Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-06-25
Temperance.
A TRUE STORY.

From a little village snugly nestled be-
tween the hills in one of our Connecticut
towns, load of household goods is
going out, and as the horses are climbing
the hill let us glance at the cause. Alas
The childleSs widow, who is taking all
she has left back to her girlhood's home,
was drunkard's wife,
Her husband was man who had
wrecked splendid capabilities for useful
ness by binding one little thread of habit
around the soul for gradually the threads
increased, each one stronger and thicker
than the last, till finally they all commin-
gled into a mighty chain that in his man.
" strength he could not break, and had
Sunken to the wretched position of bar
tender. One Wednesday morning he arose
as well as usual, and as he entered the
hotel-he resided in little cottage across
the yard-with bated breath, the sentence
greeted him: ''The prosecuting agent is
coming" and his strong physique was
soon laboring nightly to secrete ali
traces of the liquor fiend; in the after
noon he complained ofhis side and breast
On Thursday at about the hour he was
lifting so heavily the morning previous,
a physician was summoned. He was de-
lirious, and in those awful rawlings the
one great anxiety was that his employers
liquor should not be discovered. Strong
to the very last, he would spring from
his bed, defying doctor and nurses, and
stealthily 90 around the house trying the
doors and windows to make sure that the
liquor was safe. He had forgotten that
the liquor was not there, and Saturday
night his life went out with only that one
care upon his soul.
That that man was dead startled every
person in the village ON that quiet Sab
bath morning; and was that lesson
enough! No. At the place where the
liquor was secreted d fine, gentlemany
man in his bearing, was boarding He
had not long been resident Of the vii
lage; had evidently seen better days, and
went to and from his place Of business
ever thought Of him as a drinking man,
for his native refinement made him shrink
from any public appearance when under
the influence of liquor. He had been on
a spree, and only for day or two had
been attending little to his work. On
that Sabbath morning as he was told of
the death of S. c., his little remaining
strength seemed prostrated and he said
to member Of the family where he was
boarding, "What if should be dead next
Sunday morning?" He soon grew worse,
and never rallied from the stroke; and
ceased to breathe on Tuesday morning,
Was that enough? 1t would seem as if
the sight Of that stricken wife fastening
from her distant home in answer to the
telegram, the sight of that coffin borne
to the depot, shutting out forever and so
suddenly the form of him who had gained
the respect of those who did not know
his habits, ought to be enough. And to
those who had helped to place him there
by tempting him to drink, would be a
lesson they must heed. But, alas another
has been added.
One who in his glorious manhood had
won many friends, is shut away from our
eyes-and why? Because he could not
say no to the tempter. He was as flax
in the fire, and he knew it, and he did not
know God and put his weakness in those
strong, mighty hands that would have
held him safely.
When his habits had untitled him fol
the position of trust he was holding
duties which he always accomplished
when he was himself to the more thar
satisfaction, the admiration of his EN-
ployerS-and that position was takel
from him, he knew why. He had NJ
hope. The habits he had formed little b,
little had become the chain which h
knew he could not break anywhere, TO
temptations were everywhere, and in hi:
weak physical condition disease of tn
brain set in, and he died suddenly with
out God and hope.