The Washingtonian, or, Total abstinence advocate. (Augusta, Ga.) 1842-1843, May 20, 1843, Image 1

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or,; TOTAL ABSTINENCE ADVOCATE. VOL. I.] County Washington Total Ab stinence Society. OFFICERS. ' Dr. Joseph A. Eve, President. Col. John Milledge, "j Hawkins Huff, Dr. F. M. Robertson, Vice Presidents. Dr. I. P. Garvin, J. W. Meredith, I "VVm. Haines, Jr. Secretary if- Treasurer. managers. James Harper, Wm. F. Pemberton, John G Dunlap, VVm. O Eve, Jesse Walton, A. Phillips, E. E. ScoPield, Dr. Benjamin Douglass, James Godby, J. L. Mimms. From the Plain Dealer. Ijftnj'y Mahoney’s Temptation. an Tbi'sv story. " Och Hiurder! Biddy Cassidy, you’re coming it over ®e too strong intireiy. Can’t you be temperate, Biddy, with that sweet tongue of your own, and let a poor divil of a 1 Joy have a little time to draw his breath? We’re not going to fall out about the matter of a glass or two of a cowld morning, acushla! and the wind tearing away through every hole in this ould coat of mine, and making me feel for all the world like that rag of a man stuck up on a pole in a coin fi. Id to frighten the crows. Only look at me. Biddy, and putting your hand on your heart, like an honest man as you are, tell me in the face of thui beautiful sky, (for the divil a thing else, : barring myself, I’d have you look at,) would you have me any worse than i am? Would you have this poor heart of mine, bruised and battered as it Las been hy them two black eyes of yours; would you have it, darling, shivering with the cowld, too, and not a drop of the “crature” to kindle one spark there? Ah, then, Biddy, its you know what 1 have suffered for you; how I love you, and how many and many * time This very winter, i’ve pawned toe »«j ibrogues off my teet, and a new Dublin hat into the bargain, to be able with a few dacent boys to drink your health. Yes. Biddy, to drink your health, and long life to you and all belonging to you; and maybe I didn’t feel like a Prince every time the boys shouted “ Biddy Cassidy forever!” and the very floor shook under the table with the whacking of the quarts and pints. Arrah, Biddy, you’re too hard intireiy. I’ve drank my brogues over and over agin for you. I’ve drank my Caroline hat, fur ami all, for you; and I’ve drank, Biddy, my silk waistcoat, and would have drank my coat and— but where’s the use in talk- i ing— what would I not be willing to drink for! you ?’’ “Larry,” said Biddy, who was just a plain country girl with a reasonable share of good sense, and who had, as will be seen, as much re- j (ar<l for Larry as he had for her, though they { twfsied much in their way of shewing it, “don t Jfink at all: don’t put another glass to your lips;; jgMown to Donncrail to-morrow, and ask Father ■Rhewtogive you the Pledge; and that will TWnd every hole in your coat and light a tire in your heart that will warm you all over, forever and a day. I would rather have “ how are you 1 this morning Biddy, or good evening to you,dar ling,” said in an easy natural way, and the words coming right up of their own accord from your heart, than a thousand loving healths to me, ever so ardently drank. Can’t you love me when sober? Must you goto the public house before you can think of me ? Is there any thing in the whiskey so like your own Biddy, as you often call her, that you are as well satisfied with one as the other? Where are your eyes, Larry, and your senses going ? Have I ever cut your head at a Fair, or laid you in the mud on the road, when you ought to be asleep in your bed ? Have ; I sold your Cow and your three Pigs, and the tine old Sow, thai your mother left you, God be with her, ami have I made your little farm look so comfortless and dreary, that even a poor bit of a sparrow can’t find straw enough in the barn yard i to build her nest with? Think, Larry, of the j last words of you; poor dying mother when she i called you to the bed-side, and holding you by ■ the hand, with her eyes, that were closing for-1 ever on you and the world, fixed on her only son, and talking still with them when her lips were no longer able to move”— “ Stop, Biddy,” cried Larry, running his hand across his eyes, “ stop, not a word more or you’ll kill me dead. I’m off to Donnerail to-night, and I’ll foot it every inch of the way and never give up till I’m at the door of the holy father. Never fear me Biddy, darling, I’ll be a man to mv word, j and when I’ve taken the pledge tell me now, — once for all, am 1 to have yourself into the bar gain ? Tell me that Biddy, and wish me God -speed on the wav,” “ Here’s mv hand,” Biddy AUGUSTA, GA. SATURDAY, MAY 20, 1843. replied, frankly and firmly in his, “ and may 1 to see the coming Sunday if my name onlvjust as long "as You please arilHplonger.” “ That’s enough, dar ling, that’^TOough;” and away went Larry, bounding like a deer over an adjoining lence, and was soon