The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-01-05
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HER GIFT

When the death OF John b Cough
was announced, wagon loads OF flow
ers were turned back from the door
OF his home with the orders that these
flowers be distributed among the
poor When the vast congregation OF
people came to the funeral there was
not a flower upon the casket: the only
decoration was a little, faded tear
stained handkerchief. and the story OF
that handkerchief. was this:
Many years before that, a young
lady had married a young man, and
they had gone to the City Of New
York to live.
After they had finally settled there
the wife found that ne was a drunk
ard and a gambler, and soon he began
to leave her alone at night Two little
children came into their home; but
he cared not for them seemingly, for
ne would be out all night. Then he
began to beat his family, curse them
and then began pawning the furni-
ture. One by one the pieces Of fur
niture that she had brought from old
Kentucky were sent down to the pawn
shop. After a while this poor woman
had to go out and wash for a living,
that her children might have bread
to eat She had one treasure left, that
was the piano that her mother had
given her on her wedding day. She
would take her little tots and play on
the piano and sing to them, then they
would say their little prayers and go
to bed.
She came home one night and her
piano was gone She knew what it
meant The last thing she had to tell
OF her old home had been pawned by
her husband for drink. Her heart was
breaking, but her babies came and
asked her to sing. She put her arms
around them and tried to sing the
best she could without her piano.
Somehow the whisky had not tasted
as good that night as usual (SOme-
times when mixed with a woman's
tears il gets a little bitter.) Her
husband came home not so drunk as
usual. As he came around the house
he looked in at the window, and he
saw the children in their little
nighties. and his wife singing a lullaby
song; then they prayed, kneeling
down beside her. Each one asked
| God to bless them, to bless mamma,
then to bless papa, and help him to
| be good and bring him home sober.
J He slipped softly in, end kneeled
down by his wife's side, and said:
! Wife, If you'll forgive me, III never
do it again" She said, Tom, will
yOu sign the pledge tOnight2" He
said, Il will" They went down to-
/ gether to a hall where John B. Cough,
/ the great temperance lecturer, was
| giving a lecture. Tom went up and
pus his name down
One day, at the time Of Mr.. Coughs
| illness, there came to his home a
woman, and she told her story 70 Mrs
| Cough. She said: 81 hoped 1 might
| give some presents to Mr. Cough, but
cannot do it I have brought my
| handkerchief. I have not shed a tear
since the night Tom signed the pledge
| I brought this, and thought I would
give it to Mr.. Cough When Hr.
| Cough heard this, he told his wife to
send all flowers that might be sent to
him at his funeral to the poor and put
nothing but that little handkerchief
on his casket, and tell the people that
there was one soul on earth that he
knew ne had helped make better.
When the people saw that little hand
kercFief or the casket Of John 3.
Cough, it taught them a lesson all the
flowers in the world cOuIdn't--Ex-
change.