Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-09-07
Read This Story. BOYS!

Gentlemen, said repentant drinking
man, at a temperance meeting held in,
during the Murphy excitement, gentlemen,
it has cost ME $4,000 to bring my nose to
its present state of perfection. $4,000!
And what did he have besides his red nosef
An aching and remorseful heart, q pain
racked and diseased body; a home where a
miserable woman probably dragged her
weary life along in wretched, hopeless apa~
thy, crushed and bowed to the earth by the
shame Of being drunkard's wife. $780,
e00!" wrore the recording angel, and turned
in stern sorrow from the page. "$10,000!'
chuckled the rum seller; Il am that much
richer-am not a lucky MANI" "$10,0OOr'
said the devil; what fool! I'll have him
surely if he doesn't look out" $4,000, "
whispered little boy away back in the
corner, whose father was killed in drunk
en- braw1. $4,000 would have made my
mother happy, and / wouldn't have to sell
stay out of school when my heart is hun
cry for books" "$10,000!"s oliloquized the
young man who drank a little, II can't af-
ford that" and he signed the pledge,
though he did not mean to. The confess
sion WAS like spark that few into the
fame, snd ran with vivid tongues OF fire
through the vast audience. The little boy
went Forward with the throng with all the
lnanliness of Is. He wrote his name as
well as he could, and proudly took his
pledge card. When be thought himself un-
noticed he wrote slyly on its back: $780,
600 saved for mother by not drinking.
That Was exactly the way he wrote it. SO
you need not laugh. Maybe his own faith
or had wasted ais much over his cups, and
his ehild had no time to learn to spell. He
was busy Sill day at anything to turn an
honest penny, and nights, poor little fellow,
he was too tired and sleepy to even look at
book. Ss .' 5rt. n 4 = r. I W >. t.1%
r How do I know what he wrote7 In pass
ing out his precious card was Brushed from
his hand. He could not gn back for the
tbrong pressed on. %% :.
{, It was picked up by the janitor, given to
one Of the officers in charge; was next
day posted on an immense blackboard, and
served Us q text fof one Of the most mag
Iifcent lectures of the course. What lot
OF wet han lkerchiefs there were when the
speaker was through Flew red the ladies'
eyes were-almost as red as the Grunkard' g
nose! And Jimmy-there, didn't mean
to tell one bit Of his name-who had stolen
back to get his treasured card. and see If
he could sella few books and papers,
trembled Like leaf with excitement, to
think he was the hero Of ali that grand tall,
and the color went in anil out Of his cheeks
with Just that quiver you have seen in the
sky when the northern LIGHTS wave and
tremble. By and by the gentleman called
his name; and somebody put him
on The platform, and there WAS such 9
stamping and clappipg as you never heard
Of before in your life. And how did it all
end2 Why, good people interested them :.
selves in the child and its naothsr, and
Jimmy goes to school now and his mother
is matron in temperance house, and
some day, if you don't study hard. boys,
Jimmy Will be ut the top Of the ladder while
you are Just beginning to climb. + want
You to remember the man-for he was 9
real living man who said: IT cost me
SIC, 900 to bring my nose TO its present
state Of perfection" and think q The boy,
q drnnkard's orphan, who resolved 70 says
$40, 600 for his mother by not drinking;;''
and Il you are tempted "a drink, SEQ It you
can not mako and keep good resolution.