The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-12-03
A Temperance Lecture that was Uaex
pected.

some Gays ago, the passengers In o
railroad coach were given free leo.
ture on temperance, which I think
will remain and abide with them. I
am sure it made lasting suppression
on my mind.
Sitting OF g seat immediately be.
hind some Of the actors in this in
tensely realistic play, I ohanoed to
listen to few words that were utter
ed, but it was only pantomine for the
rest of the on-lookers, nevertheless
well understood.
As we pulled out OF Macon o man,
his wife, girl about IA and boy
about IL Gas near as I might guess)
came in and took seats in front OF me
aud across the aisle. From the length
Of their tickets l judged they were
going some distance away. Their
dress betokened plain circumstances
in living, and the man was fool.drunkl
He jabbered away necessarily. He
staggered as he walked. He was as
restless IS buck rabbit, and as silly
as an idiot. Wheughl How loath-
some!
The mother and daughter sat TO-
gether awhile, but the pater familias
became 80 unmanageable for the NOR
tilted boy that the mother had the
the man change places with the girl.
1 thought she was overoropped OF
that stage ofthe temperance lecture (?),
but there was more to come, and it
came along fastl
Another drunken man came in, who
had little boy, not exceeding years
old, by the hand.
He wss evidently in search Of the
maudlin specimen before described.
he aimed to have it out with his evil
dent acquaintance. Reading between
the lines, it was apparent chat they
had been in dispute before they
boarded the train, and like two ILL
natured ours, they began to snarl end
approach each other as you have seen
dogs and cats perform on occasion.
The poor woman became fairly des-
perate, the children vild-eyed and
trembling with anxiety. If both men
had not been overloaded with drink
they would have pitched in like ham
mer and tongs. But the excited vo-
man would jerk one man down and
push the other away with her other
hand at the same time. She would
crp, "Go off, to one, and "Behave
yoursolfr to the other. In the
meantime that little child DRIED as If
it's heart was broken. A dozen people
said to each other: "What shame it
is that the poor little innocent should
be in the hands Of such sot!'
The desperate woman finally push
ed, pulled and showed her husband
into the seat nearest the window, and
then she lowered over him with
courage and pertinacity that deser-
we'd better csuse. She patted him
on the shoulder, she whispered in his
ear, she pointed to passing sceues on
the outside, and she fsshed her big
eyes OF the great drunken giant who
was seeking to get at her particular
sot, and the latter tried to conoiliate
her.
''Let him alone," she would entreat
her blear-eyet spouse. "Go of from
here" she would hiss at the pugna.
oious intruder. But there was no use
in talking to either. The poor chill
dren, the :hree unfortunates, were
terrified spectators Of all Of this dis
turbance. I heard the man who was
sitting down, crowded up into the cor
ner by his brave wife, blubber out:
"Tll kill him, Shore" and then I
picked up my belongings and went
away back and sat down. / could not
risk it longer. The comedy was be-
coming tragedy, and I was uncomfort-
ably near, SO I left them to their fate,
and was glad 70 get away.
A gentleman not far Cd then noti-
fed the conductor and the latter had
time Of it to get the two sots apart
and keep TIE peace at that end Of the
train. He was, however, o brave man,
and carried of the giant into another
coach, who dragged that helpless little
child along behind him still sobbing
and unhappy. The whole crowded
car had been made un~ill;ng speota-
tors Of the abominable exposure these
besotted men had made of themselves.
The actors. we're positively shameless.
Their red eyes, dripping mouths, and
unkempt hair, told . story Of miser-
able homes, miserable children and