The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-11-05
mination to lift himself as high as pos
Sihlp NhOvo his oNrlv nNvirOnmonk

mination to lift himself as high as pos
sible above his early environment.
So, the mother consenting, John quit
school and Went to work in general
store at st. Peter at $40 month, every
cent of which he turned into the family
treasury. When not busy ut the store,
he might have been seen wheeling has
kets of laundry back and forth be.
tween his home and the homes of the
neighbors. In this way he lightened the
load on the mothers heart and made
himself indispensable in the little
home. The earnings of mother and son
We're sufficient to keep the pot boiling,
and thus it happened that when the
father returned, after MS year of wan
dering, he found the family in fairly
comfortable circumstances
Whether to take him back or not the
poor woman did not know, but he ap-
pealed very earnestly, with promises OF
reform and good behavior otherwise,
and moreover agreed to contribute reg
ularly each week S. toward defraying
the household expenses. In moment
Of weakness Mrs. johnson yielded. She
thought possibly that her husbands
promises were to be lived up to, and
she knew that if this were to happen,
her son could return to school.
Johnson gave his wife IS to cover the
first weeks expenses, and this is all
that she ever secured from him. He
began again to frequent the saloons,
and to look up his former companians.
His family was neglected and soon in
absolute want, johnson compelling his
wife and son to divide their small earn
ings with him, that he might satisfy
his appetite for liquor. But enough Of
that sad story which has been told in
bare outline and only so far rs has
seemed necessary.
OF course. the family again suffered,
and the neighbors We're again COM
PEELED to help supply it with food and
clothing. These contributions from the
outside, added to the earnings of the
mother and son, kept the husband and
father at home all winter. In the
spring he seemed to lose all desire to be
with his family, and spent his days and
nights with his boon companions, sad
victim Of an irresistible appetite.
Meanwhile the mother gave birth to
twins, girls, and it was then that the
fathers last Pickering CLEAN of love
for his family showed itself. He called
at the house few days after the birth
of the twins, the first time he had been
there for many months, and asked If he
might come in and see them. He was
met at the door by one of the neighbor
women, who, at Mrs. Johnson's re.
quest, shut the door in his face.
The son, John, was ut this time al
kork in the general store of II. L.
Stark, now the president of the Nicol
let County bank, and was receiving $12
month. The weather was cold and
the boy was wearing an alpaca coat
which probably had cost, when new
about IS cents, and he had no overcoat
Mr.. Stark, against the young fellows
manly protest-for he didn't want tt
be looked upon as an object of charity
insisted upon giving him an overcoat
out of the store. 1t was the first one
he had ever owned.
This second desertion of the family
did not take Johnson away from st
Peter. His conduct was such, how
ever, that he became public nuisance
At the request of the authorities, DR.
A. w. Daniels, the leading physician
of the town, who had for years beer
the johnson family physician, exam
ined the man and reported that he was
suffering from alcoholic dementia, anl
that he could not recover unless re
moved from saloon influences. There
were no inebriate asylums in those
days, nor other places for the incar
ceration Of alcoholic unfortunates, ant
so the board Of county commissioners
on the recommendation of the physi
clans of the city, sent johnson to the
poor farm, which was 1S miles distant
and remote from villages or towns. Il
was hoped that such a policy would re
suit in good to all concerned. Tht
family, which he had deserted, knew
nothing Of this action by the authori
ties until several weeks afterwards.
| AS long as the unfortunate man re
maincd at the poor farm he seemed tt
be his natural and proper self, bu
whenever lie came to town, the ole
appetite asserted itself in the old way
and he fell. Occasionally he would be,
liquor from travellers along the country
| roads near the pOOrfarm, and then HI
became a disturbing element anon,
the other inmates.
He lived this life from the early TO.
until 1880, physical and menta
wreck, ambition and pride all gone ant
all the finer sensibilities Of life bluntetl
| when he died, as stated in the affi
davit which stands at the beginnin,
Of this article. AS soon as the boy
John learned of his fathers death HI
arranged to defray, and did pay, al
tho funeral aYnonuos