Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-12-04
Gales and Sketthes.
The Bottomless jug.

| saw it hanging up in the kitchen of a
thrifty, healthy, sturdy farmer in Oxford
county. Maine-a bottemless jug The
host saw that the curious thing caught my
eve and smiled.
"You are wondering what that jug is
hanging up there for with its bottom
knocked outs he said. my wife, per-
haps. could tell you the story better than
| can; but she is bashful andI amt, so I'll
tell it.
my father, as you are probably aware,
owned this farm before me. He lived to
good old age. worked hard all his life,
never squandered money, was careful
trader and a good calculator. and, as men
were accounted in his day and generation.
he was temperate man. | was the
Youngest boy; and when the cid man was
ready to go-and he knew 1.-THE others
agreed that since had stayed at home and
taken care of the old folks the farm should
be mine. And to me it was willed. |
had been married then three years.
well, father died-mOther had gone
three wears beforehand left the farm to
me, with mortgage on it for two thous-
and dollars. I'd never thought so much
OF it before bnt thought of it now.
said to Molly-my wife Molly says l,
look here Here's father had this farm
in its first strength of soil, with all its
magnificent timber and his six boys, as
they grew up. equal to so many men to
| help him and he worked hard worked
early and late-and yet look at it. A
mortgage of two thousand dollars What
can do? and went to that jug-it had
its bottom in then--and took good, stiff
drink of old Medford rum from it.
II noticed a curious look on the face of
my wife just then, and asked her what
she thought of it, for supposed she was
| thinking of what had been talking about.
And so she was. Says she: Charles,
I've thought of this good deal I; and I've
thought OF way in which believe we
can clear this mortgage off before five
years are ended
Says 'Mollie, tell me how you'll do
itP'
"She thought for awhile, and then said,
with funny twinkle in her blue eyes,
Charles, You must promise me this. and
promise me solemnly and sacredly Prom
Use me that you will never bring home for
the purpose of drinking as beverage, at
any one time, more spirits in that old Jug
the jug your father has used ever since
knew him, and which YOU have used
ever since he was done with it,
"Well, knew father used once in
awhile, especially in haying time, and in
the winter time when we were at work in
the woods, to get an old gallon jug filled;
so thought that she meant that should
never buy more than two quarts at time.
thought it over. and after little time,
told her | would agree to it. Now,
mind, said she, you are never-never to
bring home for a common beverage. more
spirits than you can bring in that identical
Jug And gave her the promise.
And before | went to bed that night |
took the last pull at that jug. As | was
turning 1t out tor sort of night cap.
Molly looked up and said Charley, have
you got a drop leftp' There was just
about a drop. We would have to get it
filled on the morrow Then she said if |
had no objection she would drink that last
drop with me. shall never forget how
she said it, that last drop However, |
tipped the old jug bottom up and got
about a great spoonful. and Molly said
that it was enough. She took the tumbler
and poured few drops of hot water into
| it and bit of sugar, and then she tnkled
her glass against mine, just as she'd seen
US boys do when we'd been drinking good
luck, and says she, Here's to the old
brown jugn
"Sakes alive! thought to myself that
poor Mollie had been drinking more of
the rum than was good for her, and tell
! you il kind of cut me to the heart. |
forgot all about how many times she'd
seen me when my tongue was thicker than
! it ought to be, and my legs not quite so
steady as legs should be; but said moth
ing. | drank the sentiment-'The old
brown Jug and let it go.
"Well, | went out after that and did my
chores, and then went to bed and the
last thing | said before leaving the kitchen
this very room where you now sit--was
Well have the old brown jug filled to-
morrow, And then | went off to bed
that night, as | had done hundreds of
times before, with a buzzing in my head
that healthy man ought not to have. |
didn't think of it then, nor had | even
thought of it before, but I've thought of
it a good many times since, and have
thought of it with wonder and awe
"Well got up the next morning and
did my work at the barn, then came in
and ate my breakfast, but not with such
an appetite as a farmer ought to have. and
/ could not think even then that my appe-
tte had begun to fail me. However ate
breakfast and then went out and hitched
up the old mare; for to tell the plain
truth, was feeling in the need OF glass
of spirits, and | hadn't a drop in the
house. was in hurry to get to the vii
lage. | got hitched up and came in for
the jug. went for it in the old cupboard
and took it ont and
Did you ever break through 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. The jug was there, but the
bottom was gone. Molly had been and
; taken sharp chisel and hammer, and
with skill that might have done credit
TO master-workman. she had clipped the
bottom clean out of the Jug without even
cracking the edges of the sides | looked
at the jug and then she burst out. She
spoke--oh | had never heard ANYTHING
like it no, nor have heard anthing like
it since Said she:
"'Charles. there's where the mortgage
on this farm came from. 1t was brought
home within that jug-two quarts at a
time And there's where your white,
-. -.