The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-11-08
MIR. LAMBERT'S HARVEST.

MIR. LAMBERT'S HARVEST
rev Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap. Never were truer words spoken
than those, Lambert, and am afraid You will
realize it if you persist in this pro ect.
You take too gloomy view of it, Heckles;
too gloomy, entirely"
There S nothing but gloom to view. Lam
bert. \ on surely don't pretend to think that
you are to make our little village better, or
the lives of its inhabitants brighter 10y open
ing a loon hereY
lambert was silent moment. Then he
said, slowly; Il don't suppose the, village
will be any the worse for il. Men who want
liJror will get il il they have to 20 fifty miles
after it. l will simply make the matter of
getting it q little easier"
There's just " here The harmlies Half the
people in tins world are upright merely be-
cause they are not exposed to temptation. Sin
isn't made easy to them. We haven't a drunk
ard in this village, now, and man even
lightly und- the in 'uence liquor is a rare
sight. A street brawl has never [ ken place
here. There are no disturbances of the peace.
Open y0 r saloon, and all this will be changed.
You have young sons, Lambert; you ought to
think of them"
II don think they will be in any danger
or course i shall not let them go near the
sal, on"
But you will welcome gladly the sons of
other men. Is that doing as you would be
done hy?"
Lambert moved uneasily.
at IL of no use TO argue the matter, Heck.
les, he said. I've got 10 make money some
how. My farm doesn't begin u ray me for
the labor put on 1t, and it is heavily mort
gagged. And, besides I've given my word to
Butler, and cant go hack on it."
"A bad promise is better broken than kept"
said Heckles. "Gou'l rue the day you ever
saw that Butler. Hos man that / wouldn't
trust out of my sight"
He'll make a good barkeeper. He thor
oughly understands his business" sai3 Lam
bert. "He has assured me that can clear Oil
my debts in less than two years, and make
enough to live on besides
"A fine way to make it, said Hcckles iron
ically. You'll send fifty souls to ruin for
every debt.
Come, come, Heckles; that's going too
far"
mot bit OF it. If anything it isn't going
far enough. But | see t is of no use to argue
with you, so I'll be or I've always wanted
sons, but I'm thankful now that have only
daughters. Your saloon won trouble them,
unless they happen to marry men who call
upon Butler too often. And think there is
little likelihood of that. They have had a hor-
ror of in emperance instilled into them from
uabyhOOd. IN sorry your farm pays YOU so
poorly; but | am sOrricr still that your new
business is one that can have neither the
blessing of God, nor the approval Of any good
man"
He touched his old gray horse with his whip
ant rode away, leaving Lambert with Il very
troubled look on is fa'e.
He's an OIL freud, and suppose on that
account he felt that he cOu d talk pretty
freely he muttered, but he goes too far
he's almost foolish on the subject"
He walked up the neat boN-to dcred path
tina led to the house. His little daughter, a
Child Of nine years of age, ran out to meet
him.
"Supper's ready, papa" she said
lambert bent and kis ell her tcndcrly. She
was his fayOrite chit and he rettcd and
SPOILED her IT, the last degree. In the kit, hen
his wife and eldest daughter were moving
briskly about from the stove and pantry to
the table.
MIR Butler called while you were talking
to Mr. Heckles, father Susan said. He is
down at the barn with the boys"
"Whit is he doing down there?" CX-
claimed Mr.. Lambert irrtably. "He not the
man car TO have the boys intimate with"
you had better tel him not to come here
so often, then" said Mrs Lambert for Arthur
was saying only yesterday that Butlor had
more fun in him than any other man he had
ever met. And Joe follows him around like
shadow.
The ia, hers brow grew dark.
He won't have time to come around here
after tomorrow" he said. ''Therell be
enough to keep him busy at the saloon
Blow the horn, Cora"
The little gIr took the horn down from the
wall, whore it hung by cord, and ew
shrill blast, which brought the two bows and
Butler in at once. Arthur and Joe were fine
manly looking young fel ows OF seventeen
and nineteen, and their father was justly
proud of them, But as he looked at then
now he remembered Hcck'e prophecy ant
was silent and gloomy throughout the meal
There We're others best les Mr.. Heckles who
dSopproved of Lambert'S project, and he wal
urged and advised on every side TO give II up
But neither argument nor persuasion haC
any effect upon his determination. and tn,
saloon opened with fine array of bottles
glasses and liquors.
Itwas the first venture of the kind in Cold
brook, and consequently excited great dca
of curiosity and comment The saloon wal
crowded the first evening it opened. Mel
who did NOT take glass OF LIQUOR once yea
| came o see how the place looked, and thel
| found il so cheerful, and met so many &C
quaintances, that they dropped in again an'
| again, and Butler was well satisfied with tn,
| contents of the mOney-drawer AT the end o
| the first week. As Mr. Lambert had said, thu
| bar-kceper understood his business thorough
| ly, and mis- fund Of wit and humor, coarse IL
| it Of en- was, mrcd many young man within
| the charmed circle about the bar.
| Among these WAS Arthur ambcrt, who hat
| been very much attracted 10 Butler from thu
| first, and who treuuCuted the saloon unknown
| to his father. He was encouraged in thi
course 10y Butter, who thought MIR. Lamber
! too strict and who saw no harm in soCia
! glass. He always met Arthur with Il smile
and with a friendly slap on the back woul,
| tell him that the old man would learn ate
awhile that his boy was out long clothes"
Arthur was not the only son whose tathe
| was unaware OF his visits TO the saloon. Their
| was Yery convenient back door to the place
and an easy little back parlor, and here iron
| six to ten young men none or them owe
| twenty years OF age, met nearly every even
| ing to play cards. And, as matter of course
| liquor was freely passed around. At the en-
OF year it was no unusual thing for the vi
| lagc to Je disturbed 10y a street hrawl and tn
| sight of a man under the influence of liquO
vas so frequent as not to excite comment.
| But Mr.. Lambert refused to listen to tn
| voice OF conscience He had paiu off all hi
| small debts, and expected to he able Ever
soon to lit the mortgage on his farm. Tn
| ides of giving up the saloon was clearly GU
| of the question.
| During the second year OF the existence O
| the saloon IA paper mill was started in tn
| village, ana this brought many new resident
TO the place. The business Of Lamberts In
/ RprnnnTtDlV IA