The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-04-11
IAN IMPRESSION FOR LIFE

1lng-a-llng went the telephone bell
in the large Office of II. r. Brown Co.,
Wholesale and retail dealers in gas and
electric. fixtures, and the manager, after
taking the order, turned and inquired for
one of the men whose duty it is to re-
place the nantes of the Welsbach lights.
Not being in, and as at that time there
were few who knew the art of replacing
nantes, the salesroom clerk was sent
to do the job, for it was to be done at
once.
vending his way up one Of the streets
Of the city of Jackson, he finally came
to the number given him. 1t was a
saloon, not one Of the low-down dives,
but one Of high class. Being shown
the light, he found that it hung directly
over the bar. Truly saloonkeepers know
how to gain customers.
The solid mahogany bar with it's pol
ished brass pieces, and the faucets Of
silver, the cut-giasS ware and pretty Or
chairs and tables, with up-to-date maya
zines and papers, and the lights with
| the tri-colored globes rejecting their rays
| in the French beveled-edge glass behind
| the bar, are sufficient invitations for the
| tired workmen who cannot afford luxu-
| ries at home.
AA0A TIC W VI tue open uFepldCc,
the welcome of friends and the CHEEKY
Good evening" of the bartender, are far
in advance of the cold, dreary welcome
at home, where the wife oftentimes for
gets her duty to welcome her husband
home after the hard days work.
While repairing the light the clerk took
advantage Of his position upon the bar to
aration Of cocktails, the Otard, the cog
nae, schnapps, the beers, wines and whis-
ky. Rich and poor alike stood side by
| side and enjoyed like freedom. But as
| he looked, what was it on the French
| beveled glass that caught his attention
| AS If to hide to some degree the awful
visages of some Of his customers faces,
the proprietor had placed a spiders web
made of small silk cord, so that it nearly
| covered the center Of the glass. In vari-
! GUS places flies were entangled and Sc
cured, while, as if gloating over the last
victim, the spider was winding the last
thread about him, thus ending every pos
sibility of escape.
But the young man saw reflection in
| the glass behind. 1t was picture of
that home where little Percy, the baby
boy, lay dead. Around him the family
were gathered with saddened hearts. Did
I say the family? meant only part, for
in chair out in the kitchen, with his
head on his arm, sat the husband in a
drunken stupor. Attempts to awaken
him had been useless; and that dear
wife, with her heart nearly broken, fol-
lowed the now lifeless little body, once
the joy of the home, silently to the grave.
Is it any wonder she nearly fell into
| it herself? No strong arm to uphold her;
no manly breast to lean upon; no one
to comfort her during the sleepless nights
when the little life lay in the battle be-
tween life and DEATH. ;,
The picture changes. The drunken stu
por is over. Alone and unseen that faith
er goes to the little grave of the baby
boy. Kneeling. over it's little form, with
tears now flowing freely, Frank Foster
vowed that henceforth he would drink
no more. The light is fixed and the
mantle adjusted, and as the clerk stepped
down from the bar, taking his last look
at this plain warning Of the dangers Of
men, he wished others in that room
might have seen the vision.
Thoughtfully he went back to the store,
having had in those few moments an
impression made upon his mind which he
never would forget and which he often
| speaks of as an impression for life"-
F, A. II. in the Evening Wisconsin.