hues of the last fight; no
one, therefore, attempted to put him out, so he snapped his fingers at
the entire meeting, said, "Bah!" again, with a look of contempt, and
relapsed into silence, while the speaker, heedless of the slight
interruption, went on.

"Why, it's a Blue Ribbon meeting, Hetty," whispered Mrs Frog.

"Yes, mother," whispered Hetty in reply, "that's one of its names, but
its real title, I heard one gentleman say, is the Gospel-Temperance
Association, you see, they're very anxious to put the gospel first and
temperance second; temperance bein' only one of the fruits of the gospel
of Jesus."

The speaker went on in eloquent strains pleading the great cause--now
drawing out the sympathies of his hearers, then appealing to their
reason; sometimes relating incidents of deepest pathos, at other times
convulsing the audience with touches of the broadest humour, insomuch
that the man who said "bah!" modified his objections to "pooh!" and ere
long came to that turning-point where silence is consent. In this
condition he remained until reference was made by the speaker to a man--
not such a bad fellow too, when sober--who, under the influence of
drink, had thrown his big shoe at his wife's head and cut it so badly
that she was even then--while he was addressing them--lying in hospital
hovering between life and death.

"That's me!" cried the powerful man, jumping up in a state of great
excitement mingled with indignation, while he towered head and shoulders
above the audience, "though how _you_ come for to 'ear on't beats me
holler. An' it shows 'ow lies git about, for she's _not_ gone to the
hospital, an' it wasn't shoes at all, but boots I flung at 'er, an' they
only just grazed 'er, thank goodness, an' sent the cat flyin' through
the winder. So--"

A burst of laughter with mingled applause and cheers cut off the end of
the sentence and caused the powerful man to sit down in much confusion,
quite puzzled what to think of it all.

"My friend," said the speaker, when order had been restored, "you are
mistaken. I did not refer to you at all, never having seen or heard of
you before, but there are too many men like you--men who would be good
men and true if they would only come to the Saviour, who would soon
convince them that it is wise to give up the drink and put on the blue
ribbon. Let it not be supposed, my friends, that I say it is the _duty_
of every one to put on the blue ribbon and become a total