on the road to the town, which was about twenty miles distant. There was no thought of preparation for the I journey ; he had caught the right spirit, and ra ther than run a chance of its cooling down, he took to his heels just as he was, But Larry had to meet with many temptations on his way ; and were it not fortlie very strong resolution he had taken and the love he bore t he girl he left behind, he might have fallen before he reached the middle of his journey. There was a favorite house of his about a mile from where he left Biddy, and as he approached it he felt some doubt on "his mind about the pos | sibihty ol passing it. He saw, too, an old boon companion ot his, one whose company beyond ail others was the most seductive, and to pass him by, be feared was a work calling for all his cour age and determination. It was now about the time when the laborers were returning trom theirdav* work. The even ing was cold, and a glass oH( Mountain Dew was proof, in the opinion oTCiany, against the chilling influence of the wind which blew hard. Accordingly our hero met .more than one ac quaintance on his route, who severally gave him an invitation to drink. “Larry, come in and take a drop or two at the next house, ’twill warm your heart this cowld evening ” —“ Larry, you divil, who’s purshuing you, who are you running a race with !’’—“ Tairanagers Larry, you’re on your high hoise rather late <n the day; won’t you stop and take share of a naggin to grease your four bones on the tramp ?”—“ Has Biddy Cassidy given you the sack, Larry, and is it on your way to Ameriky you are; won’t you take a parting glass with a body before you cross the water?” To all these salutations the devoted Larry made no reply, but pushed on at a rapid rate, looking neither one side nor the other; keeping Ills iiilmfo «/• firmly flxCcJ on r’avtirr Mathew and the Pledge, and still feeling the impress of Biddy’s warm hand in his own, with her touching appeal still ringing in bis ears. Had he been shot out of a cannon he could not have gone on in astraighter line or with more irresist ible precision, until at last he ran full plump against his old friend Tom Donovan, whose per suasion he feared most of all, and who wickedly crossed the poor fellow in the road. “ Tom,” cried Larry, sternly, “ let go a me, or by all that’s sacred I’ll knock you down, hould off a me I say ar”—and with the threat he gave the obstinate Donovan the foot and laid him sprawling on his back; then mounting a friend’s horse, which stood luckily at hand, he was galloping some 50 yards ahead before the other could recover him self, and crying to his prostrate foe, whilst he flourished his caubeen in the air, “ lie there, Toni, my boy, till 1 send for you.” The evening soon wore away and night came on, but the inoon and stars shone brightly and lighted him on his Pilgrimage, whilst the beast, as if conscious ofthe despatch and design of the rider, proceeded at the height of his speed with out the aid of whip or spur. As for saddle and bridle, he had never been used to cither, and was as well satisfied to dispense with both as Lurry was, who considered himselfvery fortunate to be able to reach his destination in any plight. His course was onward, no matter how fast or in what condition he went. He saw nothing in the distance but the Priest, and recollected noth ing of the past save Biddy’s earnest injunction, which he was determined at all hazards to obey. He was now within a mile of Donnerail, a pretty town in the Co Cork, where the day be fore some hundreds of the peasantry had taken the Pledge. His heart beat quicker as the town seemed to draw nearer,, but at this interesting point his horse became suddenly quite restive, and refused to advance one step farther. Larry tried all means-in his power tocoax him or fright en him into even a walk, but all his efforts failed; the jaded animal would turn up a narrow lane which led to a house some hundred yards from the road, from which could be distinctly heard the sound of violin and bagpipe. The poor horse was hungry, and here was a stable in which he had many a time been fed abundantly on the best of oats, and-no considerate man could blame him for having a disposition to make a call. “ Och raurderanouns 1” cried Larry, “ I’m beat now, ther’s a dance above in Tim Brien’s, and if I stop there’s no telling what may happen Dar by, my bouchil, just only lave me in Donnerail yonder, and tliedivil a man of me but will let yon come back again to Tim Brien’s as soon as you plase.” But Darby took the affair without any further ceremony into his own hands, and spring ing over the gate galloped into the farm yard, with Larry on his bark No sooner was the rattling ofthe horse’s hoofs hrard outside of the door, than some halt dozen ofthe company, who were, it is to be supposed, about this time pretty mellow, ran out to welcome the late comer. Poor Larry