Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-11-27
ssChalk Your Own Door, .


him Jerry Marden, and within six
weeks he was known as Jerry Mud
die. Who gave him that name, and
why was it given? The giver is un-
known-for who ever knows the Civ
er of nicknames ?-but the reason for
its being bestowed was that Jerry
was always muddled with drink.
Jerry was very good shoemaker,
but he stood no chance with George
Stevens, sober man, and SO drifted
| into becoming a cobbler.
Jerry's one idea was to get a job,
and having done it, to invest the
proceeds in drink at his favorite beer
shop, s:The Dram Arms" The con-
sequence was, that Jerry was seldom
sober, and had he not possessed an
iron constitution, two years of such
a life must have killed him; but he
dragged on, working to-day and idl-
| ing tomorrow, and drinking when
ever drink could be got, and fin
ally he drifted into debt.
His score at ssThe Dram Arms
was large one, and the chalks stood
up against him like files of soldiers
but Jerry ignored their existance- :
paying on little now and then, and
drinking more, each time increasing
the army of debt against him, until
one evening Mr.. Richard Rewitt, the
landlord of the aforesaid "Oram
Arms" cried 'shalt."
81 can't go on any longer, jerry
he said. ssThe last sum / had Of
you was three shillings, and yor
have paid me nothing for fort
night" !"
"Work is slack" murmured Jerry
"but the harvest is coming on anC
then everybody will have their soline
and heeling done, and / shall be abl'
to pay you off.
"Perhaps so,' returned Mr.. Re
witt; "but you will have as much a!
you can do to square off what is III
there. Look at them. Those chalk'
are standing disgrace to any man
You ought to be ashamed of your
self"
Jerry looked at the accusing
marks, and really felt aghast at tn
long list against him. The inne
door of the bar was regular black
board, and he trembled before it.
Now when Jerry first came t.
"The Dram Arms" the landlord wa
very polite to him, and spoke as sof
as you please to him. No spider
courteousley entreating fly to ente
into his parlor, could have been NOR
oily-tongued or smiled a more per
suasive smile-that is, presumin,
that spiders do smile, which is jus
possible; but when Jerry got int
the tolls, and had been confined il
the web, mine host put on anothe
face and tone.
eff you drink" he said, ''yo
must expect to pay for it. My brew
er wonld stand no nonsense from me
and must have my money fror
YOU"
"Only one pint" pleaded poo
Jerry.
"Not half a pint" replied th
landlord. ssGo home and work an
pay your debts like a man."
The entrance of customer wit
| ready money cut short the converse
ton and Jerry stood back pace {
two while the other was being ser,
ed. When that was done and tt
beer drank and the stranger gon'
E Jerry made final appeal.
GIVE been a good customer
: you, Mr.. Rewitt. Almost every pei
ny I've earned has come into yol
till. I've nigh lived on beer, if Ii
ing it can be called, and my Wi
o and children have had to shift no
e they could for bread"
e ''That's nothing to me,'' said Il
landlord.
"Let me have one pint.
: 'sHave you the impudence to az
. for it with this shameful lot of chall
e staling you in the face?'
o Jerry did not reply, but he took
s long and earnest look at the recor
0 ing files, and drawing his hand aero
. his dry mouth, hurried out of ct
Dram Arms
;. "Who is that you've been talkil
IS to, Richard ?" inquired Mrs. Rewi
a, entering the bar from a room /
D hind.
u "Jerry Muddle," was the repl
- ssI've stopped his drink until he pa
n up"
a "Then he will 60 to The Gre
I'd Goose and get his drink there
g, said Mrs. Rewitt.
"They won't trust him a penny
~ returned her husband with a grin
- : sshe's tried it on and failed, and
ID I've got him. If he don't pay
?" I'll make him.
Id s'There's nothing to be got out
20 that house," said Mrs. Rewitt, sh:
oa inc her head. "I'ye heard Il
:, there's not chair for them to
ht, down upon: and Jerry's wife-clt
IL, and tidy as she manages to keep b
ell self, looks more like skeleton tt
'p' a woman
That's Jerry's lookout" repl