The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-05-25
JIMMY'S LECTURE.


an notwithstanding woman as she hand
ed her little son the brown jug which
she had just found hidden in the shed.
Father won't like it." began the
boy, cycling the ugly thing with look
of fear and hate; for it made mother
and father brute.
Il said I'd make way with it the next
time / found it, and l Wilt It's full,
and / don't feel as if / could live
through another dreadful time like the
last. If we put it out of sight, may be
father will keep sober for another
month. Go quick, before he comes
home. " And the poor woman pushed
the boy to the door as if she could not
wait minute till the curse of her life
was destroyed.
Glad to comfort her, and have the fun
of smashing anything, Jimmy ran off,
and, giving the jug a good bang on the
post, let the whisky run where It would
as he flung the pieces into the pig-pen,
and went back to his work.
He was only eleven; but he struggled
manfully with the old saw, and the
tough apple-tree boughs he had collect
ed for fuel. 1t was fathers work, but
he neglected it, and Jimmy wouldn't
see mother suffer from cold, so he
trimmed the trees, and did his best to
keep the fire going. He had to stop
often to rest, and in these pauses he
talked to himself, having no other COM
pany.
Not long after the destruction of the
jug, he heard a great commotion in the
pen, and, looking in, saw the two pigs
capering about in a curious way. They
ran up and down, squealed, skipped and
bumped against one another as if they
didn't see straight, and had no control
of their legs.
Jimmy was much amused for few
minutes, but, when one staggered to the
through, and began to lap something
there, and the other tumbled down and
could not get up, he understood the
cause of these antics.
"Oh, dear! let the whisky run into
the trough, and those bad pigs are tipsy!
What shall | do?'
He watched them an instant, and
then added in sober tone, as he shook
his head sadly: ''That's just the way
father does, lively first, then cross, then
stupid. They don't look funny to me
now, and I'm so so sorry for 'em. They
will be dreadfully ashamed when they
get sober. Pm glad there isn't any
wife and little son to be scared and NOR
tilted and sorry over 'em. I'll talk to
EN-, and tell 'em what the man said in
the Temperance lecture we went to
last night. May be it will do 'em
good"
So Jimmy mounted the chopping-
block close by, and repeated all he could
remember, making funny tumble, but
being very much in earnest, and quite
unconscious that he had another nearer
besides the pigs:
"My friends, rum is an awful thing.
People who drink are slaves. They are
worse than dumb beasts who don't
drink. (Yes, they do; but that was my
faulty Half the sin and sorrow in the
world come from rum. Men waste
their money, neglect their families,
break their wives hearts, and set bad
example to their children. People bet
ter die than drink, and make brutes Of
themselves. Lots of money is wasted
Folks kill other folks when they are
drunk, and steal, and lie, and do every
bad thing. Now, my friends q mean
you pigs, turn from your evil ways,
and drink no more. on smash the
jug behind the barn next time, where
even the hens can't find it) Rise in
your manhood, and free yourselves from
this awful slavery. (They are both fast
asleep, but I'll help ''em up when they
wake.) Lead better lives, and don't let
those who love you suffer shame and
fear and grief for your weakness. q do
love you, old fellows, and am so sorry
to see you make such pigs of yourselVes.)
Here is the pledge; come and sign it.
Keep it all your lives, and be good men.
q mean pigs.)"
Here Jimmy smiled, but he meant
what he said, and, pulling out of his
pocket piece of paper and a pen
Gil, he jumped down to use the block as
desk, saying, as he wrote in big let
tiers: "They shall have a pledge, and
they can make a mark as people do who
can't write. I'll make it short, So they
can understand it, and know they will
keep it, for / shall help them"
So busy was the boy with his work
that he never saw man steal from be-
hind the pen where he had been listen
ing, and laughing at Jimmy lecture, till
something seemed to change the smiles
shoulder, he saw how worn the little
jacket was, how bruised and blistered
the poor hands were with too hard work,
and how he stood on one foot, because
his toes were out of the old shoes.
A month wages were in the mans
pocket, and he meant to spend them in
more whisky when his jug was empty.
Now the money seemed all too little to
make his son tidy. and he couldn't bear
to think how much he had wasted on
low pleasures that made worse brute
of him than the pigs.
"There!" said Jimmy, 81 guess
that will do. We, Tom and jerry, do
solemnly promise never to touch, taste
nor handle anything that can make us
drunk
"Now for the names. Which shall
mark first?"
81 will" said the man, startling
Jimmy so much that he nearly tumbled
into the pen as he was climbing up.
The paper futtered down inside, and
both forgot it as the boy looked up at
the man, saying, half ashamed, half
glad:
.'Why, father, did you hear me?
was only sort of playing
81 am in earnest, for your lecture
was very good one; and I'm not going
to be beast any longer. Here's money
for new shoes and jacket. Give me the
saw. I'll do my own work now, and
you go tell mother what l say"
Jimmy was about to race away, when
the sight of Tom and Jerry eating up
the paper made him clap his hands, ex-
claiming, joyfully:
They've taken the pledge really and
truly. I'm so glad!''
It was impossible to help laughing;
but the man was very sober again as he
said, slowly, with his hand on Jimmy's
shoulder:
..You shall write another for me.
I'll sign it, and keep it, too, if you viii
help me, my good Little son.
81 will, father, / willr' cried Jimmy
with all his happy heart, and then ran