The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-04
JOHN THOMPSON - HIS DREAM.
A Temperance Story.

A Temperance Story.
1t was a drunken dream-yet singular
one. When we say it was drunken dream,
we wish to insinuate that John Thompson
was not a very respectable man. On the
contrary he was very wreck, rum-soak ed,
scorched, prematurely withered. BY his
lamentabe failure to control his appetite
for gin, he had undermined bis constitution
worn out his poor, patient wife, and inspir-
ed his four little girls with terrible idea
of his utter cruelty. Ten years before Mr..
Thompson dreamed this dream, when he
first married the bright, buoyant down. east
girl who lived with him, if anybody had
warned John that there was always danger
in even moderate drinking, he would have
felt insulted, and would probably have in
quired if they thought he was brute who
could not control his appetite; and yet, a
few years later, it was no uncommon thing
to see John standing, with bleared eyes and
shameful face, before Judge Lawton, while
that functionary inflicted the customary
ST 80. But the details of career like John
Thompson's, it is not necessary to rehearse |;
| they are too common. Let us tell about his
dream, which he dreamed on New Years
| night two years ago.
Mr. Thompson on that particular night
had spent his evening in varied pleasures.
He was an excellent workman, and on that
day had received sum Of money for work
done since his last "spree," and had slipped
| out by the back door of the building where
| he was employed, because he knew that his
thinly clad wife was waiting near the front
| door to see If she could not get q little
money OF him to buy some flannel for the
children. No doubt John felt, as he looked,
| like a cur when he did this deed, and no
wonder he projected himself with great vel
ocity into the nearest grog shop, where a
bland smile greeted him, and poured down
two heavy doses in quick succession. Then
he felt little better.
"Darn woman" he said to the bartender,
'what dogs mans footsteps
81 should say so" answered the bsrten-
der. 'why don't you make the old woman
work as you DOR
"She's lazy one" said John Thompson,
and poured down another drink, which
seemed as though it would choke him-ai
it ought to have done-and this was the
lowest point John Thompson ever reached
and this was low enough. Even the short
cropped rumseller, desperate villain as he
probably was, felt keen contempt for John
when he spoke thus OF his poor, hard-work.
ing wife, and took little pains to conceal it,
Mr.. Thompson was not yet sufficiently in
toxicated not to notice this, and as q voice
within him was expressing similar feelings
something like burning flush, not alto
gether born of alcohol, came over his PIN
ply face, and he left the shop abruptly, with
one desire uppermost in his mind-to los,
himself in the oblivion of whiskey as quick
ly as possible. But as he walked to the
next saloon, something kept dingng in hi
ears, necessarily, words to this effect
"Lisr, slanderer, coward, knave! her I'm
gers are worn with weary toll her eyes arr
dim with midnight sewing; her brain Il
weary with unvarying anxiety, and nov
she is standing in the cold, waiting fo
you" But John, though he could not dis
pute the truth of these statements, and die
not try to, merely said within himself
''Let her wait; darn q woman what dogs
mans footsteps-sh ought to starved"
Nevertheless, in spite of this defiant at
titude toward his own conscience, Their
was on Mr.. Thompson's part more livel.
desire to reach the point of drunken uncon
seriousness than he had ever known before
.ie poured dewn the drink with eager rap
idity, treated all that desired to be treated
(and they were many, and was utteil.
reckless about the change. Before nin
o'clock that night, the voice of conscience
, might have roared from the mouth of tel
FOUNDER, and John, so far from being move
or disturbed, would have returned a blan,
and tender smile. But the voice was quit
silent. At the particular hour we mention
indeed, Mr.. Thompson was engaged In
sport peculiarly absorbing TO gentlemen 4
his condition. He was in q shooting gal
! lery and saloon combined, where they wer
: shooting for turkeys, and MIR. Thompson