Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-08-13
Temperance Column.
mo license and total abstinence"
MRS. 9. j. sHoRTr AND MRS. Il. B. CRANE,
a. ~ -. 4 EDITORS. s. i,

& d -.
An original package man who
opened little club house IN a Kansas
town the other day is now packed away
in small Jail cell. waiting for
some one with package Of $500 to 60
bail for him.
A Methodist church at Lowell, Mass,
has decided to use water instead Of WINE
in the communion service. One Of the
members. who has been q drunkard. &C
cording to his own statement, and had
twice returned to his old habits through
the temptation placed in his way at the
communion service, was the cause of the
change. The minister said he could
never pass the wine to HIM again, and the
church unanimously consented to use
water instead.
He was only ten, and small for his age,
but he was hero, and Tough his battle
and died victor before his eleventh
birthday. Like many other dying
mothers, Bennie's had left this message:
Take care Of father" and Bonnie had
answered, II will, mother"
And he kept his promise. The gaunt
wolf of poverty was always lurking near
the threshold of the desolate room which
Bonnie called home. But the brave child
would not allow HIM 10 enter. He could
not do much, but he fought him off with
all the strength he possessed. He helped
a larger boy to sell papers whenever he
could get away from watching his father,
he did brands, he held horses, he sold
apples for the old woman who had the
corner stand; in fact, he did what he
could and trusted God for the rest. In
winters cold or summers heat he was
always to be found at night in the vlcin-
ity of saloon which his father visited.
Whether it was eight, or nine. or ten,
or eleven O'Clock when his father reeled
out, the faithful child was always ready
to lead him home safely. His reward
was usually curses, sometimes blows; but
Bennie did not murmer; he would keep
his promise, whatever his father chose to
do.
When Thomas Dunn, Bennies father,
was sober, he seemed to care for his little
boy-once even going so far as to put a
hand gently on his head. and say, with a
half sob, as if realizing the child's neg
lected condition, Poor boyl Poor little
Benniew But Thomas Dunn's sober in
tervals were getting rare.
Bonnie, weary and heart-broken, be-
fan to fear that the wolf must cross their
for it took all his time now to
take care of father" He was always
around somewhere. or stumbl-
ing over something; he seemed TO need
Bonnie every minute. One day as the
;wo we're crossing the street, the staeger-
ing man fell, and Bennie's full strength
was used to pull him to place of safety,
In another moment Bennie's feet were
crushed all out of shape, as two runaway
horses drawing heavy carriage trampled
over him. He was picked up very gently
and taken to hospital, whether his
sobbing father followed him.
Terrible days followed-days of physi-
cal agony to Bonnie, days of mental
torture to his repentent father. One
evening, just at dusk. Bonnie opened his
eyes, in which the light Of reason once
more shown. A look of wonder was in
his patient face. In the cleaning he
could see the hospital surgeon sitting be-
side him. What did it mean?
"Why am I here?" he asked, his voice
faint and trembling with fear.
"You were injured, my boy, and we
had to perform an operation" answered
a gentle voice.
What was the operation?' his voice
with fear.
Your feet were amputated, my poor
child"
Cut of, sir, do you mean?"
"Yes-cut off,"
20, sir, what will become of father. /
promised mother I'd take care of him,
and-and-"
Don't think about that now, Benniep
said the surgeon, his voice shaken with
sobs:
'But l must think about it, sir;
father'Il be under the horses feet, and
mebbe killed, and he amt ready to die.
Couldn't I have pair of clutches, sir,
an go and find father?"
Some one whom he had not noticed IN
the dark was kneel1ng at the foot of his
bed; the person now crept nearer, and
voice shaken with sobs said: You don't
need the crutches, Bonnie lad; fathers
here and he'll never leave you"
1t was even so; over the faithful cnild's
crushed feet the dissipated father had
found his way to the cross
Bonnie died that night. His last
words, looking up with a beautiful smile,
were, Mother! 0, Mother! I kept my
promise; I did take care of father.-Se-
lected.
May the skies and all things else be
propitious on next Friday, as each mem
Der of the Band of Hope IS looking for