Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-11-01
~ n. NM y 7- |PoniERoY, TUEsDAY NoVENBER L. 1859

last two miles, whether to sound him in a
round about way, and fud out whether he
ever drank. or to put bold front on the
matter, and offer it to him at once. But
/ had never had the good luck to carry q
teetotaller, and had therefore come to the
very sage conclusion that teetotallers didn't
travel But, for once, l bad got a live
total abstinence man, actually transporting
him thirty miles on the line. l thought
him stupid--very.
Dodge's is a rum shop situated on the
Missisquoi river road. between North,
Troy and Rchford. 1t is a place Of con-
siderable no.orieiy celebrated in n the
Ecountry around as a lowliysddfsns drink
ling establishment. from which flows a
continued stream of moral and physical
death to the surrounding neighborhood.--
1t is favorite resort for the abandoned
and reckless. @
/ was not at this time a drunkard. /
was unwilling to admit that was mod
crate drinker. True, now and then, as on
the present occasion, / thought it no harm
to take drink of brandy, in order the
more effectually to keep out the cold. l
detested drunkards, | was not at all
alarmed about myself, and wondered how
any one could be so foolish as TO think me
in danger, yet my wife had often begged
me to abstain, totally. No other human
being seemed to think of such thing as
my becoming too strongly attached to my
cup My wife l thought very foolish
little love Of woman, and myself very
strong-minded man. capable Of drinking
bottle of brandy. now and then, without
becoming drunkard. On the present oc-
casion, | found no difficulty in disposing
of the brandy, without the assistance Of
my stand companion. When we arrived
at Dodge's l had drank the last drop, and
drew rein for the purpose of replenshing
my flask. o aaa. sa s @sM
"Not here, not here. friend, for Heavens
sake, have respect enough for my feelings
not to enter this miserable place. Drive
on; l have something to tell you"
He grasped the rein as he spoke. and
old solrel shot by in an instant, and went
trotting on toward Richford. He had got
something to tell me! What in the name
of nature could it be? Was it possible
that SO stupid companion had a romance
IN his life? Nothing of the kind, I was
sure. Perhaps he meant 10 regale me
with some hackneyed temperance lecture.
l consoled myself with the thought that in
the course of Two hours should be back
to Dodge's again.
"Do you see that ruin yonder, like the
remains Of one Of the primitive log
houses?" s.. n. s.. s.rH.t Tvs
"Plainly," said I. "'
"Well. sir, ten years ago this winter, l
found dear sister there--found her, sir,
found her! Rum did it! and l must
tell you the tale. was one of family
of eight children, brought up in the good
old State of Connecticut. My brothers
and sisters were all dear to me-but not
alike dear. Alice, younger than myself,
ths companion Of my youthful hopes and
struggles, was dearest of all TO me-
Amiable and gentle, she seemed pure as
the beings cf my imaginations--s concen
,ration of all that was good and lovely -,
Oh, how / loved our Alice. Too we'll,
too WE'LL She was my idol. l remembe,
how almost wished to chide her for
giving part of her love to George Dane,
the village lawyer. Iwished to be all that
was dear to her, and she was all that was
dear to ME. HuH "a@ s'"'' va 40 u
George was manly and / had no rea-
son to oppose her choice. Neither did I,
only that regretted to lose from the home
society one SO dear. They we're married,
and a life Of happiness seemed sure re-
ward for their purity and devotion. For
two years--years, that have reason to be-
lieve, Of unsu'lied joy to them--they lived
in the same village wilhus. At the end of
that time. George determined to 60 to
Nothern Vermont. They moved to T,
and for time, long and endearing letters of
thier condition and prospects. in their new
home we're received and eagerly read in the
home circle. But, after time they grew
less frequent, less encouraging, and. at the
end Of year and a half, ceased altogether.
There was cloud in their old home-a
shadow on the heartbtstone. Fearful fore
bodings were felt by that band of loving
hearts. Again aud again we wrote, but
months rolled around. and no tidings
came. But one resource remained--I
must seek my lost sister. ''7
} Permit me to observe here, my friend,
that my scruplesNwere not opposed to
spirit drinking. Twas not druakard,
but carried bottle with me al times
drank when / wanted it. and was always
in for a Jolly time. 1 was, in conlmon
parlance, a moderate drinker, as the most
debauched are. previous to becoming
drunkards. 1t there were no moderate
drinkers, there would be no drunkards.
Sin due course of time, Iarrved at my
destination in =. / was surprised At
the thriftless and general woe-begone ap-
pearance of the place. There was not a
respectable looking house in the place, no
appearance Of enterprise and business, but
. look ofwretchedness and poverty, that
made me shudder for the fate OF my dear
Alice. But Alice was gone. In answer
to my inquiries, l ascertained that they
had lived forawhile in com paratiye com
fort and responsibility, but latterly that
they had come to want, and left the viii
laue. Nothino more satisfactorv conld he