was of course drag ged by main force to the ground and hauled most good-naturedly into the house, where he met the host himself, who was notoriously a hard drinker and one ofthe most hospitable men in the Coun ty. The usual salutation took place, and all seemed delighted at seeing him. The spirits was forthwith placed before him and the virtual Mi thewite enjoined to drink a bumper to the long life and happiness of Tim Brien and his whole family. Here was a posdr, and to get over it was an ordeal through which Larry’s well-known intemperate habits and great fondness for convi viality appeared to himsrlfncxt to impracticable. He was “ fairly botheud” and out of breath too, and out of the elbows, and out oi gear in all re spects for such an occasion. Wfiat was to be done? He came unexpectedly, and was there fore the more welcome. The persons present were all his intimate acquaintances, arid many of them his strong friends and relations to boot. To insult the Landlord, to whose house he had come in such a disrespectful trim and uninvited, which was worse, was more that? his good man ners could brook. So lie determined, at least, to put the glass to his lips, and appear to do what his heart was firmly set against, when Mrs. Brien most fortunately caught his eye, to whom he bowed most graciously ami insisted, as a point of good breeding, on first shaking her hand. Gently pushing the boys to on 3 side, he made bis way to her, and assuming an air ol modest con fusion lie dropped the glass on the floor and paid his respects. Home looked on this little incident as a piece of finished gallantry; a few attributed it to awkwardness; but it mattered nothing to him what they thought, provided he escaped from tasting the whiskey. But the lady ofthe house was not satisfied to allow Larry to be deprived of his drinltaMpecial ly when she was certain he purposely (HPngaged his right hand by flinging the glass on the floor, it* imlti to Mutt auO jncsst'lil Ik wllUUj to her service. She, therefore, with great good humor and a kind of patronizing condescension, which knock ed Larry all to pieces, (for our hero, with all his firmness, was indeed a modest and yielding man, like all his genuine countrymen, in the presence ofthe fair sex,) insisted on his taking a tumbler of Punch with herself; some that her own fair fingers had mixed of the choicest mateiials. •‘Ah, then, Mrs. Brien, ’tis yourself that knows how to make Punch to the life—hot, strong and sweet, just the sort for the ladies, God biess them. May lie you’d be good enough to just touch the tumbler to your own two lips and give it the fin ishing stroke.” “ I have done so already, Larry, but I will, to accommodate you, taste it again,” when she did so, and returned it with the request that he would pronounce his opinion on it. “ Pronounce my opinion on it!” said Lan-y with astonishment, “after its going within a whisper of your own sweet breath, with all these bfigtit eyes of the young Colleens around us shooting their glances into it, and the stuff that it is made : of, the rale Ennishowen itself! Pronounce my I opinion on it!—l might as well undertake to pass ; sentence on the warm milk from a Kerry Cow, or find mud in Kilkenny’s pure strame. But whilst 1 have the glass in my hand, I would like to say a few words in the shape of a speech on this same Ennishowen, if it would’nt he too much trouble for yourself anil the other ladies to listen to me.” “ The speech of Larry,” cried a dozen voices; “ we must have the speech—hush ! hush !” and one end ofthe spacious room was forthwith made still for Larry and his audience, whilst the re mainder was occupied by the dancers, who were “ footing ” in elegant style to the stirring tune of “ The Wind that shakes the Barley.” But Larry’s voice was soon high and strong enough in the earnestness of his cause, to drown the music ofthe Bagpipe and Fiddle, and gradually succeeded in drawing the attention of the whole company to himself. It was proposed by some arch lads to place the orator upon a table and have a ring made, with the girls in the centre, so that all might conveniently see as well as hear him. Accordingly the persevering Larry was mounted over their heads with one consent, when, with more order and satisfaction than be fore. he gave honest vent sentiments. “ Boys,” said Larry, assuming all the air and digni'y ofwhich, considering his inexperience in public speaking, he was capable, “ I am not bould enough to condemn the rate ould potteen, or the Ennishowen, or any of the native home born whiskey of this Blessed Island, and the sky over it; for we all know that Saint Patrick him self kept a Distillery of his own in the town of Inniskillen, and may be you’ll be telling me that he did’nt know how to brew the rale thing, and may be we ought’nt to follow his example; but the rale thing is not, now-a-days, to be tnumk; the recait is bat, foi