Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-03-20

hut, lived Ben DriscOll and his wife Sally
| In other days they had been well and hap
py, and. though never forehanded, yet they
had not known want, until old age ant
sickness had deprived them Of the ability
to work. And on this cold winters might
Uncle Ben and Aunt Sally set and shivered
over the embers of such poor stuff as they
had been able to gather from the snow CO.
vered hedges. and the old man sighed
when he thought Of ilr aims house III
we could only get throU. .sh the winter. But
who's to help US !!
And Uncle Ben and his wife were
aroused from their stupor of chill and hun
ger by the tramp of feet and the hum OF
voices and very shortly The door of their
cabin was opened, and John Digby and his
companions entered. a fire speedily
0lazed upon the hearth. and good store
OF provision was opened upon the table
The old man wondered and Tom Low.
den made answer
It's all right, Uncle Ben. This is Jack
Dighy's reform club. We've stopped our
ratious of spirits and tobacco. and are 90
ing to invest the resut.in missionary Ell
terprise. We want to convert you and
Aunt Sally if we can
Convert US, Tom 2
Aye, convert you to comfort and peace,
and perhaps. also convert you to the be-
lief that there's grain of good left in hu-
manity still. We mean to take you in
hand for :he winter, and you shan't suffer
if We can help it,
The boys didn't leave the cot until they
had helped the aged couple to hearty
meal, and had piled up fuel enough to last
until they came again; and when they
finally Withdrew, the sung Of blessing WAS
sounding in tteir ears.
AMI so the reformers went on until their
nights work was done, and when they
came to separate, they declared that they
had found such enjoyment as they had
never known before.
During the succeeding week, three new
members were added to the club-mrn who
were willing to cut Og expenses for rum and
tobacco and devote the proceeds to the re-
lief of the poor aud distressed of the town
And ere long Digby's reform club be-
came a noted institution in the town. The
projectors thereof could hardly credit the
evidence of their own senses in cnnttm-
plating the results Of three months labor.
Two and twenty members had Joined. and
the fund for relief amounted to- almost for
ty dollars a week. as each man was pled.-
ed to pay in weekly the exact sum his spi-
rits and tobacco had cost him. If lie con
tinued to use tobacco, he took lower
place in the company, and the use of spi-
rits as beverage was sufficient cause for
expulsion.
When the people saw tho great good that
was being done, they were anxious to give
their aid and be counted in with the happy
crew but the laws os the club were fixed
no money could come to lis fund except
such as had been saved lay the donor from
the conquest %: some evil habit, or the cut
ting OFF of some useless luxury.
1t was bright Sabbath in the spring
time, and it had been talked that Parsun
Meekly was going preach sermon upon
Digby's reform club, and the old meeting
house was filed to Uvcrllowing. The cIer-
lyman read his text from st. Johns Cos
pel-'can there any good thing come out OF
Nazareth Come and see.' And when
he had told the story Of Digby's club, and
pictured the good results Of its labor, he
proclaimed to ALTO We and do likewise
Once John Digby and his compatriots
had fancied that it w0u.d be proud mo-
ment when they had brought the old clcr-
gyman to recognize the worth of their Ia
Dor but the blessings 0f those upon whom
their bounty had fallen had made such
sweet music in their ears, and the satisiac-
ton of duties truly done had dropped So
soo:hingly upon their souls, that they
found no room for that bastr plide which
they had afJretime anticipated.