Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-09-01
says she,, Here's to-. the old brown.

that poor Molly had been drinking
more of the rum than was good for
her, and tell you it kind O. cut IN e
to the heart. 1 forgot all about how
many times she'd seen me when my
tongue was thicker than it ought to
be, and my legs not SO steady as
good legs should be but said moth
ing. ] drank the sentiment-'The
old brown jug!' and let it go.
swell, | went out after that and
did my chores, and then went to bed !;
and the last thing / said before leav-
ing the kitchen-this very room where
you now sit-was, We'll have the
old brown juggfilled tomorrow And
then | went off to bed. And have
remembered ever since that | went
to bed that night, as | had done hun
dreds of times before, with q buzzing
in my head that healthy man ought
not to have. | didn't think of it
then, nor had ever thought of it be-
fore; but l have thought of it good
many times since, and have thought
of it with wonder and awe.
"Well, | got mp the next morning
and did up my work at the barn, then
acme in and ate my breakfast, but
not with such an appetite as man
ought to have, and | could not think
even then that my appetite had be-
gun to fail me. However [ ate my
breakfast and then went out and
hitched up the old mare; for, to tell
the plain truth, / was feeling the need
of a glass of spirits, and | hadn't a
drop in the house. l got hitched up
and came in for the jug. l went for
it in the old cupboard and took it
out, and
'sDid you ever break through the
thin ice on a nipping cold day, and
find yourself in an instant over your
head in freezing water? Because that
was the way felt at that moment.
That jug was there but the bottom
was gone. Molly had been and TAX
en- a sharp chisel and hammer, and
with a skill that might have done
credit to master workman, she clip
ped the bottom clean out of the jug,
without even cracking the edges or
sides! | looked at the jug and then l
looked at Molly. And then she burst
out She spoke-0h / never heard
anything like it no, nor have l heard
anything like it since. Said she:
" Charles, there's where the
mortgage on this farm came from
1t was brought home in that jug
two quarts at time And there's
where your white, clear skin, and
your clear, pretty eyes are going
And in that jug, my husband, your
appetite is going ALSO O, let the bot
tom stay out forever! Let it be as
it is, dear heart And remember your
promise to me ?
"And then she threw her arms
around my neck and burst into tears
She couldn't speak more.
And there was no need. My eyes
were opened as though by magic. In
a single minute the whole scene pass
ed before me. | saw all the mort.
cages and all the farms in our neigh
borhood; and l thought where the
money had gone. The very las
mortgage father had ever made hat
been to pay a bill held against hin
by the man who had filled his jug TO
years Yes, 1 saw it as it passed be
fore me-a fitting picture of rum !
rum debt debt land, in thu
end-death And / returned my Mol
ly's kiss, and said I: 'Molly, m,
own PHI keep the promise [ will
SO help me Heaven!'
7 And l have kept it. In less thar
five years as Molly had said, TIN
mortgage was cleared off my appe
tite came back to me; and now we'v,
j few thousand dollars out at inter
est. There hangs the old jug just a
we hung it on that day; and from
that time there hasn't been drop o
spirits brought into the house for
beverage, which that bottomless ju;
wouldn't have held.
Dear old jug We mean to keep it
and to hand it down to our children
for the lesson it can give them-a les
son of life-of life happy, peaceful
prosperous and blessed.
And as he ceased speaking, hi
wife, with an arm tenderly around th
neck Of her youngest son, murmure
fervent-Amen.
/ HAVE NO DOUBT
| was saved run of Bilious Fever by the prom
! use of Hatchs Mandrake Pills. Jos. Willet.
| Z ss aa +.