St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-05-14
Mtistellallu.
MAN AND HIS MASTER.
BY JOHN D. COUGH.

lHelc IL uO power on earLn LnaC Will
make man tiend like the power of
drink. One circumstance, in my own
"reminiscences l will give you. l was
asked by an individual to go and see
the hardest case then in town. said
II have no right to go and see him !;
he will say to me, Who sent you to
see me who told you was drunk
ard ? You mind your business, and
will mind mine you wait till you are
sent for" Il have no right to 20 to
him." l said. "Well," said he, "he is
a hard case he beat daughter of
his, fourteen years of age, with shoe
makers strap, SO that she wiz carry
3 mark to the grave" Said l "He's
u brute" His wife is very ill now
with the fever, and the doctor says he
thinks she cannot get over it the
man has not been drinking for some
days, and if you can get at him now l
think you might do him good"
thought l would go.
/ knocked at the door he came to
open it. He had been to one or two
of our meetings. The moment he saw
me he knew me. Said he, Mr.. Cough,
l believe 2" "Yes, that is my name ;
would you be good enough to give me
glass of water, if you please ?"--
Certainly" said he "comc in" So
got in. sat on one side of the ta-
BILE and he on the other. There were
two children in the room playing to-
gether, and door half way open, that
led into the room where the wife was
i'll. sat and talked with him about
everything / could think of but the
subject l talked of trade, and crops,
railroads and money matters and
then got on to the public houses,
and then drinking, and he headed me
off again. looked, and l thought
saw a malicious twinkle in his eye, as
much as to say, Young man, you are
not up to your business yet" l was
about to give it up; but l think prov
identially saw the children. l said
to him. You've got two bright look
ing children here, sir" "Oh yes, yes,
bright little things |" Said l, You
love your children, don't your" "Bless
the children, to be sure love them "
Said !, Wouldn't you do anything
to benefit your children?"
He looked at me as if he thought
something else was coming after that.
"Well, to be sure sir" said he, "a
man ought to do everything to benefit
his children" Then l stood up, so
that l 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 question 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 bet
ter Oft"
"Well, WE'LL" said he, "you have
got me this time"
Said l, "You have got a good wife
haven't your"
Yes, sir, as good a woman as ev-
er man had for wife,"
"And you love your wife 2"
"To be sure / do; it is natural that
a man should love his wife"
"And you would do anything you
could to please yoursf"
Well, ought to-"
Suppose you were to sign tenn
perance pledge; would that please
her 2"
"By thunder, rather think it would ;
l could not do a thing that would
please my wife better than that. If l
was to put my name down there, why,
the old woman would be up and about
her business in two weeks, sick as
she is."
Said l, "Then you will do it?"
Eyes, l guess / will do it, And
he at once opened a closet, took out a
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 we're talking about temperance.
They knew what drunken father was
they knew what the principle of absti.
nence would do for him and when he
had signed, one said to the other -
!" Father has signed the plelEs -
I" Oh my4n said the other now TN
go and tell ny mother II and away he
ran into the other room. But she had
heard Of it and listened to her eel
hing Luke! !! Luke camc here . mo
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