Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-16

handed me to Jack Barker, who had
just finished painting the store.
Here Jack says he, this will help
you keep Christmas
THANK ye,' said Jack; and off |
went under his arm.
"And there, in a bright little room.
with a pretty wife and a nice old
grandfather, and two cunning little
| babies looking on, he opened me.
What a nice smellp said she-the
pretty wife.
"And then he made some stuff with
lemon and sugar, and they all drank
some, and the babies looked at the
light shining through my green sides
old grandfather said the drink had
gone to his head, and he should have
to be carried upstairs, and they
laughed at that, because it was such
good joke.
II liked myself then and what was
in me.
"Before / was empty the first time
felt pleased to be such a favorite as
l was.
"Ah, dear, I was filed up again,
and again, and again; aud after
awhile [ began to see things changing
about me. The wife's face was not so
bright; the old grandfather never
laughed; the baby's toes were out; !;
and one day Jack staggered in, took
me up, drank the last drop from
me, and tumbled into a chair. The
wife began to cry.
"Oh, Jackp says she. 'Oh, Jack
how hate that dreadful bottle. We
were so happy before it came into the
housep
''She blamed me, but I knew it
was the evil spirit in me that she
meant.
"'You've lost your place, Jack,
says she. Everything has changed
You don't care for the children. It's
all that bottle
'But Jack was too tipsey to care
what she said. He staggered over to
the table, took me by the neck and
carried nae to liquor store. There
they put another evil into me. That
one dove the furniture out Of the
house; bit by bit it was pawned,
were living IN a cellar somewhere.
She took ia washing; some of the
money she earned went for more spir-
its to fill me.
Didn't loathe myself. Ore night
sat on the table and saw tie grand
father lying dead and Jack drunk on
the floor at the foot of the bed. Didn't
[ loathe myself? [ tried to topple off,
but I couldn't manage it. IF ever
bottle did desire to smash itself, I did
But it was no use. Happy bottles,
beautiful cut glass cologne bottles,
innocent water bottles have been
broken when they most desired to
last, no doubt, but I, who had become
dwelling place for the devils, I
lasted.
They carried the old grandfather
away, and his poor daughter got a
black dress somehow. One night j Jack
went sneaking out of the house with a
bundle under one arm and me under
the other. The bundle was his wife's
mourning dress for her father. He
took it to pawn shop and pawned it
for enough to fill me twice. The
poor woman never had decent dress
again.
''She was in rags. She was hungry
I've seen Jack clutch her hand and
wrench the money she'd earned for
her children's bread from it, and then
go off with me. Think of It'll I had
to aid and abet him, and hear her say
things about me that were very natur-
al, seeing she did not know how I
hated the devils that lived Ia me, but
that were hard to bear. But he fell
| down stairs with me in his pocket, and
| broke his head, and didn't break me-
J He hit me against things, to their in
jury, not mine. ! must have a guard
ian devil, I lasted so.
Gone day-it was such bitter day,
ice, and snow and everywhere-just
fve years from the Christmas I'd been
made a present to Jack, he stood, rag
ged and dirty, at a barsroom stove,
with ue in his pocket-my neck
sticking out. Up came the proprie-
! tor.
"Now, Jack Barker says he
why don't you go homes?
He was ashamed to have him
there, you see, a ragged creature
with his toes out, and black eye and
a broken nose. He used to be called
handsome Jack Barker before he took
to filing me. Think of that.
Now he looked up with a miser-
able, abject whine.
"'Go home with an empty bottle
on Christmas eve9' says he. You
didn't use to say go home when I
came here with full pockets, Mr..
Jones'
"'Well, mol didn't, said the man );
and it would have been better if |
had. I'll fill your bottle for you Jake
Barker
He filed it-Goodness knows
with what-and the poor wretch stag
gered home. Oh, the wretched cellar;
the miserable straw bed in the corner;
the wife lying sick upon it. re
member them so well.
''She was very sick, and there was
| a little baby beside her. lust think