The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-01-27
But the geod-heartcd storekeepcr

DuI lHC SOOu-ncdTtCu StOTckeepc
who employed Sam Immediately OF
hearing the ex-suryeyor's story, sooi
! found that his new clerk had 70
gotten the excellent habit he hat
learned, but had not been SO success
full with certain other acquired accom-
plishments. He had learned to drink
and he parted with not partical e
his knowledge Oh this subject; he had
learned to make palatable beverages
from raw materials, and he freely i'm.
parted his knowledge to the customers
of the single liquor-seller who had
C 'ept into New Rochester. lie had
profited so literally by the free lunch
attachment to the Southern bar-rooms
that he suggested the idea of free
lunches to the liquor-dealer, and the
experiment resulted SO proftably that
the grateful barkeeper made Sam
welcome whenever he called. Later,
when Sans patronage seemed rather
expensive. the vender of poisons re-
membered that Sam had never been
suspected of theft, so he employed
him as barkeeper. Poor Sam was al
ready SO far gone that he could not
understand why, after his taking this
new position, the non-drinking inhab-
itants ceased 20 recognize him respect
fully. But he had his revenge, al
though he had not the slightest idea OF
t,king any; his beautiful store of
jokes, and his fine assortment of funny
songs, drew into the back-door of the
liquor shop many likely young men
whose parents supposed their sons
were visiting their neighbor's daugh-
ters.
At last Sam became too much Of a
drunkard to mix liquors correctly, SO
he lost his professional position. But
Bayne, his late employer, was not the
man to 60 back on his friends. so he
let Sam sleep on the bar at night, fed
him with his own hired man and Yp-
man, and occasionally gave him cast
off clothing, in return for which kind
ness Sam took down and put up the
shutters, made the fire, chopped wood
and made himself incidentally useful
in other ways. His principal occupa-
ton, however, consisted in wandering
about aimlessly, and chatting in de-
sultory manner to whoever would lis
ten to him. He delighted in children,
and they ia turn loved him, as the lit
tie Dutch boys and girls loved Rip
Van Wrinkle. Occasionally an observ
ing parent would notice that while
Sam could have the society of chill
drcn he never asked for liquor. but no
parent ever thought of making prac-
tical use of his observation.
All the ministers tried their hands
on Sam, and he cordially agreed to
everx-propesition they advanced.=
Once, in the midst of an earnest SER
mon by the Methodist pastor, the sub
ject being, "Our Home in Heaven"
poor Sam burst out crying, and his
which took place soon
after, was the precursor of a mighty
revival. But the brethren were SO
busy rejoicing over the reclaiming of
Sans soul, that they forgot all about
the needs of his body, until one Of
that peculiar class of benevolent peo-
pie who must be Sataa's especial dar-
lings, offered him his board for a
steady job of wood-chopping. The
new doctor took it upon himself to
visit soma of the faithful, and say that
Sans system could not meet the de-
m ,de upon it, and that he must
return to his cups if something were
not done for him but the new doctor,
besides being a sort of interloper, was
not q religious man, and could not be
expected to understand the things of
he spirit. So his prophecy was per-
nitted to be fulfilled.
After this relapse Sam went to the
logs. To be sure, the New Roches-
,er dogs never lacked food. Sam
lung about sugar-camps,l ,loggers' huts,
soap boilings, and other places where
small services would earn full meal
md bed OF leaves. Sam appeared
It every temperance meeting, and al
ways signed the pledge; and no one
who looked into his eyes when he did
t could ever accuse him of insincerity.
. curious citizen once gave Sam a
quarter to publicly put himself under
he fingers of lecturing phren olo-
,ist, and the lecturer said something
about congenital lack of vitality, and
nourishmcnt in early years.
For few mo ments all good people
IN the audience thought that some
hing should be done for Sam; then
hey wondered what it should be, and
hey never reached the end of their
wonderings
And yet there was good blood in
Sam. 1t was not until he was very
far gone that he began to boast of such
virtues as he had remaining, and then
the inha bitahts discovered to their as
that Sam said what was
true when he claimed that he never
lied, stole, or was unchaste. TO be
8 ire, he did not always pay his board
bills as promised, and to accept credit
when he was not certain of paying
was an effense which some honest
people class with theft; but these
faults were, at New Rochester as well
as elsewhere, practiced rather as bus.
mess virtues than as misdeeds. Sam
boasted, too, that he wasn't a coward,
and, i'll the absence of any proof to
the contrary, people believed him
but they agreed among themselves
that he might with propriety exchange
his courage for some more useful vir-