The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-07-25
TEMPERANCE STORY.
A Tale of Heredity.

ters, especially in the vicinity of New
York.
The writer was one bright morning
standing on suburban platform wait
ing for belated train. A singular
man accosted him in a strange way.
He said: " Adam, where art thou?"
AS turned toward the voice, beheld
an old, unkempt man with long, gray
beard. His dress was poor and i'll fit
ting, and his appearance in general
rather forbidding. Still, his keen blue
eyes, fastened earnestly upon my face,
seemed to look me through and through,
and held my attention; and the poor
mans evident sincerity touched sym
pathetic chord.
Adam, where art thou?" The
quaint salutation still rang in my ears.
"My name is not ADAM" l said
gently.
With a half smile the man lowered
his voice and murmured: God said
unto Adam, Where art thou9' Thou
art not Adam, and l am not God; but
God can speak to thee through me-"
Then with solemnity he asked: Do
you drink"
Drink my friend, do look like
man that needs temperance lecturer
Why do you ask stranger like me such
a question:"
Pardon me, sir" he said, and,
peering into my face with doubtful
expression, he added ruefully: Pm
glad if you don't!"
Well, them" l said, to test him,
"what if do take an occasional glass
of wine or beer?"
This question appeared to stir up the
old mans animation. "Ah, now," he
answered, Just listen to my story. If
you never take strong drink, the tale
may not help you, except as by telling
it you may do good to Others"
Perhaps the story is too long; re-
member, l must hasten on by the next
train
My manner must have treasured him
in spite of my words for he entered at
once upon the story of his life. He
was United States pensioner, and
lived with widowed daughter not far
from that station. In his own odd
style, after few words of explanation,
he unfolded what he thought to be the
important lesson to be communicated,
substantially as follows:
"Twenty years before the war / mar
ried the belle of little village in New
England. My bride was charming
young girl, with dark brown hair and
speaking eyes to match. She was sin
gularly loved by all the village; for she
was as good as she was beautiful. We
set up in life on small farm near the
town, and in time we had two daughters
who grew to womanhood as lovely as
their mother, and that is saying much
for them. The elder was brunette,
and the younger blonde. Indeed, sir,
they were ideal children. Alma, who,
as you see, most favored her mother,
brought us grace and goodness, and
jeanette came to increase these gifts
and add her own sunshine and affec-
ton. Their devotion to each other was
always remarkable; it hardly occurred
to them or their parents that during
their girlhood they would ever be di-
vided. l myself" the old man said
sorrowfully, :" however, brought the
first clouds into that heaven of home.
l began to drink, first, wine at my own
wedding, and for more than year be-
fore Jeanette's birth was hard drinker
of whiskey. This drink-habit absorbed
my income so much that Alma tried to
help out the home life by her own earn
ings. She took the village school, and
was for several summers the accepted
teacher. Our state senator, the Hon.
Hiram Brown, lived in the village and
owned large store. His son Henry
after graduating from college, had re.
turned to assist his father in business
The senator was a pillar in the village
church; had been for years an old-timt
Wing, and was naturally among the
first to help in organizing the republi'
can party. So you see, sir, Mr.. Brown
teetotaler' and Christian, was emf
nently respectable, and his son, granC
young man, free from any bad habits
He and Alma soon loved each other
and were married. The village ap
proved the match, though some said
TOO bad her father drinks so much
yet Alma is a fine girl and cannot b,
blamed for the old mans sinsp All
sir. 1t was couple-a tall, broad
shouldered young man with refine
ment and culture, and the veritabl
belle of the village; a woman true
good, beautiful, and much beloved il
} spite of the growing worthlessness o
her father! My good wife kept on
honor alive in The community. But
made this daughters wedding the eS
cuse for another glorious drunk"
The train was approaching, and
tried to leave the old man, but he de
tanned me, pointing to an ugly sea
d reddish and shaped like a horseshoe
e which his beard concealed He sale
o " Sir, do you see that SCARF"
( eyes: but 1 must go"
: "Well, let me sit by you on tn
train, and | will explain the rest"
d" All right; come on"
That mysterious scar and his no;
awry now excited my curiosity. Thet
in spite of the redeeming eyes, wei
2 the real cause of the old mans repu
+ sive appearance. After we were seate
y in the car, asked if that mark on h
d face was the result of some spree? AL
i l laughingly inquired: DO you CO..
" tinue to drink and use these disfgur
e@5I ments as a warning to young me
-. .1-OD