Mexico Missouri message., 1911-01-19
A True Story.


never understand why Missouri.
grand Old Missouri, of which we
are so proud went wet"
81 can" said another, cit is
mighty plain to me. It's our rights
1t was wrong for you fellows to
try to take away our personal lib
critics. Why, if you had got your
way il would not be long till You Il
want our coffee and tobacco. lIa
ha."
| knew this man s mother. She
was as good Il woman as ever
blessed the earth and tried hard TO
raise her hoy right. Thank heaven
she died before he made II wretch
of himself. and of his family. |
knew his wife. too. She was u
good. gentle creature, worked
hard. selling eggs and butter to
buy the daily necessities for her
family. Often he borrowed her
money to pay for his tobacco ana
whisRey.
But he was good husband,
they say, "and never gave he,
an unkind word"
She died early, without the mere
comforts of life. Many homes
were offered to his little ones by
good people; but not for the world
would he part with his children or
separate them Che was good
father and loved his children
Yes, he loved them to such an ex-
tent that before his boys were of
age he notified the saloon keeper
here to sell them anything they
called for. My boys know what
they want" And when Christmas
came round he presented each Of
his boys a bottle of whiskey III
token of his love.
His sons drank, of course. Some
time ago ! saw one of them here in
town after he hal spent one of his
weeks of dissipation. lie is Il big
handsome fellow. | saw him often
when he was IA laughing. cooing
baby in his proud mothers arms
Many a person said to her, THAT
boy has the finest head | ever saw.
and will make his mark in the
world" He has made it.
lie made it that day when h
stood before the saloon wits
blOOdshot eyes, and red and swoll-
en- features, surrounded by lot of
thirsty vulturs, eager to see if he
had a penny left of his hard earn
ed summer wages. just then his
father came along and said, "Sor
you don't look as if you had
money enough to treat your
friends right well-if you haven't
your old dad has, ha, ha." So dad
treated the crowd out of the few
dollars he had been paid for some
corn he had brought to town, an !
long after dark he drove up to hi,
home loaded with booze, and the
few handfulS of flour that had not
been scattered along the road were
mingled with Missouri soil il, the
bottom of the wagon bed. His
little ones eagerly waited at the
gate for him, half clothed. dirty
and neglected One of them sadly
afflicted. Greatly was their lis
appointment over the loss of the
groceries, but it was set aside by
the dime s worth of candy and
chew gum he had brought them
lie is good father and never
forgets his children).
You will think this story gotten
up for a temperance platform
Not so | am no lecturer. If nee
essary, | could take you a few
miles out in the country to the
half-tumbled down old shanty |
that Mr.. Booze calls his home. The
roof leaks, the floors creak. there s
not a door on its hinges, or
whole glass in the windows. 1t is
to this comfOrtleSs board that
quite often many Of the Mexico
larks with their baby girls flock.
bringing jugs of whisky and kegs
of beer, and there all night long to
the music of the old violin and
their own coarse .jests and laugh
ter, they trip the light fantastic
"Young folks will be young
folks" so dad says. He is too
stiff to join in the dancing but
makes it up by joining them in en-