Mower County transcript., 1892-06-08
LE r OY d.
THE BLACK BOTTLE.

Ii Ii : ROY
THE BLACK BOTTLE.
The Macon tGa.) Telegraph tells the follow.
Ina true story. that would fitly adorn q tenn.
perance lecture. :"
Il Happening into q millinery store, the re-
porter noticed q lady buying q hat FOR her
little girl. The child made herself sociable
with him. and remarked, prattling artlessly: !:
eve dot lots o. money now #50..
Where did you get 1t. my little girl?"
"Papa broke de bottle
This called for an explanation on the moth
er's part, and she finally related how her In.
temperate husband had been reformed Ave
years before, at the time their oldest boy died.
This is the tale sho told. beginning-as the
story Of many reformed life has beguu-at
q loved ones death bed.
1.-THE little fellow slowly turned his eyes
towards his father, and said: Il am going to
die, papa. for the angels are calling for me.
This Is Christmas morning, papa; please let
me see what Santa Claus put into my stock.
Ing Ny husband went to the mantel and
took down the little stocking. It was empty
He stood still and stared at 1t minute and
God only knows the agony OF his heart in that
short time. He turned to speak, but our boy
would not have heard him had the poor mans 9
heart allowed him utterance. Our boy was
dead!
1.-THE day before New Years my husband
called for tho whisky bottle. May God forgive
my feeling. at that minute. for wished that
he. too. were dead. obeyed him mechani.
cally. To my surprise, he took the bottle In
his hands, and. pouring the whisky IN the
ground, SAID: Il will drink no more; and the
money would spend for whisky We will put
into this bottle, and all enjoy its contents'
You can imagine how happy was! He
had sworn of many u time before, but knew
he was in earnest this time. We made cal
culation, and estimated that whisky cost him
him five dollars week. Well, 1t was decided
to put five dollars week in the bottle for five
years, come what would. The time was out
last New Years Day, and the big black bottle
was broken, and it contained thirteen hun.
dred dollars. But this was not all. We saved
enough in that time, out side Of the bottle, to
buy alittle home."
But are you not afraid. In breaking the
bottle, your husband will break his resolu.
tion?" H. ..
mo; because we have started another bot.
tie bank" said the lady with happy smile.
The husband Is q Macon mechanic. we'll
known. and enjoys the respect and esteem of
all. He says he never knew how much genu-
Inc pleasure there was at home with his loved
ones until he got sober enough to appreciate
1t. and to fill, instead Of empty, the black
bottle.
"sUMPTUARY LAWS"
'pm opposed, as a matter of principle, to
sumptuary laws, and therefore vote Yes"
says some advocate of the tippling shop.
"What is sumptuary law?"
"Why, it-1t-it-you know it's law which
prevents you from eating and drinking as you
want to- s,>. | s--.-- " :>''
"Ohl Ard you're oppose to such laws?"
"Yes."
"Well; the license law says man may not
buy anything to drink before six o'clock in
the morning, nor after midnight; nor at any
time, unless he goes through the front door of
the groR-shOp: nor in a store which has
screen in the windows, nor at a public bar;
nor on the Lords day, unless he Is hotel
guest. 1t seems to me the hcense-law is q
'sumptuary' law. isn't it?''
"Well, I never thought Of that. 1 don't see
1t It's right to interfere SO much with q mans
drinking, why, as q matter OF principle. it
might not be:proper to stop It altogether, es.
pecially as found recently that the state had
passed sumptuary law about Holsters, and
forbidden anybody to sell me one less than
ten long. wonder If that talk about 'sump-
tuary laws'lisn't q 'chestnut?'"