The daily gazette., 1875-07-16
John TOdd's Reformation.

1 oVsSss AO&u o AtC/O HtuttOHs
1t is not unfrequently happens thai
when prayers, and entreatios, and
shame, and degradation, have failed te
check man in his down hill course
some incident seemingly changes the
whole current of his life. have sucL
an incident in my mind. You may
know my hero as John Todd. A few
yet living will know him by another
! name.
John Todd had sunk very lew: Once
he had been gay, handsome and happy
When he made Mary Somers his wife,
there was not a young man in our vii
llage whose prospects seemed brighter.
But the demon of drink seized him.
1t was gradual growing of appetite
and a gradual going down. Wife and
children were neglected; true friends
were forsaken; the low and debased
were his chosen companions, and pov
erty and what fell upon his once happy
household.
For months and years his friends
tried to save John Todd. They expos
tulated, they prayed, they begged,
they reasoned, but all to no avail, and
at last they gave it up.
One night, quivering and shaking.
with not a penny in his pocket, John
Todd entered his dilapidated home,
end asked his wife for liquor. She
told him there was not q drop in the
house. He cursed her savagely, and
then commenced to search, protesting
to believe that she had liquor hidden
away somewhere. At length, away
back on one of the shelves of a small
locker over fire place he found q bottle
the contents of which smelled like
rum. As he raised it to his lips; his
wife, who had been watching him,
sprang forward and dashed the bottle
from his hand, shivering it upon the
hearth.
With fierce oath John Todd smote
his wife to the floor, supine upon the
broken glass, and then staggered away
to his bed. He would not go out again
for he had no money.
On the following morning his Oldest
child, girl of twelve years, came to
his bedside.
go, papa, do you know what you
did last night?"
He had dim recollection, but made
no reply.
"You knocked mama down, and cut
her badlYr"
AYE, aye, she-she"-
"She saved your life, papa, That
was poison In the bottle you were
holding to your llps-a most dreadful
poison"
Poison. child?"
eyes, don't you remember what
grandma sent over for mama to kill
bugs with? 1t was corrosive sublimate
and alcohol"
John Todd sank back upon his pill
low, and did not get up until noon.
When he arose he was very weak and
tremulous. He dressed himself and
went out into the kitchen, where he
saw his wife standing by the fireplace,
with napkin bound around her head.
He went to her side, and laid his hand
upon her shoulder. She turned and
looked into his face, but he did not
speak. He only kissed her and then
went out.
Only kissed herl What did it mean ?
Mary Todd caught her hands over her
heart to crush back the sudden, surg
ing hope. 1t were madness to hope
ho" 1Auo JCtp WAoh ehO AhPACoo VI
the kiss upon her cheek, and with the
memory of the look that had accom-
panied it, she knelt down and wept
and prayed.
John1odd went away into the woods,
where he wandered until nightfall and
with the last cleaning of the setting
sun he was upon his knees, his palsied |
hands reverently folded, speaking a |
VOW to Heaven that his home should |
be once more happy if he could make |
1t so.
Out of the darkness of desolation,
even in the midst of ruin, comes the |
angel of hope and promise to the strick-
IN home. Mary heard, and saw, and
.ook heart, and gave her smile and
blessing to the work.
This was twenty years ago. John
Todd has kept the faith from that day
10 this. He is beloved, respected, ,and
wherever he is known; and
happier woman than his wife is not to
m fo,,pd anuuyhoro - oTopT