News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1898-02-23
HE nRuNkARn,s SERMON.
Response to a Request That He Pay f
His Drink with a speech.

Response to Request That He Pay for
His Drink with speech.
II WAS growing late. The tide of
humanity that earlier in the evening
had ebhed and flowed through the
streets OF the great city had swept
onward, leaving the strange and al
most appalling sense of desolation
that comes when the noises OF the
street are hushed. The electric lights
hared unnoti ed on the corners; the
street ears passed at further inter-
vals; now and then a night worker
lurlied by, bis footsteps ringing out
loud and clear in the stiffness. Ia
front of a saloon whose lights shone
out bright and ruddy across the
pavement stood tramp, unshorn,
ragged, dirty, disgusting. He watch
ed with envious eyes the men who
passed in and out through the swing
ing doors, and then he turned his
eyes toward two young fellows in
evening dress who we're coming down
the street toward him. They had
been drinking deeply, and they stop
ped before the saloon door and look
ed curiously at him.
by Jove," said one, "think ofhav-
ing thirst like that, and not the
price ofan extinguisher in your peck
etl Beats old Tantalus all to pieces,
Ell? Liquor, liquor, everywhere, and
not a drop to drink"
He ran his hand in his pocket and
proffered the tramp dime, but be-
fore it could be accepted the other
young fellow interposed.
Say" he said, 'let's do the good
Samaritan and set Hobo up to a
good drink"
The other hilarously consented,
and the tramp slouched into the sa-
loon at the heels of the two gided
youths The barkeeper set before
them glasses and liquors, and with a
hand that shook the tramp poured
out trimming glass and raised it
to his lips.
stop" cried oneof the young men
drunkenly, make us a speech 1t is
poor liquor that doesn't uuloosen a
mans tongue"
The tramp hastily swallowed down
the drink, and as the rich Iiqnor
coursed through his blood he straight-
ened himself and stood before them
with grace and dignity that all his
rags ana dirt could not obscure.
Gentlemen" he said, II look to-
night at you and at myself, nd it
seems to me | look upon the picture
of my lost manhood. This bloated
lace was once as young and hand
some as yours. This stumbling fig
ure once walked as proudly as yours,
] a man in a world of men. /, too, once
J had home. and friends and position.
/ | had IA wife az beautiful asan artists
! dream, and dropped the priceless
pearl of her honor and respect in the
wine cup, and Cleopatra-lke, saw it
dissolve, and quaffed it down in the
Drumming draught. had children
as sweet and lovely as the flowers of
/ spring, and saw them die under the
curse oil drunkard father. / mad q
home where love lit the flame upon
the altar aud ministered before it,
and | put out the holy fire, and dark
ness and desolation reigned in its
stead | had aspirations and ambi-
tions that scared as high as the
morning star, and broke and bruis-
ed their beautiful wings, and, at last
str angled them that might be tor
turtd with their cries no more. To-
day | am husband without wife,
iatFer without child, tramp
with no home 10 call his own, a man
in whom every good impulse is dead.
All, all is swallowed up in the mael-
strom OF drink"
| The tramp ceased speaking. The
glass fell from his nerveless fingers
and shivered intGa Thousand frag-
ments on the floor. The swinging
doors pushed open and shut to again,
aud when the little group about the
bar looked up the tramp was gone
New Orleans PicayuDe.