Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-24

The Bottom1ess jug.
/ saw it hanging up in the kitchen of
a thrifty, healthy, sturdy farmer in Ok
ford county, Maine-a bottomless Jug!
The host saw that the curious thing
caught my eye, and smiled. You are
wondering what that jug is hanging up
there for with its bottom knocked out"
he said. "My wife, perhaps. a tell
you the story better than l can; but she
is bashful and / amt, so ..lltelli it. My
father. as you are probably aware,
owned this farm before Inc. He lived
to a good old age, worked hard all his
life. never squandered money, was a
cautious trader, and a good calculator;
and, rs men were accounted in his day
and generation, he was a temperate
man. / was the youngest boy; and
when the old 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. l
had been married then three years.
Well, father died-muther had gone
three years beforehand left the farm
to me; with a mortgage On it for $1,000.
I'd never thought Of it -before. / said
to Mollie, my wife-sMollie, look here.
Here fathers 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'll A mortgage
of $4,000! What can I dbY
"And 1 WENT to that jug-it had a
bottom in it then-and took ago6d stiff
drink Of old Medford rum from it. 1
noticed a curious look on the face of
my wife just then; and 1 asked her what
she thought Of it, for 1 supposed she
was thinking of what I'd been talking
about, aid SO SHE wis, for she said:
Charles, I've thought Of a way in which
l believe you can clear this mortgage
off before five years are ended.' Says 1:
'Mollie, tell me how ybu'n do it. She
thought for a while, and then she said
with a funny twinkling in her blue
eyes-says she: Charles; you must
promise me this, and promise me sol
EMMY and sacredly: Promise tie that
you will never bring home for the puir-
pose of drinking for a beverage, Ut any
time any more spirits than you can
bring in that old jug-the jug your fa-
ther has Asedeyer since ] knew him,
and which youshave used since he was
done with it, We'll, I knew father
used ohcedn a while; especially in hay
ing time, aid in winter when I'VE were
at work in the woods, to get an old gal
Ion jug filled; so l thought that she
meant 1 should never buy more than
two quarts at a time. 1 thought it
over, and after a little while told her l
would agree to 1T. Now, mind,' she
said, you are ~never-never to bring
home any more spirits than you can
pring In that identical Jug And /
gave her the promise. Before 1 went
to bed that night I took the last pull at
that jug. AS l was turning it out for
d sort Of nightcap, Mollie looked up,
and SAYS she: Charlie, have you got a
drop ieft?:' There was Just about a
drop. We'd have to get it filled on the
morrow. Then she said, if HAD noob-
jections, she would drink that ~lastidrop
with me. I Shall never forget how she
said it-.that last dropl' However, [
tipped the old jug bottom up and got
about a great spoonful, and Mollle said
it was enough. She took the tumbler
and poured a few drops Of hot water
intp it and a bit of sugar, and then she
tinkled Her glass against mine, just as
she'd seen us boys do when we'd been
drinking, to good luck, and says she:
.a.Here's to the old birownjug1 sakes
alive! 1 thought to myself that poor
Moliie had been drinking more IF the
rum than was good for her, and / tell
youh kind IF Git me to the heart.. 1
forget 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 a. good legs should be; but I
said nothing, ] drank the sentiment
The old brown Jug and let it go.
Wei, I went out after that, and did my
chores, and then went to bed; and the
last: thing l sa3d before ;{!or leaving the
kitchen-this very room where we now
sit-was; Wen have the old brown
Jug filled to-morrcw.' And then 1 went
off to bed, And I have remembered
ever since that / went to bedthat night,
as ! had dppne hundreds Of times before,
with a buzzinpgi in m = headtha a healthy
man ought not to ha:ye. Ididn't think
of it then, nor had ] ever thought of it
before, but I've thought Of it a good
many times since Sc and nave thought of
it with wonder and awe. Well, l got
up Che next morning and did my work
at the barr, then came in and ate my
breakfaSt. Int not with such an anne