220 A Walk from 



reaped and ricked without beer, and beer at the 

 rate of a gallon a day per head. Each had his 

 string of proofs to this conviction terminating in a 

 pewter mug, just as some poor people praying to the 

 Yirgin have a string of beads ending in a crucifix, 

 which they tell off with honest hearts and sober 

 faces. Each could make it stand to reason that a 

 man could not bear the heat and burden of harvest 

 labor without beer. Each had his illustration in 

 the case of some poor fellow who had tried the 

 experiment, out of principle or economy, and had 

 failed under it. It was of no use to talk of tempe- 

 rance and all that. It was all very nice for well- 

 to-do people, who never blistered their hands at a 

 sickle or scythe, to tell poor, laboring men, sweating 

 at their hot and heavy work from sun to sun, that 

 they must not drink anything but milk and water 

 or cold tea and coffee, but put them in the wheat-field 

 a few days, and let them try their wishy-washy drinks 

 and see what would become of them. As I have 

 said, I did not undertake to argue the men out of 

 this belief, partly because I wished to learn from 

 them all they thought and felt on the subject, and 

 partly, I must confess, because I was reluctant to 

 lay a hard hand upon a source of comfort which, to 

 them, holds a large portion of their earthly enjoy- 



