The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-04-17

drink you shall give us temperance
lecture. If it is wrong to driak beer
you shall tell us why. Come, boys,
lay attention. You will now listen
to an address on temperance from the
eloquent orator, Thomas Hadden."
Hear! Heart" shouted the boys,
and then one of them called: "Stand
him up on the table"
up with YOU cried two Of the
strongest boys, as they seized Tom,
and. unable to resist, he was forced
to mount the table. With y crimson
face and something suspiciously like
tears in his eyes. he faced his tor
mentors.
Il cant, boys he faltered. Il
can't talk to you"
More shame to you, then, for
spelling our fun" grow!ed one of the
boys Come, you needn't think
well let you Off If you won't drink
beer you shall give lis some good rea-
son for not drinking it. That's only
fair. Come, be quick and begin"
Tom MADDEN waited moment.
he breathed fast. Suddenly he threw
back his head and Strengthened him
self.
Boys" he said, in a clear voice,
Il Will tell you story-a true story
"a story that belongs to my own
life"
All right" said Frank Jones, but
something in Toms face made the
other boys watch him in silence.
Boys" Tom went on, in tender,
pathetic voice, Il knew little boy
once who had a beautiful home. He
had a kind father and mother, and
he loved them so much that he could
never tell which he loved best. Boys,
that little boys father had always
been I good man; but once, when he
wasn't we'll, the doctor ordered him
to drink beer, and he began to drink
it, and-'' Toms voice was thrill
ing in its emphasis. now-"he soon
began to drink stronger things; and
there came a time when that little
boys home was so changed from the
lovely place it once was that it
seemed as if fend must live there.
That little boy heard his father rave
and curse like madman-and he
was mad, for rum made him so-and
he saw-oh, boys, to his dying hour
he will remember it-he saw his
mother struck down by his drunken
fathers hand"
There was a dead silence in that
little room. The beer had ceased to
foam, but not boy had tasted it, or
noticed it.
Boys" Toms thrilling voice went
on, that little boy is large boy now,
and he is almost alone in the world,
| for his father and mother are both
| dead, and now he has no home. Do
| you wonderland no boy who
heard it ever forgot the pathos OF
Toms tone-"do you wonder. boys,
that standing by his mothers grave
| that boy looked up to Heaven, and
solemnly vowed never while he lived,
| to touch or taste the drink that had
made a mailman of his father, ruined
his home, and broken his mothers
heart"
Tom ceased, and for moment not
a boy stirred.
~You will let me go, now" he
said, as he jumped down from his
high place, and started for the door;
and then with one impetuous rush,
the boys gathered around him.
| "Tom," Frank Jones said, you are
a hero. Why, think you are Drawer
than a soldier. l am proud of you,
and l would do just like you II l
were in your place. The boy
stopped; a new thought had come to
him. He Looked around on his COM
panions.
Boys" he said earnestly. lit
seems to me that what / would do II
were in Toms place, l had better
do now in my own place"
Perhaps the head master of st.
Rudolph's was never in his long life
more happily surprised than he was
that evening, when six Of his Oldest
and most influential boys called on
him and asked to sign the temper
ance pledge.
I Years have passed since that even
ing, and to-day those boys are ma
ture men and widely parted; but they
have never forgotten Toms story
and through all the trials and temp
tation of manhood, with Gods help
they have kept their pledge.-Chris
tian Work and EVANGELIST.