Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1891-05-11
w. G. T. u. COLUMN.
MORO: "God and Home and Native Land. .
A FARMER'S PLEDGE.

~ Il LLLLDSTIL.
"Hello, Bub, who are your" ex-
claimed one of Tom Mather,s reapers,
as a seven-year-old boy, one noon,
appeared among them.
81 am papa's temperance pledge; ;
aren't I, papa?" piped out the Jolly
little chap.
"You are! Well, then, I have a
mind to pitch you into the middle of
next week, if it is you who are keep
ing US from having a comfortin' drop
of whiskey and water" said a reaper.
eyes, its me-" laughed little Dick,
in high glee; "and if you want to
know where papa signed me, I'll show
you;" and as proudly as any old sold
Ter displaying his scars, the little boy
pulled down the collar of his calico
shirt, and showed a queer, white scar
on the shoulder, reaching up toward
his throat; then, espying load of
straw starting for the barn, he sped off
to beg for a ride.
eyes, boys" said Tom, E'that little
fellow is my pledge, and [ signed him,
though he does not know what that
really means. You know it isn't mean
ness that makes me refuse you the liq-
uor which other farmers deal out, for
L agree to pay you more wages. 1t is
my hatred of the accursed stuff, and
my regard for your real good. When
bought this farm ten years ago, did
not know the taste of rum or whiskey.
Everybody took little, as found, in
harvest times, and when work was
pressing, so I fell into the same way:
a drop if the weather was very hot; a
little if it was very cold; a long drink
moons if [ was hard at work. Once
in a while OF a Sunday, in the old
meeting house, when the choir was
singing a hymn my mother used to
sing, had an uneasy feeling that I
was slipping down hill. always kept
hard cider in my cellar; all my work
hands had it, and some way the farm
began to run down, too. Summer be-
fore last it was very hot, and [ was
not very well; had been having chills;
When they came on [ thought nothing
helped me more than little-nO, a
good deal of whiskey. One noon in
the fields [ was rather hungry; the
dinner horn had not sounded, and [
picked up my jug and took long pull.
What with the heat and taking it on
to my head as never before. I cut the
grain every which way, the ground
rising up and going down under me,
and the farm shifted till the points of
compass were all wrong. You Just
saw that boy of mine? He is my only
one, his mothers idol, and-weu, [
would die for the boy any day. The
little chap had taken his puppy and
wandered of out where l was work
ing. 1t was hot. He was only five
years old, and what did he do but lie
right down where the tall grain would
shade him, and go to sleep with the
puppy cuddling down and doing the
same. Well, the dizzier [ got the
more recl1lessly [ swung around, and
suddenly [ slashed out with that sharp
steel, and-good heavens, boys! Just
you fancy it! The poor little puppy
never yelped, his throat was cut so
clean; and that boy of mine! One
great cash down his soft, white flesh,
right up to his tender little throat, but
escaping it, for the puppy nestled
there! | don't know much about the
rest of that day, nor the time, until
heard the boy wouldn't die. But when
old DR.. Kinley said he might live,
just held him up to God in my arms,
and [ said: "Here, Lord, is my tenn
perance pledge! I'll never touch one
drop of liquor while l live, and this
boy, whose life has been spared, never
shall either, if prayers and example
and teaching can prevent. And SO,
boys, 1 can't treat you, for I have
signed my pledge an blood"
There was no more murmuring on
the farm after Temperance Ban
ner.