Nobody stood.
* * *
Andy Mcintyre was drunk again. In the piteous glare of mid-morning, he staggered homeward from the poker party in the back of Steve Abram's harness shop. The light revealed him to the scorn of the entire village.
At the corner of Elm and Third he ran into a maple tree. Uncertainly he backed away, intent on making another try. Suddenly the tree spoke to him:
"Alcohol is the scourge of mankind. It turns men into beasts. It robs them of their brains, it shortens their lives…"
Andy stared, unable to believe what he heard. The tree, he had no doubt, was talking to him personally.
The voice of the tree went on: “…takes the bread out of the mouths of women and children. Fosters crime. Weakens the moral fiber of the nation."
"Stop!” screamed Andy. “Stop, I tell you!"
The tree stopped talking. All he could hear was the whisper of wind among its autumn-tinted leaves.
Suddenly running, Andy darted around the corner, headed home.