Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-09-29
The Happiest Woman .

|
that he ever lay in the gutter, or ever neg
| lected his business.
No, he was very Industrious man, had a
good house, a good, quiet wife, and a
family of bright, well-cared-for children.
| He belonged to that class of men who can
drink heavily with little perceptible effect.
He kept a jug beside him as he worked
and every hour or half hour, as inclination
| prompted, he would help himself to glass.
But the liquor did not brighten his nose or
brain; neither did it seem to becloud either
| A fifth of the whiskey which he took daily
would have sent one of his neighbors into
drivelling imbecility, and another into de-
lirium- m-tremens.
| During the last temperance movement, q
Jealous worker in the cause, little, pale
| faced woman. went to T-(this was Bob
Marshall's home), for she had heard it said
| that if any people on earth needed to be
warned against drinking, it was these.
Many persons had advised against her GO
| ing to this rough town. She would be de-
rided and insulted, they said.
When she applied for the use of the town
hall it was denied.
"We know all you can say" said the man
applied to. "You can't tell the drinking
man half as much about the evils of in
every man in this town drinks, and folks
amt going to turn out to hear themselves
| abused by n woman who ought to be at
| home minding her house and children.
You'll be insulted, and perhaps assaulted,
and the law will have to interfere for
your protection"
The pastor of one of the two churches of
T was absent. In the other there
we're nightly meetings of prayer for re-
vival. So the little woman could get
neither church.
| But that May evening, at halfpast 6,
about the time when people were leaving
their tea-tables, the town-bell began to
clang in quick way, which startled and
alarmed everybody.
Some one said he guessed there was a
fire, and some one else, half-hearing this,
reported that there aoas fire, and soon
the word was running from mouth to
mouth, and men and boys and women
were hurrying towards the town hall from
every one of the crooked streets.
When goodly crowd was assembled in
the yard, and everybody was asking every
body else where the fire was and why the
bell was ringing, and what was the matter,
etc., ETC., the pale little woman appeared
first on the hall steps, and then on a dry
goods box near, and began to speak.
'My friends" she said.
There was lull in the talk all about
her, for her voice was clear as a bell, and
surprisingly full for such little body.
''My friends" she repeated, and this time
who had not heard her, saw her standing
up there.
| The people massed about her, and became
silent.
"You ask what is the cause of this alarm.
I will tell you. There is growing in this
town tree against which l must warn you.
Listen! When tell you of the baleful in
fuence it is exhaliug, and when point it
out to you, will you promise me to lay the
axe to the root, and hew it down and cast
it into the fire?''
wish could reproduce that speech en-
tire for you. But l could no more do it
than l could paint the movement and the
music of a river.
That assembly of men in their artizan
clothes, or women in their kitchen aprons,
of children in their school dresses, caught
there in the lengthening shadows, seemed
turned into statues by the earnest, eloquent
appeal of small woman.
The address was short, and at its close
Mrs. P-said, -.
II would like to speak to you again to-
morrow evening. Will you come to hear
me?"
eyes! yes! yes!'' was the response from
all parts of the crowd
"Then meet me here at half.past six to-
morrow"
The next day the authorities waited on
the determined little woman, and offered
her the use of the town hall.
tba ,,,,t iati or of fbo st
noticeable temperance movements which
ever visited little town.
Bob Marshall stood up against it, and be-
hind Bob Marshall stood scores of other
men, and behind these scores of other men
stood scores of women.
Many of Bob's neighbors, and friends
and cronies who had signed the pledge went
to him with the story of their new libsrty
and their new hope, and begged him to
covenant with them; to promise them and
their wives and their children, as they had
promised, to abstain from all traffic in
drink But Bob good-naturedly, but
emphatically refused to take ths pledge,
dismisslng all their arguments with a
breath. He declared that his drinking
wasn't hurting himself or others.
''It is hurting Others" the temperance
people urged. "You re at the head Of the
hold -outers' You're the most influential
man among them. Fifty or a hun
dred men are standing behind you,
covered by you. Admitting that whiskey
doesn't hurt you, it's hurting them. If
you'll Join the movement, we'll reform the
last man of them"
Still Bob refused If there were men be-
hind him, he had nothing to do with their
being there; they put themselves there, etc.
But the greater the opposition he offered,
the more determined were the temperance
people to conquer his WILL They ordered
to the front their logicians, their eloquent
men, their persuasive women, till Bob $ re-
fusal, from being good-natured, grew to be
codly polite, then severely dignifed. At
length, one day, he replied angrily:
'Look hOre! I'm tired Of this! You
meddlers, get out of my shop, and let me
alone. Don't you come botherin' me with
this talk any more. I've had enough of
this naggin'. You're an impudent set of
fellows to come advising me about my duty
to my wife and children. Which cares
most for 'em, you or me? You'd better go
and look after your own wives aud children
Mine have more clothes and better clothes
| than any Of yours, and the clothes are all
paid for, and that's more than some of you
can say. Look out for your own homes,
and let mine alone. My wife amt goin' to
thank you for meddlin' about her happiness.
She's the happiest woman in town now.
Tend to your own wives, tell you again;
| say mines the happiest woman in town.
He said the same thing, 'NIy wife's the
happiest woman in the town." to the old
gray-haired minister, sent to him by the
persevering temperance people.
The minister had married Bob to this
happiest woman in town; had received the
happiest woman into church; had instruct
ed all Bob's children; had been the family
adviser and sympathizer.
When Bob said to him, "My wife's the
best cared for woman in town, the happiest
woman in town. the minister replied:
''But she might be the happiest woman
in any town, the happiest woman in the
world, if you'd stop drinking"
"You don't mean to say that it would
make her any happier" said Bob.
"Yes, do. OF fcourse it would make hel
happier
"Did she say that it would?" Bob de-