The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-03-01
W. O. +. q.
"nPivnu 0ut VI


Within a rude little home away up
in northern Michigan sat woman
waiting the return Of her husband,
She was a comedy pleasant faced wo-
man and although the shadow of. a
deep sorrow seemed to look out from
her troubled eyes she was going over
the varied scenes Of her life tonight;
away back to the days when she was
happy care-free maiden. She was
living over the hours whenshe firstmet
John Reemsen, who afterward became
her husband, of their efforts to found
home together, of his unvarying kind
ness to her, but here her thoughts end
ed with little sigh Of, "Poor John"
1t was cold windy night in April 'S7
and outside the snow was drifting
deeply. The two children stirred un.
easily in ther slumbers, as If even in
sleep they were disturbed by the wind.
Just then the door opened letting in
a great swirl of snow and wind, in the
middle of which loomed up the tall
form of John Reemsen, "Its come at
last, Mary" said John sitting down
with groan. There was no need of
the wife to ask what had come, when
her strong, self.reliant husband sat
down with a look of agony on his face,
and great drops Of Precipitation stood
upon his brow; nothing but the strong
temptation and his power full resis.
lance of the saloon ever caused him to
look that way. "They have just light
ed up and Sc all their:hellish entice-
ments to glittering they did hold of
a spell after it was built on account of
the vote on the amendment but they
are at it hot and heavy now and I saw
more than dozen of our boys 60 in. ~
"But they will have to shut:.up again
if the amendment has passed" replied
Mary.
"But they all claim down at the
mill 1T has not. They are getting the
lumber ready for the new church anG
are to lay the foundation next week;
bnt the saloon is ahead of it;what grea
sight of good: do you suppose the
church can do. with saloon in full
blast, before even its foundations arr
laid?
"All things are possible with Cod
murmered Mary.
"Jest 81! But didnot God see fit to
harden the hearts of Pharoah? I tel
you wife, God lets people work out th'
full measure of their iniquities some
times. in order to open the eyes Of 6
nation to some crying wrong. You
believe I'm honest Mary, when I say ]
can't I can't live beside a saloon temp
tation?"
Certainly john"
II suppose my father was: "a drunkart
No one could get my mother to tall
about it,she always turned the subject
when asked her about my father, ant
knew there was great sorrow some
where in her life, but never mistrust
ed wha. i. was until Judge Porte
asked me to drink wine with him, yol
see mother had always kept me from
drinking, through my promise to her
But the Judge told me there was NJ
harm in drinking wine; that Chris
drank it and made it for others t.
drink; and so drank as soon as I hat
tasted it 1 knew the Saviour had neve
drank such stuff for it seemed Al
though there was millions of wil(
beasts let loose within me craving fo
more wine, you remember the time
Mary? and why we left dear old Mass
achusetts, and all we loved to come t,
this wild place so that might escap
the saloon. Some preach the doctrin,
that Christ can free a person from tn,
temptation; I'm not going to say h.
cannot, yet if his proffessed followers
even the ministers are not free from
satanic influence enough to vote thu
saloon out of the land, how c.n I be
lieve that he can deliver me from
temptation?'
ave have surrounded oursel
YES with such comforts as we coult
and until now we have been happy
But Mary we will have to leave here
l cannot go past the saloon every da.
to my work for ! know I should fail
People will term it weakenss, but th'
Bible says, flee from temptation.
and will. do not know where t.
go, may be to Kansas o. even to TN
mountains of Colorado. 1 will go to tn
ends of the earth, if it will free m
from this..living death. Let il be SAT-
of me that I was driven out from tn
fear of too much personal liberty"