Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1885-10-01
Miscellaneous.
The Bottomless jug.

Thrifty. healthy, sturdy farmer in Oxford
county. Maine-a bouomess jug the host
saw that the curious thing caught my eve,
and smiled
"Nou are wondering what that Jug is
hanging up there for, with its bottom
knocked out" he said. MY wife. perhaps.
can tell YOU the story better than can but
She j. basi4fui and | sln,, so I'll tel. It,
My father. as YOU probably aware
owned th,, farm before me. lie lived to
good old age. worked hard all his hfe, never
squandrTed money. was q cautious trader
and a good calculator and, men we're
accounted IN hls day and generation, be was
a temperate man. ! WAS the Youngest boy.
and hen the old gentleman VAS read, to
go-snd he knew it-the others agreed that.
slnce had STAYED al home and taken care
Of the old folks the farm should he mine.
And to me It Vas al.ed. had been mar
red then three wears.
"Wel, father d!ed-mother had gone
three Years before and left the farm 10 me
with mortgage on II for 1900. ! said to
Mo!he, my wife
'Moiue, look here. Here fathers had
thls farm III iis first strength o: soil, with
all lis magnificent timber, and has .lx boys.
as they grew up, to help him and he worked
hard-worked early and late-and yet, look
al it 4 mortgage Of two thousand dollars
What can do ?
And | wen, to that jug, had It's bot
tom in then-and took good stiff drink of
old Medford rum from ii.
Il noticed the curious look the face Of
my wife just then. and asked her what she
though, OF II, for Supposed she was think
ing about II. And so she was. for she
SAID
Charles, I've thought Of this great
deal, and I've thought of way IN which |
believe YOU can clear this mortgage of be-
fore five wears are ended.
SAYS | g: Molly. tell me how You'll do
it.
She though, for awhile. and then said
with funny twinkle In her blue e,es-says
she:
Charles, you mus, promise me this,
and promise me solemuiy and saeredlN !;
promise me that YOU will never bring home
for the purpose OF drinking as a beverage,
a; any time, any more spirits than you can
bring IN that old Jug-the jug your father
has used ever since | knew hun, and which
YOU have used ever since he has done with
IT,
We'll. ! knew father used once in a
while, especially in having time and ia win
ter vhen We were at work IN the woods 10
get an old gallon jug filed so thought
that she meant that should never buy
more than two quarts at time. though HI
It over. and after Whlle told her ! would
agree 10 Il.
Nov. mind said she, you are never,
never to brirg home any 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 al that jug. As was
turning it out for sort of night cap, Mo!iIe
looked up and says She
Charley. have you got drop left 2
There was just about drop. We'd
have to get il re- filled on the morrow. Then
she said, # had no objections. she would
drink that last drop with me. | shall never
forget how she said it, that last drop How
ever, tipped the old lug bottom up and got
about a great spoonful, and Mollie said that
was enough. She took the tumbler and
poured few drops of hot water into il and
bit Of sugar, and then she tinkIed her
glass against mine, just as she'd seen US
boys 90 when we'd been drinking to good
luck, and says she:
...Here's 10 the old brown Jug"
"Sakes alive | thought to myself that
poor Mollie had been drinking more of the
rum than was good for her and tell you it
kind of cut me TO the heart. | forgot all
about how many times she'd seen me when
nv tongue was thicker than IT ought to be
and nv legs not so steady good legs
should be but said nothing. | 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 leaving the kitchen
this very room where We now sit-was:
"'We1l have the old brown jug filed to-
morrow.
"And then | went off to bed. And have
remembered ever since that | went TO bed
that night as | had done hundreds of times
before. with buzzlng in my head that
! healthy man ought not TO have. | didn't
think of it then, nor had ever thought of
it before, but have thought of il good
manv times since, and have thought of it
with wonder and awe.
''Wel, got up the next morning and
did my work at the barn and then came in
and ate nv break fast, but with no such an
appetite as farmer ought to have, and |
could not think that my appetite had begun
to fail me. However, | ate my breakfast
and went out and hitched up the old mare,
for to tell the plain truth l was feeling the
need of glass of spirits, and hadn't a
drop in the house! was in hurry to get
to the village. l hitched up and came in
for the jug. | went for it in the old cup
board and took it out and
"Did YOU ever break through thin ice on
a swapping cold day, and found yourself in
an instant overhead IN freezing water? Be-
cause that is the very way | felt at that mo-
ment. The jug was there, but the bottom
was gone. Molie had taken a sharp chisel
and hammer, and, with skill that might
have done credit 10 a master workman, she
had clipped the bottom clean off 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 anything like it since. She said:
Charles, that's where the mortgage on
the farm came from 1t was brought home