The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-07-18
{ u : the Drink ,

! Lie Iolo"iiS WoTu picture cAudC
from the temperance lectures of John 3
Cough.
There is no power on earth that can max
fend like the power of drink. One cir
cumstancc in my own remissances | vii
go and sec the hardest case then in town.
said:
81 have no right to go and see him; h
will say to me, who sent you to see me
Who told you was drunkard You min
your own business, and will mind mine
you wait till you are sent for. 81 have m
right to go to him." said.
Well" said. he, she is hard case; h
beat daughter Of his fourteen years Of age
with shoemaker's strap, SO that she vii
carry the mark to the grave"
Said !, she's brute'
ellis wife is very i'll now with the fever
andIthe doctori thinks she can not get over it
the man has not been drinking for SOM
days, and If you can get at him now,
think you might do him good"
thought would go. l knocked at tn
door; ne came to open it. He had been q
one or two Of our meetings. The:momen,
be saw me he knew me.
Said he, "Mr. Cough, believer"
eyes, that's my name; would you b.
good enough to give me glass of water, j
you please!"
Certainly" said he "come in:
So got in. sat on one side of the ia
BILE. and he on the other. There were two
children in the room playing together; ant
door open that led into the room where
| the wife was ILL., sat and talked with hin
about everything | could think Of but tht
! subject; | talked Of trade and crops, rail
roads and money matters; and then got or
/ TO the public houses, and then drinking, ant
I he headed me OFF again.
! ! looked and thought saw a maliciou:
twinkle in his eye, as much as; tossay
Young man, you are not up to the bushes:
yet" | was about to give it up; but
think, providentially, saw the children.
| said to him, You've got two brigh
I looking children here sir"
Oh yes, yes, bright little things.
Said |. You love your children, dom
you?"
"Elcss the children! to be sure l love
them
Said I, "Wouldn't you do anything to
benefit your children?"
He looked at me as if he thought so4e-
thing else was coming after that.
Well, to be sure, sir, said he, "a man
ought to do everything to benefit his chill
drcn."
Then stood up so that might get out
of the door as speedily as possible, and said
don't be angry with me am going to ask
you a plain and simple question. You
know who | am; therefore you won't be
angry. Suppose you use no more intoxica-
ting liquor don't you think your children
would be better OFF,"
,,-.'i he taya fpa
this time"
Said |, You have got good wife, havn't
you:'
"Yes, as good woman as ever a man
had for wife"
"And you love your WIFE"
"To be sure do it is natural that q man
should love his wife"
"And YOU would do anything you could
to please yOurs?"
Well, / ought to-
"Suppose you were TO sign a temperance
pledge; would that please herr"
"By thunder, ] rather think it would
| could not do thing that would please my
wife better than that. If | 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 |, Then you will do itl'
"Yes, ] guess / will do it !" And he at
once opened 4 closet, took out pen and
ink, and | spread on, 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
drunken father was they knew what the
principle Of abstinence would do for him !;
and when he had signed, one said to the
other
Father has signed the pledge"
"Oh, N.Y. said the other, "now III go
and tell my mother!' and away he ran into
the other room.
But she had heard Of it, and listened to
her calling
Luke! Luke! Gene 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 deepI in their sockets; and with her
long, thin, and bony fingers she grasped my
hand, and with the other took the hand of
her husband, and began to tell me what
good husband she had "Luke" said she,
i" is kind husband and good father; he
takes care of the children, and is very kind
to them; but the drink! Oh! the drink
IndhtS teIIioic uiACuits. 1H1t o'hNo.y
God only and the crushed wife Of the in
temperate man know anything about it.
The man shook like a leaf; he snatched
the hand from the grasp Of his wife, tore
down her dress from the shoulders, and
said, "Look at that!" and on the white,
thin neck, close to the shoulders, was blue
mark. Said he, "look at that!" and when
l first saw the mark of bruise, l felt my
flesh creep. "Look at that sir! did it
three days before she was taken down upon
the bed and she has told you that she has
good husband. Am |? Am / good hus-
band TO her? God Almighty forgive me !"
and he bowed over that woman and wept
like child, gripped the bed clothes in his
hands and hid his face in them. And she
laid her thin hand upon his head, and said,
"Don't cry, Luke don't, please don't; you
would not have struck me if it had not been
for drink. Mr.. Cough don't believe him
he is as good a man as ever lived! Don't
cry Luke :"
One HUNDRED Tons OF GRASS TO TIE
AcRE.-Mr. James r. Nichols, of Haverhill,
n. H., writes to the Scientific American that
the statement it had published, taken from