and tell my motherl'
and away he ran into the other room
But she had heard Of II; and l listened
to her calling; 'Lukel Luke como here
a moment Said he, Come in here
along with me; come in and see my
wife,
! went in and stood by her bed side.
The face was ghostly pale. the eyes large
and sunk deep in their sockets; and with
her long, thin and bony fingers she grasp
ed my hand, and with the other took the
hand of her husband, and began TO tel
me what a good husband she had
Luke, said she, is a kind husband anC
good father; he takes care Of the child
rem, and is very kind to them; but tn
drink OBI the drink makes terribl
difficulty That difficulty God oul
and the crushed wife of the intemperat
man know any thing about IL.
The man shook like a leaf, he snatche
4 the hand from the grasp of his wife. tor
! down her night dress from the shoul
! der, and said, Look at thatl' and on th
white, thin necR close 10 the shoulders
was a blue mark Said he Look az that
+ aud when l first saw the mark Of Oh
/. bruise, 1 felt my flesh creep. Look 4
3 that. sirl / did II three days before sh
d was taken down upon the bed and sh