The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-07-08
@tsrellanp.
OUR SATURDAY NIGHT.
How q Victory Was Won.

This warm, beautiful evening, when the
crimson sunset, the leaves nodding to thank
the rustling breeze, the light, fleecy clouds,
silent like the shadows, told of nature at rest,
and promise of q glorious morrow.
They were old friends. Friends 0fthe long
ago, when hard work curses the revilings
from those who knew us not, nor the purity
OF earnest motives were incentives to continu-
astruggling, but not so grateful as words OF
kindly meaning such as now to us from thou
sands come.
Not tonight we sit to reveries-other than
this calling up the past, and the mention Of
to-day.
Let us sect 1t was in ls64-the cold WIN
ter, when the snow was deep and the icicles
long. From an eastern city to a western one,
q man and his wife and two little ones had
come to make on the prairie, by the mighty
river, home. He was poor. He had no
friends East--he had none in the West, save
the tender-hearted woman who was the sharer
of his sorrows, his hopes, his labors, his pri-
vations--who was the mother of his babes
of her treasures.
He tried here and he tried there. He asked
this man and he asked that one for employ
ment. No Laborers were plenty. His little
store OF savings was soon exhausted. In
room-one room, over store, he found a
home for his family. /
One night, passing along the street, half
wading through the snow, we heard some
boys shouting in high glee, just around the
corner. Only crowd Of thoughtless ones
pelting drunken man with snow. 1t was
such fun When he would try to rise, they
would push him over, throw snow on him,
crowd great handsful of it into his bosom,
under his torn shirt, and up the legs of his
patched trowsers. 1t was glorious sport
The poor man begged to be let alone-but his
cries were unheeded. rr.sI.,t rsR
"Stand baI-all of you! Twenty and more
sober, cowardly men and boys to one poor
sick, drunken man Have you no hearts
Here, help us to help him up. Now 90 your
way, and thank God you are not come to this
get"
1t was hard work to walk. The poor man
was weak and cold. Slowly around corner
and three. blocks away to little store near
the river. Now the poor man shivered as if
death were shaking him into the grave! Here
we are This is the place. Two little faces
-four little eyes looking from that window,
down upon the snow and the street to see papa
come home. Tive little noses fattened against
the glass-two little heads just over the win
dow's sill-two little hearts wondering why
papa was one, two, three, four hours later
than usual this cold, wintry night They
did not know-but the keeper of noisy sa-
loon on Third street could have told them.
"This-this'll do--thank you.-Needn't 20
up-rll get along now-thank YOU'LL get
up well enough, after a fashion,"
No-you will not send us away now. We
will go up with you-no harm will come from
Up the dark stairway, into little room.
Two little prattlers turned from the window.
Two hands threw down the unfinished gar
ment on which they were at work for a tailor
tears started to two blue eycs-twO lips
parted to utter in heart.broken words s.
"Againn
Come to the fire. Off with his snow filled
coat, his buttonless vest, and with towel wipe
from beneath his torn shirt the snow forced
in there; quick before the cold strikes to the
blood III heart, and his work here be ended
forever. Wipe him dry-dry as his pockets
are. Rest him in that bed in the corner while
the little, tlmid, trembling ones crouch like
two little scared kittens, never so close in the
corner.
Speak not harshly to him, good woman.
Such words drive men farther from hearts
and homes, into the sea of dissipation. A lit
tie cloud of trouble, thick and dark, closed
before mans eyes, will often cause him to
lose his way and wallOw where he would 9th.
erwise walk.
When came the morning there was call at
the poor mans home. The story of life was
listened to. sad story-like thousands of
others. man without triends-with but lit
tie education. man whose youth had been
spent Ill ldlencss-who lived, as man, from
hand to mouth. Nothing to do. A stranger
In strange country. Too timid to stand up.
on his rights of manhood and force his way.
50 he wandered and fell AS others have.
with Il better education he could have had
work here, or there, or in that place--but the
DAY Is passing away when men of ignorance
are in demand. Education is a help. One
can lit stone, roll stone drive stake,
guide plow, fall a tree or build fence bet.
ter and easier, and quicker if he but knows
something of cause and effect of montum and
resistancc-of that or those sciences and an.
pllances we are entitled to-
That was then nearly eight years ago.
Let the man we visited speak nOw-just as
he talked with us since the sun went down.
as two OF us. earnest workers. called to see
now Jared the man of then, his wife and little
ones
Come Income right in-rlght into the
PafIor. You are Welcome.-eycn as SATURDAY.
Night Is welcome. Here good wife, he is AN
OLD friend come to see us again. Come in
call in the little ones Be seated there-there
by the open windowthc coolest place in the
room. How do You get along: Quite we'll
Judge, from what the papers say. | read all
about it, and said, Good ~ Times have