our carriages, in that retired and romantic spot. But I discerned no change in his religious feelings. He was as determined, but as hopeless as ever. At length my eye happened to rest on a brown jug, which would contain about two gallons, and which was lying on its side, under the seat of his wagon. The thought came into my mind, that he might be accustomed to the use of stimulating drinks, and that that might be an injury and a hindrance to him in his religious endeavours. I had never heard or suspected that he was an intemperate man. Probably the idea never would have occurred to me that strong drink might be his hindrance, had I not been utterly unable to account for his stationary condition in respect to religion. I instantly resolved to speak to him on that subject. But it was an awkward business. I did not know how to begin. I would not insult him, and I did not wish to injure his feelings. He was an old man, near sixtyold enough to be my father. And to suggest the idea, that he might be guilty of any excess, would seem to be cruel and uncalled for. But I thought it my duty to make some inquiry. So I began :— “Mr. E., where are you going this morning?" "I am going to the village-to the store." "I see you have got a jug there, under your seat; what are you going to do with that?" He cast his eye down upon it, a little confused, for an instant, as I thought; but he immediately replied: "I am going to get some rum in it.” "Are you accustomed to drink rum?" "I never drink any to hurt me." "You never drink any to do you any good." "I have thought it did sometimes. much." "Do you drink it every day?" I do not drink We had none to แ No, not every day, commonly. use in the field this year, in all our haying, till we came to the wet meadow; when the boys said we should get the fever if we worked with our feet wet, and had nothing to drink." "So you have used it since that time? You carry it into the field, I suppose ?" แ "Yes; we commonly do in haying and harvest." "Well, at other times of the year do you keep it on hand in your house?" "Yes; I always keep it. But it is only a little that I drink; sometimes a glass of bitters in the morning, or when I am not well, and feel that I need something." "Mr. E., when you are perplexed, annoyed, or in some trouble, do you never take a drink on that account?" "I am very apt to. It seems to keep me up." "Well, now, just tell me for a good many months back, since you have been troubled on the subject of religion, have you been accustomed to resort to it to keep you up?" "Yes; at times. I feel the need of it." "In my opinion that is the worst thing, my dear friend, that you could do!" 66 Why, I only drink a little at home. I have not carried it into the field except in haying time." "So I understand it. But one question more: have you not often, at home, when you have felt downcast in mind on account of sin, taken a drink, because you felt thus troubled ?" "I believe I have done it sometimes. I cannot tell how often. I never thought much about it." I had become convinced by this time that he was at least in danger; and that it was not at all an improbable thing that his drinking just kept him from repentance. I told him so; and then began, with all my sagacity and power of persuasion, to induce him to quit all intoxicating drinks for ever. At first he appeared not to believe me at all. He heard me just as if he had made up his mind, and did not care what I said. His eyes wandered carelessly around, over the fields and trees, and then turned upon his old horse as if he was impatient to start on, and get out of the way of a lecture which he disbelieved. After a time, how ever, and while I was stating to him some facts within my own knowledge, to show the uselessness of strong drink, he became apparently interested in what I was saying. He listened, and I went on with my plea. As I explained the effect of intoxicating drink upon the mind, and upon the feelings, and the conscience of men, he hung down his head, and appeared to be lost in thought. After a while, as I kept talking, he cast a glance at his jug; then looked up; and then his eyes fell back upon his jug again. I kept reasoning with him; but he did not look at me any longer-he did not appear to be thinking of what I was saying. He appeared rather to be engaged in deep thought; and his eye often turned upon his jug. By-and-by he slowly reached down his hand and took hold of it. With a very solemn countenance, and without saying a word (he had not spoken for half an hour), he placed the brown jug upon his knee. I talked on, watching his silent motions. He turned his head very deliberately around, one way and the other, as if he was looking for something, his eyes glancing here and there, as if he did not see what he desired. I kept on talking to him. Just at the spot where we were, the road swept politely round a huge stone, or side of a rock, which rose about ten feet above the path; and as those who built the road could not get it out of the way, the path made rather a short turn round it. This rock was within three feet of his wagon. His eye fixed upon it, and then glanced back to the jug upon his knee. Then he looked at the rock, and then at his jug again, and then at me. And thus his eye continued to wander from one to another of these three objects, as if it could not get beyond them. At first I was in some doubt which of the three was the most attractive to his eyethe rock, the brown jug, or myself. But in a little time I noticed that his eye rested on the brown jug longer than on me. At length I was lost sight of altogether (though I continued talking to him), and his eye glanced backwards and forwards, from the brown jug to the rock, and from the rock to the brown jug. All this time he maintained an unbroken silence, and I kept on with my lecture. Finally he seized the poor jug by its side, wrapping the long fingers of his right hand half round it, and slowly rising from his seat, he stretched up his tall frame to its full length, and lifting the brown jug aloft, as high as his long arm could reach, he hurled it, with all his might, against the rock, dashing it into a thousand pieces. "Whoa! whoa! whoa!" (said he to the old horse). "Hold on here. Whoa! whoa! Turn about here. Whoa! We will go home now.”—The horse had suddenly started forward, frightened at the clatter of the brown jug, and the pieces which bounded back against his legs and side. The start was very sudden, and as my long friend was standing up, it came near to pitch his tall figure out of the wagon backwards. However, he did not fall. As he cried "whoa! whoa!" he put back his long arm upon the side of the wagon, and saved himself. He soon stopped his old horse, and deliberately turning him round in the street, till he got his head towards home, he put on the whip, and without saying a word to me, or even casting a parting look, he drove off like Jehu. I drove on after him as fast as I could, but I could not catch him. He flew over the road; and when I passed his house, about a mile from the jug-rock, he was stripping off the harness in a great hurry. We exchanged a parting bow as I drove by, and I never spoke to him about rum afterwards. Within a single month from this time, that man became, as he believed, a child of God. His gloom and fears were gone, and he had peace, by faith in Jesus Christ. About a month afterwards, as I passed the spot where such a catastrophe came upon the jug, and where my long friend came so near to be toppled out of his wagon, I noticed that some one had gathered up some pieces of the unfortunate brown jug, and placed them high up on a shoulder of the rock. I saw them lying there many times afterwards, and thought that my friend had probably placed them there as an affecting memorial. He might have done a worse thing. THE BUNDLE OF STICKS. MRS. HANNAH MORE. A GOOD Old man, no matter where, It cannot much concern the tale, His luck was what his neighbours had, He called his children round his bed, |
