The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-03-04
for the CHILDREN.
How Katie Helped.

Little Katie sat on the hearth-rug
one New Years evening, gazing into
the red Goals of the open fire, and
thinking of the story she had just read
in temperance picture paper.
How / wish / could do some one
good, as little Viola did in the storyl"
This little girl, Viola, was an Italian,
whose father made scanty living play
ing hand-organ. The worst of it was
that the larger portion of his slim earn
ings went into the saloon-keeper's till.
One night when the organ-grinder
had drank less than usual, and was
therefore more kind than usual, his
little daughter venture to ask him if
he would not give up the horrid stuff
that made him so disagreeable.
ooh! child, if you only knew how
cold and miserable it is standing about
these dreary American streets, playing,
and waiting for some one to give charity,
you would not wonder that ] want
something warm to cheer me up" re-
piled the man.
g But, father, coffee is warm, and it
don't cost so much as liquor, nor make
the people so cross. I'll bring you some,
steaming hot, every day, if you will
promise"
And so it came about that the daughter
carried her father bottle of the hot
test kind of coffee twice every day, and
chatted cheerfully to him while he
drank it, And so Viola saved her
father.
g But what can /, little country
girl, do to keep people from being
drunkards?" thought Katie. " The
president of our Band of Hope said we
ought to help in the temperance work
all we can this year: but how can /
help you when every scholar already
belongs to the Band of Hope?'
Little Katie was one of the officers of
this band, but she was not thinking of
that as she watched the red Goals crum-
BILE down; she was wishing Uncle Caleb
and Aunt Harriet Preble, with whom
she and her brother Charlie had lived
since that dreary time when father
and mother died." would think diff
ferently about cider-drinking They
called themselves temperance people,
but they would make and drink cider,
and offered it to every friend who
called, and actually thought there was
no harm in it; but the Band of Hope
boys and girls knew better, and they
had pledged themselves not to taste
even new cider, and many of the old
farmers in the neighborhood had been
convinced that their refuse apples paid
better to feed to stock than to grind
into cider and make people stupid and
cross and, in time, drunkards; but
Uncle Caleb's mind was like the granite
powders on his farmland to move.
He often declared he and his father had
drank all the cider they wanted, and it
had "never hurt them one mite" and
he'd " risk its learning any boy to drink
rum But the neighbors said it was
cider that had sent the Preble boys out
into the world weak-minded do-littles.
Katie was thinking of all this when
Aunt Harriet and Charlie came in with
the lamp.
" Charlie" she said, you must
stay from school tomorrow to help
with the cider boiling, for it's time that
barrel of cider apple-sauce was made"
In an instant another picture was
spread before Katie besides the one
she held; picture of Aunt Harriet's
kitchen, with huge brass kettle of
cider bubbling on the half-swung crane
of the wide fireplace; pals and pitch
ers and dippers of cider standing about
on the floor, on tables and dresser, in
viting one to drink much and often
a hogshead of the same trundled close
to the piazza steps, and Charlie at its
faucet, drawing pailful after pailful OF
the sparkling stuff for his aunt to boil
into thick syrup; and Uncle Caleb trot-
ting round, stirring the fire, drinking
from the cider pitcher at every turn
and inviting Charlie to do the same.
Charlie will be tempted to drink
lots of cider tomorrow, unless you re.
main from school in his stead" wits
pered Conscience.
ooh! can't stay from school to-
morrow! / am at the head of the spell
ing class, and l should lose my place,
was Katie's quick answer to Conscienc
But the bright angel whispered again
You were just wishing you could dc
some one good; why not help Charlie?'
And this time Katie answered, " Yes
l will stay from schools and help Aun
Harriet in Charles place, for maybe
if he worked over cider all day, h
might break his pledge; and if he die
not, Charles school friends who would
come trooping here at recess would als'
be tempted by Uncle Caleb to try hi
new cider, and they might forget tina
they are Band of Hope boys"
So Katie lost her place in the spellin
class, and all who shared Uncle Caleb
cider that day were two pigs, VIII
cleared their pen and then poked thei
dirty noses into his cider pals while h
was at dinner-Selected