The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-09-09
Temperance.
How Carl Saved His Father.

Vi Int CulIur II. Carl ftartWell was one
of those present. He seemed to listen
with his eyes as well as his ears, for he
leaned on the back of the bench before
him, and stared with big, eager eyes at
the speaker. The latter was telling
about the thirst of diunkard. 1t was
like furnace, he said, heated red-hot,
and it was asking for liquor to feed it
all the time.
Carl did not seem to notice anything
else but the minister, who was talking
to the boys and girls of his congrega-
lion. Carl thought of his father, Abram
Hartwell, known TO be drunkard,
known to have this hot thirst.
i" How can you cool off such a
thirst?" asked the minister. I" l saw a
great river of ice once-a glacier-ob,
so coldl Would that take out the heat
from a drunkard's thirst? know
what will take away his Thirst. Do YOU
want to know? Prayer to God will do
it. And whatever you do, whatever
remedy you try, whatever medicine,
don't leave out prayer. Add that to it,"
Carl went away in deep thought.
That thirst, the awful thirst of
drunkard, and TO think his father had
anything! He wanted to do so much
for his home, where the mother had
such an anxious face, the home that
was so poor and needy and empty The
baby there was such a pining little
thing, the pantry some times had no
food in it, the hod ever seemed to
lack coal, the stove was so often with
out any fire. Oh, so much needed to
be done in that drunkard's home!
Well, he could do one thing which
the minister had mentioned, yes, he
could pray. He would pray, too, that
very day, that very moment. A white
little face was turned up to the sky in
its mute supplication, like white flower
asking for rain on hot day. God sends
rain to the flowers; would he not hear
the plea of this boy-face, and send a
blessing?
Hank! When Carl opened his ewes,
he heard a rumbling. 1t was not the
sound of thunder accompanying rain
but it was the jarrir g noise of heavy
icec coming dow the hot, dusty
street.
And it is stopping at Stokell'sl"
thought Carl.
hole at The corner. And oh. there is
tather' thought Carl.
Abram Hartwell was standing on the
sidewalk, looking very sad and discon-
tented. He was saying TO himself,
"What nobody l am! Don't do any
thing, don't amount to anything, ex-
cept-to drink! Oh, dear" Yes, he
did seem to be very useless being.
What am l good for?" he muttered.
He looked up to the sky. How he
wished he could be goodl
His face was coarse and red. There
are flowers coarse and homely, very I'M
like the white ones. Does not God
send rain on those homely or es also?
While Abram Hartwell was think
ing about his useless life and raising
his hopeless face toward the sky, Carl
was thinking about that hot thing, the
drunkard's thirst; and oh, if ice would
only cool it and subdue it and stop il!
That ice-cart, what an attractive OBJ
ject it was to all the children in the
neighborhood Out of the close, hot,
poor homes they rushed when they
heard the sound of the heavy, Earring,
rumbling wheels. "The ice-cart! the
! lCC'Cdlt! lHtf ouOulcu. JlUW IH6N
gathered about the cart when it halted !
When Sol Stevens, the ice man, with
the brown arms and iron pick, broke up
the white, sparkling blocks of crystal
what a rush was made for any of the
cool chips flying over the sidewalk
Huirah!" they shouted. And Sol
grin ned and let his ice pick fall clumsily
at times on the ice that there might be
a shower of nice, cool bits for the hot,
thirsty children.
All this time Gail eyed first his father
and then the tempting ice shower. He
wanted to pick up cooling crystal and
| hand it to his father that the awful
thirst within might be slaked, and his
father not 90 into Stokell's saloon.
81 don't dare to-" Carl muttered
more than once. Sol had finished his
delivery of ice for the neighborhood,
cried Good-by, youngsters" had
mounted the drivers seat, and was
turning his team away from the side
walk, when Carl saw piece Of ice still
ungathered, and also saw his father
turning toward the saloon. Crying
God, do help me to speak to my
father" he quickly mustered courage
| ~ sSlLC tiut ldot plSCS' IucH, strangely
he slipped, and, oh, so near those awful.
heavy wheels! He did not think OF
that. He only thought of his father
going into the saloon, and cried
Don't so, oh, this ice, father, take It'll
Ii was all Carl could do, to fer his
ice, and think of God in just a swift
title prayer!
The father turned. He saw SON e
thing terrib ca big wheel rumbinS
and grinding round, and so near his
boy!
"Whoa!" the driver suddenly shouted
to his horses, fiercely pulling them bach
from big express team coming round
the corner. He did not see Carl, bu
that halt put little space between the
child and the great threatening wheel,
approaching.
God help mel" murmured Abran
Hartwell.
Does not God send rain, said, or
the coarse, homely flowers?
Abram seemed to reach Carl in one
single, immense leap. He took severa