Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-01-25

L went u tnc lOOW btsuiSk dLo
l ford her with a sick child, absolutely
freezing and. Starving"
''Anu L." SAID Tom Lowder. II found
Uncle Ben Driscon 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 GO
ing TO the pooThouse, 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. II seemed like drop
in the bucket, when set against all the
want and suffering they had found, but 1t
would do something.
On that Saturday evening the Wloow
Bashlot bent over the bed of tie slcs
child with weepings and walls OF anguish.
The bowling blast piped without and the
frost nlpped within. She suffered be
cause she had forced herself to beg. For
herself she had rather die than become
pauper, but for her child-O, GOD, have
mercy!
A waiing cry like this had burst from
her lips, when tramp at her door at
| tracted her attention, and presently
gentle rap followed. She answered tn
summons and found four young men up
on her stoop.
! 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 Ia mes
| Ieaped aud roared, and the sick child
reached cut its wasted arms to embrace
| the genial warmth.
| They brought forth bread and tea and
sugar and butter and cheese.
'.AIl right" said Sam Pepper, who re
| garded them as his special charges, in
al swer to the woman's calculations of
! establishment. 1--WE are John Dlgby's
| Reform Club, and we are going into
| missionary work; and such folks as you
| are We want tC conyert-want tC convert
| from suffering to comfort If we can. SO
keep up a 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, would not
| exchange the blessing OF that poor
widows heart for all the joys thas ever
| came in the old way at the tavern.
| There's something more than fun in
! this"
And his mpanions agreed with him.
| In another part of the town, on the
| outskirts of the village, IN poor, thatch-
| ed hut, lived Ben Driscoll and his wife
| Sally.
In other years they had been well and
| happy; and, though never forehanded,
| vet 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 light, Uncle Ben and Amt 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.
| "If 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
| Diyby and his three companions entered.
! fire was 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
! Dieby's Reform Club. We've stopped
| our ratiO15 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, TomS"
"Aye-convert you to comfort and
peace; and perhaps convert you 10 the
| belief that there is 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 rot leave the cot until
| they had helped the aged couple TO e
hearty meal and had piled up fuel
| enough to last until they came again aud
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 enjoy ment 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 aud 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 noted institution IL that place.
| The projectors could hardly credit the
| evidence of their own senses in cOnten-
! plating the result of their three months
labor. Two and twenty members had
| Joined, and the fund for relief amounted
to nearly $40 per week, aDG each man
was pledged to pay in weekly the exact
sum his spirits and tobacco cost him. If
l. i 81, l. ,,l-
10 yer place in the company, and the use
ot spirits us a beverage was sufficient
cause for expulsion. When people saw
the good that was being done, they were
snxiOus to give aid, and lie COME cted
with the merry crew; but the laws of the
club were fixed; no money could come to
the fund except such al had been saved
by the donor of some evil habit, or by
cutting off some useless luxury.
1t was a bright Sabbath III Springtime,
aHd it was given ont that Parson Meekly
was going to preach a sermon on Digby's
reform clu1, and the old meeting house
was filled to overlooking. The Clergyman
read his text from st. Johns Gospel
Can there any good come out of Nazar
ethY Come and see" And when he told
the story of Digby's Reform club and
pictured the good result of / $ iabOrs, he
proclaimed to all, go ye and do like
wise"
Once John Digby and his companions
had fancied it would be a PROUD moment
when they had brought the old parson to
recognize the worth of their lahors; but
the blessings of those upon whom their
bounties had fallen had made such sweet
music in their ears, and the satisfaction
of duties truly done had dropped so
soothingly upon their souls, they found
no room for thst baser pride which they
had before that time anticipated.
FARM NOTES.
There is plenty of room for fruit on