The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-04-01
Oh! sils 6riiak.

NNoEus
There il no power on earth that can make
4 6eha like the power of drink. One cir
eumstance III my own "reminiscences I will
give you. was asked BY iii Individual tc
90 and see the hardest case then in tswn.
"I have no right to 60 and see him; be
will say to me, who sent you to see mel
Who told you 1 %as a drunkard1 You mind
your own business aAa | will rilhd iiinej
you wait till you are sent fof. / have nc
right to go to him." Isaid.
"WeII," said he, "he Il q hard case; he
beats daughter Of his, fourteen years OIL
age. with a shOetiaker's strap, SO that sHe
will carry the marks to her grave" '...
"He's brute," said /.
"His wife is very i'll now with the fever,
and the doctor thinks she cannot get over
il; the man has not been drinking for some
days. and if ydG can get at him now, think
you might do him good"
Thought ! would GO. / knocked at the
door; he caute to open il. He had been at
one or two of our meetings. The moment
hs saw me he knew me.
"MF. Cough, I believe" said Ne.
eyes, that's my name; would you be good
enough to give me a glass of water, if you
please"y .- .,-.l .... .t~ ...,..r
"Certainly," said he, "come in" 'a
Sol gotin. I sat at one side OF the table
and he on the OTHER. There were vets two
children in the room playing together, and a
door hallway open that led into the room
where the wife was ILL. sat and talked
with him about everything could think Of
but the subject; talked of trade and rail.
roads, and money matters, and then got
on to the public houses, and then drinking,
and he headed me of ugain. looked. and
/ thought saw malicious twinkle in his
eye, as If to say-"Young man, you are not
up to the business YET" was about to
give it up, but think. providentiully, / saw
the children.
] said to hiA, you've got two bright,
looking children, here, SIR" .... ..-
"Oh! yes, yes, bright little things!
"You love your children, don't you!'
said I.
"Bless the children. to be sure I love
them"
"Wouldn't you do anything to benefit your
childreu!" said I. .........~. ~.
He looked as il he thought something else
wonld come after ihat;; t'@8'.
"Well, to be sure, sir" said hs, "s man
ought to do everything to Benefit his chill
dren." .~.v. .a.. U.s..
Then I stood SO that I might get out
of the dOSt nO speedily as possible, and said:
"Don's be angry with me; I am going to ask
you plain and simple question. You know
who I am, therefore you won't be angry.-
Suppose you would not use any more iptoxi.
eating liquor, don't you think your children
would be better off," ....,. ---.
"Well. WE'LL" said he, "you have got me
this time"
"You have got a gooe wife, have you
not!" said I. !, ..,,- ....
"Yes, sir; as good woman as ever man
had for wife," *--
"Aud you love your wife!" -
$40 be sure do; it's natural that man
sho,,lS love his wife" ,-...
sand you would do anything you could to
please yours!'
"Well. ought to-"
"SupPose you,Were to sign d temperance
pledge, would thut please her!" i
"By thunder! rat"er think ii would. !
could not do thing that would please my
Wife better than that. If / was to put my
name down there. why, the gid woman
would be up and about her business. III two
weeks; sick Dc shs is." I. s-
"Then you will do 1T" said /.
"Yes. guess I will do III" and He at once
opened the closet, took out pen and ink,
and spread out the pledge. and he wrote
his name. .......s s-'...
The children had been listening with eyes
and ears and mouths wide open, while we
we're talking about temperance. They
knew what a drunken father was; they
knew what the principle OF abstinence
would do for him, and what he had signed.
One said to the othef: -' <.@
"Father has signed the pledge!"
"Oh my!" said the other, snow III 20
and tell my mother!' and away he ran into
the other room. Is -t ts.ar @~3 So s7.'t9
But she had heard of II. and I listened to
her calling
"Luke! Luke! come here moment"
"Come In here along with me; come in
and see my wife, ,'ssaid be. '
| went in and stood BY her bedside. The
face was ghostly pale, the eyes large and
sunk deep in their sockets; and with her
long, thin and bony fingers che graeped my
hand, and with the other took the hand OF
her husband, Ind began to tell me what q
good husband she had. 'sLuke," said she,
"is kind husband and good fsther; be
takes care Of The children and . very kind
to them. but the drink! oh! the drink maker
terrible difficulty" The difficulty! God On
u, and the crushed wife of the intempsrats
man. knew anything about L.
The msti shock liks ! Leaf; he shaiehee
his hand from the grasp Of bis wife. tor