Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-31

not to spend penny in this work of
charity that is not saved by cutting off
some useless expenditure of our own;
and he of US who buys cigar during the
week shall deduct it from his contribu-
ton on Saturday"
off we should be methodical," suggest
ed Peter, we must organize. say if we
are going to do anything of this kind, let
Us do it ship shape"
| Peters proposition was unanimously
accepted, and they proceeded to organ
ize.
The organization arrived at, was sim pie
but nevertheless effective. They elected
John Digby to serve Is president, and as
secretary and treasu rer; and they elected
an executive committee of four, consist
ing of John Digby, Peter Slads, Tom
Lowden and Sam Pepper.
And then they settled their bill at the
| bar and went home.
| Saturday evening came, and the re-
form club met at Digby's shop, and each
member was ready with his report. They
had thought when they had separated on
Monday evening they should meet with
spirit of trolio in their new work; but the
scenes which they had witnessed in the
interim had changed the current of their
feelings entirely.
"My SOUL" exclaimed Sam Pepper, 81
never dreamed what sorrow and suffer
ing there is here in our little town. Last
night went to the Widow BashIot's, and
I found her with a sick child, absolutely
freezing and, starving"
"And l." said Tom Lowden. ~ found
Uncle Ben Driscoll and wife both in the
same plight. The old man is down with
| rheumatism; and when he and Aunt Sally
sat and cried like babies, with fear of 60
ing to the poorhouse, l tell you it brought
the tears to ny eyes"
| And SO the reports were made, and then
they planned how they could best use
their ten dollars. 1t seemed like drop
in the bucket, whe1l set against all the
want and suffering they had found, but it
would do something.
On that Saturday evening the Widow
Bashlot bent over the bed of the sick
child with weepings and walls of anguish.
The bowling blast piped without and the
frost nipped within. She suffered be-
cause she had forced herself to beg. For
| herself she had rather die than become a
pauper, but for her child-O, God, have
mercy!
A wailing cry like this had burst from
her lips, when tramp at her door at
! tracted her attention, and presently a
gentle rap followed. She answered thu
summons and found four young men up
on her steop.
She knew them well, for they had been
schoolmates with her son who had gone
| to sea and never returned. And they
came into the house; they piled up the
! fuel on the hearth until the bright fla mes
leaped and roared, and the sick child
reached out its wasted arms to embrace
| the genial warmth.
They brought forth bread and tea and
sugar and butter and cheese.
"All right" said Sam Pepper, who re-
garded them as his special charges, in
answer to the woman's CALCULATIONS of
astonishment. "We are John Digby's
Reform Club, and we are going into
missionary work; and such folks as you
are we want tC convert-want to convert
from suffering to comfort, if we can. So
keep up good heart, and let US do for
| you what your own Willie would have
done if he had lived. It'll be comfort
to Us. Well call often. You shan't want
if we can help it.''
The widows sobbing, bursting return
of blessings cannot oe reproduced by
tongue or pen. When the young men
reached the highway, Sam Pepper burst
| forth:
Boys, as true as heaven, Iwould not
exchange the blessing of that poor
widows heart for all the joys that ever
came in the old way at the tavern.
There's something more than fun in
this"
And his companions agreed with him.
In another part of the town, on the
| ,+cEi rto Of fhn hot
ed hut, lived Ben Driscoll and his wife
Sally.
In other years they had been well and
| happy; and, though never forehanded,
yet they had not known want till old age
and sickness had deprived them of their
ebility to work. And on this cold win
ter's Right, Uncle Ben and Aunt Sally sat
and shivered over the heat of such stuff
as they had been able to gather from the
snow-covered hedges, and the old man
sighed as he thought of the aims house.
eff we could only get through the win
ter. But who can help us?"
| But old Uncle Ben and his wife were
aroused from stupor of chill and hunger
| by the tramp of feet and hum of voices;
and shortly the door opened and John
| Digby and his three companions entered.
a fire Yves speedily burning on the
hearth, and good store of provisions
was opened out on the table.
The old man wondered, and Tom Low
den made answer.
cts all right, Uncle Ben. This is Jack
Digby's Reform Club. We've stopped
our rations of spirits and tobacco, and
are going to invest the result in a mis-
sionary enterprise. We want to convert
you and Aunt Sally, if We can"
Convert US, Toni"
"Aye-convert you to comfort and
peace; and perhaps convert you to the
belief that there is a grain of good left
in humanity still. We mean to take you
in hand the coming winter, and you
shan't suffer if we can help it."
The boys did not leave the cot until
they had helped the aged couple to a
hearty meal, and had piled up fuel
enough to last until they came again; and
when they finally withdrew the song of
their blessing was sounding in their ears.
And so the reformers went on until their
nights work was done; and when they
came to separate they declared that they
had found such enjoyment as they had
never known before.
During the succeeding week three new
members were added to the club-men
who were willing to cut off expenses for
rum and tobacco ard devote the pro-
ceeds TO the relief of the poor and dis
tressed of the town.
And ere long Digby's Reform club be-
came a noted Institution in that place.
The projectors could hardly credit the
evidence of their own senses in contem-
plating the result of their three months
labor. Two and twenty members had