The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-01-28
CHApPER v.
THE MAKING OF THE LEAGUE.

~ THURSDAY morning found
II Craig anxious, even gloomy,
E but with fight In every line OF
EJ his face. 1 tried to cheer him
In my clumsy way by chatting him
about his league, but he did not blaze
mp, as he often did. 1t was q thing too
near his heart for that. he only shrank
q little from my stupid char and said:
"Don't, old chap. This is a good deal
to me. I've tried for two years to get
this, and IL 1t falls through now I shall
find It hard to bear"
Then 1 repented my light words and
said: "Why, the thing will go sure
enough. After hat scene In the church
they won't go back"
"Poor fellowsl" he said, as If to him
self. whisky is about the only excite
ment they have, and they find 1t pretty
tough to give it up, and a lot of the
men are against the tote abstinence
idea. 1t seems rot to tho
ut Is pretty steep" l said. Cant
you do without it?"
mo; l fear not. There is nothing else
for it. Some of them talk of compro-
mise. They want to quit the saloon
and drink quietly in their shacks. The
moderate drinker may have his place
In other countries, though 1 can't see
1t. L haven't thought that out, but here
the only safe man is the man'rJho quits
1t dead and fights 1t straight. Anything
else Is sheerest humbuG and nonsense"
I had not gone in much for total NIB
s%tinsnce up to this time, chiefly because
It's advocates seemed for the most part
to be somewhat i'll balanced, but as 1
listened to Craig 1 began to feel that
perhaps there was a total abstinence
side to the temperance question, and,
as to Black Rock. 1 could see how 1t
must be one thing or the other.
We found Mrs. Mavor brave and
bright. She shared Mr.. Craig's ankle
ty, but not his gloom. Her courage
was Of that serene kind that refuses
to believe defeat possible and lifts the
spirit into the triumph Of final victory.
Through tho past week she had been
carefully disposing her forces and win
ming recruits, and yet she never seemed
to arg or persuade the men. But as
evening after evening the miners drop
ped into the cozy down stairs
with her talk and her songs she charm
ed them till they were wholly hers.
She took for granted their loyalty,
trusted them utterly and so made 1t
difficult for them to be other than true
men,
That night Mrs. MAYORS large store
room, which had been fitted up with
seats, was crowded with miners when
Mr.. Craig and 1 entered.
After a glance over the crowd Craig
said: There's the manager. That
means war;" And / saw a tall man,
very fair, whose chin fell away to the
vanishing point and whose hair was
parted In the middle. talking to Mrs.
Mayor. She was dressed in some rich,
soft stuff that became her well. She
was looking beautiful as ever, but
there was something quite new in her
manner. Her air Of good fellowship
was gone, and she was the high bred
lady. whose gentle dignity and sweet
grace, while very winning, made fa-
miliarity impossible.
The manager was doing his best and
appeared to be we'll pleased with him
self.
shell get him If any one can. I
failed. said Craig.
I stood looking at the men, and q fine
lot Of fellows they were. Free, easy,
bold In their bearing, they gave no