The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-11-07

hang around the dlstlllery, and TO
work when there was no help for it.
Yet they were, after all, noble spirit
ed, handsome fellows and they
courted the bright girls, and there
would be young couple going off
through the wilderness on horseback
to the nearest minister, and there
would gather "bee" who would, in
short order, put up new log house
into which the couple would go, and
new family would be established on
the same old basis: The men having
right to rule and to vote-after the
towns were incorporated = whether
they were drunk or sober, and the
women having right to work and
to hate liquor, although this hatred
did not extend to those who drank it,
nor enable them to wage war of ex-
termination.
To get an adequate yield from the
land there was, of course, much hard
work required, and this the men said
it was impossible for them to do
without liquor, the effect of which,
they said, went off in perspiration,
leaving no harmful results.
Among the very few who dared
demur at this was Tabitha Wells, a
young woman whose father and
mother had both died soon after they
came to the settlement, leaving her
in their comfortable log house by
herself. There she had remained,
doing her work indoors and out, Gull
tivating what land she could, and
having no help because she would
not allow any one who drank liquor
upon her premises.
"Was not my father drowned in
crossing the brook, coming home at
night from the distillery," she would
say, ''and, in consequence, did not
my mother pine and die of broken
heart? Am I to caress the hand that
has smitten met"
Although she titled but little land,
she was blessed with such bountiful
crops that the men when in their
cups said the witches helped her,
and she was looked upon with sus-
picion; but by the women she was
loved and respected, in time growing
to be their leader in thought and
action.
In her eet girlhood Tabitha en-
gagged herself in marriage to John
Slocum, youth few years her
senior, who at that time babe fair to
become the one temperance man in
all the neighborhood; but one hay
ing time, overcome by the influence
and example of others. he took his
first draught of the stuff made at the
distillery, and was soon as bad as any
of them.
81 will not break my troth with
you," said Tabitha, "but while you
drink liquor l will neither keep COM
pany with you, nor marry YOU"
This exasperated Slocum, and he
declared to the men that Tab was a
high strung FLY, and he was better
off without than with her; but at the
same time his love for her increased
with his respect, and although he
burst not go upon her premises, he
managed to see her often, and treat
ed her with the utmost respect and
politeness. She would allow no low
ering.
At length there came to the colony
a woman of German descent, claim
ing some distant relationship with
the Emersons, who was we'll educated,
and, opening school in Tabitha's
house, she made her home there.
A very bright woman was Madam
Vaughn. She had seen a good deal
of the world. and many people. She
was probably a refugee, but, al
though that was thought of, no one
knew for sure, and she lived on un-
molested; very silent and quiet with
the men, but putting great many
independent ideas into the minds of
the women, and talking of woman's
rights in a way to induce them to
rebel against their present wrongs.
'Most women will submit from
force of habit" she said, "and will
not accept the rights they have to
bring up their families properly, and
to maintain orderly Christian homes.
The women here have right to pro-
test against the goings ON of the
men, and to demand that they give
up liquor, and go to work in true
manly fashion and bring this town
ship up to level with the towns all
around you in Improvements and in
morals and religion. You don't want
to be a town of logs while your
neighbors are living in frame houses,
l,..A 49,. L. 30 a. i -