The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1877-03-29
REAL LIFE.
A Temperance Tale.
By THE AUTHOR OF "HELEN's BABIES"
From the Christian Union
CHAPTER III.


The first task to which the peniteni
Crupp devoted himself Oh the morn
ing after the meeting was hardly thai
which his new admirers had supposed
he would attempt. They imagined
he would knock in the heads of hi.
barrels and allow the accursed con.
tents to flood his cellar; but Crupp, OF
the contrary, closed out the entire lot
for cash, at the highest prices he could
exact from men with whom he had
lately been in competition. 'Twas q
splendid lot Of liquors. said Crupp,
in the course Of AN explanatory speech
at the post Office, while everyone was
waiting for the opening of the regula,
daily mail; "a,id though do fee
above sellin' 'em over the counter
they're better for men that wW drink
than any that have ever come into
Barton since I've been here"
With easier mind ani heavier
pocket, the ex-rumseller then called
upon the Rev. Jonas Wedgeweii.-
That good mans domestic. although
from an evergreen isle whose children
do not generally regard whiskey with
adherence, had sympatheticaily
caught the spirit of her employers,
and Is she had not heard OF Mr..
Crupp's change Of mind she left him
standing on the piazza while she cali
ed Mr.. Wcigewell. The divine de-
scended the stairway two steps at a
time, dived into the parlor and had a
congra;u!atory speech half delivered
before he discovered that the new CON
vert was not there. He wildly shout
ed "Mr. Crupph traced the penitcnt
by his voice, escorted him 10 the bar
lor with a series of hand-shakinps,
shoulder-pattings, and bows, and
forcibly dropped him into an elegant
chair which Mr.. Nedgewell had
bought only to show, and in which
no member OF the family had ever
dared to sit.
"Ah, my valiant friend" said the
Rev. Jonas, hastily drawing a chair 10
Mr.. Crupp, and shedding upon him
the full efiulgence of countenance
beaming with enthusiastic alteration,
1.-THE morning songs Of the angels of
God must have been sweeter this
morning as they thought of your no.
BILE deed, You have cast off the shack
les of a most accurscd bondage =
Doubtless you wish to fulfill all the
conditions of the liberty which Christ
hath made you free. The church -"
Excuse me, parson,' interrudted
Mr.. Crupp, 'but | don't want to join
the church-not Just now, anyhow
l.
wish TO consecrate your ill-gotten
gains to the services of the Lord" I"
broke in the good pastor, but Mr..
Crupp frowned, then poutcd, then
compressed his lips tightly, and gave
80 sudden twitch as to wrench one
of the joints of the sacred chair, as he
replied:
mo, sir, don't, for haven't any
ill-gotten gains. never sold any
thing but good liquor, and the price
was always fair. never sold any
liquors to a drunken man, either
What came to you for is this: |
know who drinks, when they drink
what they take, and know pretty
well ,chy they drink. Some of them
signed the pledge last night, and
they're going to have an awful hard
job in keeping it,
prayer interrupted The min
lister, but the hard headed Crupp
quickly completed the sentence:
Prayer never cured "A dyspeptic
stomach, that I've heard of, and
don't believe it'll take away mans
hunger for whiskey. These fellows
that's been drinking, AMI have got
anything to 'em, can be kept from
falling into the old ways again, bat
they've got to be handled carefully,
and what came to you for was to ask
who was going to do the handling
You know who's free headed with
money in your congregation, and free
headed men ought to be free hearted.
Pm going to Dominic Brown on the
same errand, and to the other preach
ers, too"
Mr.. Crupp's speech consumed only
moment of time, but its effect upon
ths preacher was wonderful--and de-
pressing. From being mirror of ir-
repressib!c Christian cxultation, Mr.
Wedgwcll's face became as solemn as
it eyer was when he bemoaned from
the pulpit the apathy of the elect
His eyes enlarged behind his glasses,
and he stared for moment in an alb
stracted manner at a dreadful chrome
which no one in active possession Of