The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-05-02

THE ssTAT CONTRIBUTOR" -,
Tho Experisneo OF s.sris'' In . strictly
,-T>mrernaee Town.
D. F~-[ -. < -. :.
stopped over night in little town in
Illinois, recently, where there is = large
temperance majority among the favored
sex who sling the ballot, and The conss-
queuce is, they have dispensed altogether
: with dram shops and bars.
NO L1oEasE 70 SELL LIQUOR
is permitted to any one, and pretty sharp
watch is kept 10 SEQ that. none 10 given
away: This wouldn't have troubled me
any. and probably would not have known
it, except that tho landlord As /, registered
motioned me mysteriously into tho hall.
''stranger," said he, ~ he closed the
door, keeping his hand on the knob, ''this
10 the worst temperance town in America.
They don't allow Us to sell drop, tavern
keepers nor NO one else. Can't you buy
it At the drug store? But know how it
Is with travelling men they like a drop Of
suthiu' to take whom they get I" hotel.
Now here Quitting bis hand in his coat.
tail pocket and producing small flask
is some Now Euglau' rum thatI can recon-
mend. Take good horn; TIL do you
good. Nobody can see you"
thanked the hospitable and sympa.
thetic landlord who wanted to put the bot
tic to his neighbor's lips, but l declined.
GAN right" said he, after taking swig
himself; "whenever you feel like having =
nip just femme know"
sought my room, and WAS making my
door.
''Come in !"
He came In, good-Astured looking man,
with sunset glow on the end Of his nose,
who, with furtive glance out in tho hall,
closed the door and turned the KY. Then
he advanced mysteriously toward me on
tip-toe, with one hand to his mouth, % he
SAID "s-h-h-h," while tho other was
reaching for his ooat-tail pocket.
l WAS little startled 1t first, I must
confess. Didn't know but was to be
made victim to emotional insanity by IN
injured husband who had mistaken me for
another man. But my tears were dispellsd
when he drew out willow flask. Il is .
sufficiently deadly weapon in some hands,
1fnew, but it doesn't scare me- . IS loaded
revolver does, somehow.
''Strsnger," said my visitor, as he set
the flask down on the table, tour folks here
has got temperance on the brain. Teetotal
abstinence HIS struck in. Thar haint
been bar open goin' on two year. 3
good thing, no doubt, for them Is cant
govern their appetite for liker, but it's
kinder rough on the boys as 'casionally
likes drop. Aud its roughsr on strangers
- stops in the tsvn- gives EN- bad idea
Of the place. I seen 70 when 70 KUN in,
and thought 70 looked dry. 50 made
bold to walk up here and offer you dram
out'n my particular flask. Its good; you
can pend ont. Pure old Bourbon whisky.
right from Cincinnati =,
my mysterious aud unknown friend. -
said l. III thank you for your extremely
thoughtful kindness. An experience Of
several years in observing the effects OF
Cincinnati whisky satisfies me that you
have got good article there and one that
could safely warrant, but don't feel the
need Of any just now"
call right, old Cap" said my caller,
taking long pull at the flask himself
"All right, you don't have to. If you get
dry, though, coll on me-
1t WAS pleasant afternoon, and saunt-
cred down on to the street for walk. The
landlord was sitting on the front stoop with
aparty Of old friends, aud with that de-
desire to make it pleasant for me, which
was so marked . feature in our first inter
view, he introduced me oil around. II
there is anything like better than anoth-
er il il
BEING INTRODUCED ALL AROUND
to party, say twenty five or thirty. You
know them all the next time you see them
you know, and call their names 80 readily.
And it is 90 pleasant to be suddenly and
unexpectedly called upon to converse with
twenty-five or thirty strangers, particularly
when you are not in humor to converse
with your most common forms of American
introduction, and you know how it is
yourself.
at length mentioned that was going
to take little walk, and Immediately q
couple Of my new friends volunteered 10
accompany me and show mo the town.
After seeing the town, which didn't require
much time, % it wasn't very large, they
were very anxious that should SEQ
THEIR NEW AACs TRACK.
OF naturally yielding nature (as the
track was when l found it, complied.
praised their track, - they seemed to ex-
psct should. Told them there were few
tracts issued by the American Tract Socie-
ty equal to it. eulogized their entrance
gate. admired their gate, you know, extroll-
ed the ticket Office, and lavished words Of
highest commentator on the judges stand.
That stand, I told them could stand any
thing, snd I innooeutly inquired if it could
stand the treat.
Then they insisted on taking me up on
tho judges stand, but I stoutly resisted
that, though I finally compromised by
looking into . little room beneath the sta nd
called the judges room. Once in there
they shut The door, and--you may not be-
lieve it, but it is so-saeh Of those young
men drew flask out Of his pocket and Of
fered me drink.
will not repeat to you the indignant
and soathing Hebuks I administered to
those young men, aud tits hardly necessa-
~ for me to ssy.I empded their TASKS
both their assks-right where etood a.
sslutory warning to them against trifling
With the temperance regulations of their
native town, or attempting to lead On in
noeent traveller astray.