purshuingto me if the Saint did'nt take it with him, and who had a better right to it. We have as little, I repate, of the ancient, genuine Ennishowen—a liquor that ixf oulden times, in the days of Brien Borboino, Kinn of all Ireland, and the Apostles, was sanc tified above all others—amongst us, as we have of patience and harmony or the other cardinal vir tues, under the rascally contamination; yes, con tamination I say, of the dirty wash--wash, noth ing else, which they give us at this present writing. We have been imposed on too long. Mrs. Brien you are an innocent woman, but a victim, you believe that ysar Punch is pure and without adulteration; but you are desaived, as thousands of other dacent ladies have been be fore you. Ever since poor Ould Ireland was knocked in the head by that thieving king that came over here from England, when all our pos terity, God be with them, were little gossoons not bigger than this receptacle for poison, which I hould in my hand, the murdering Sassanachs have been destroying by inches every good thing we have in the land; and to kill us entirely, they have mixed our drink ; yes, mixed our drink—a hathenish practice, and every mother’s bowl of this respectable assembly knows the same. Does one of you ever remember being drunk and breaking one another’s heads in tne day of our Patron Saint! Who amongst you Can call to his recollection that he ever bate his loving wife alter drinking even fifteen tumblers of whiskey Punch, when King Oncill was alive! Do 1 hear a voice say Ido ! No, bad luck to the one I Asy Mickey Gaffney ! hould off the tail of my coat! it's ragged enough already the Lord knows. I want none of your nudging cither; I can see where I iyn and forninst whom I’m sneaking much better, peihaps than some of you who have been dipping in the Punch jug to-night. It’s nothing new for me to stand on a table and ad dress the company neither. But let me stick to the subject and I’ll be obliged to you. Pay at tention all around now. Has’nt an ancient UiaVir.ia.i „aiu iii black and while that Irish Whiskey was “ mate, drink, washing and lodg ing,” when the distillery in Enniskillen was in full blast! Arrah, darlin, it was for a man that was hungry and thirsty and tired after a hard day|s work! There was a nate cut-and-come again piece of furniture for you. Well, now, I appale to any body in his right sinscs here before me, not forgetting those of the company who are making themselves so busy with the calves of my legs behind me, and I also appale to eveiy lady present, who has ever stirred a tumbler of Punch with her little finger, to say whether we resarve the same usage from it now- t-days. Is it mate to us! No! for the longer the bottle has a hiding place in a poor man’s house, the sooner every cow and pig and cock and hen leaves hi* premises.—(Applause amongst the women— “ troth you never said a truer word in your life, Larry”—“ The divil a lie in that same Larry boy.”) Is it drink to us! No! one noggin of buttermilk, or a handful of spring-water, is worth the whole of Cork full of it, for all the good it does, is it washing to us! No! unless you call tumbling a poor fellow into the mud and daubing him with dirt from head to foot, washing. Is there any lie in that Kitty Fagan, you who knows nothing at all about it! And as for the lodging, boys jewel, is’nt the unfortunate rascal who loses his balance and reckoning, on the strength of it kicked out of every house where there s a bed to be found! It’s high time for every mother’s sowl of us to be opening our eyes. It is whiskey—but understand me, I don’t mane the good stuff that blessed Saint made. It is this dirty whiskey that’s the ruination of our country from Coleraine all the way down to Bantry Bay. It is the picker of our pocket, the destroyer of our ;eace. It sets the husband against the wife, (ap probation from the women,) and the wife against the husband, (counter approbation amongst the men,) and it sends many an honest boy across the wide ocean to a foreign land to struggle and die amongst strangers. It fills our jails with our brothers and our fathers, and -ends many and many a broken-hearted mother to her grave years before her time.” Here the Piper struck up, without orders, an old air, called, “ I’ll follow my own Vagart O,” and was as peremptorily struck down himself vith a lick in the side of the head from a convert that stood near him. But so absorbed were the majority in the speech, that the rogue’s interrup tion was scarcely perceivable. Larry proceeded, gaining courage at every word. I’ll not mention how Pat Mulvanny got his two eyes cut at the last Fair, for it would’nt bo civil to remind him of it and be present to aight with us. I’ll not say a word either about the way Jim Reilly broke his neck on a Sunday, riding the bay mare k ovcr an Iron gate, for Jiin is not here to listen to me Nor a word either about [No. 24.