Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1837-04-21
THE DRUNKARD'S WIFE.

The reader has probably heard of the beauti-
ful valley of Wyoming, situated in the state OF
Pennsylvania, and through the bosom ofwhich
flows the winding, calm, and silvery Susque-
hanna. Here, a few years ago, in one of the
delightful neighborhoods Of that fair vale, resi-
ded the young, intelligent, and vrtuous Fran
ces. There, her heart was sought and won,
by young man whose name was Guy Clark.
He was tippler Her friends labored hard to
save her from becoming drunkard's wife,
But he had won her heart and she would not
withhold from him she loved, the hand which
lie implored and which was hers to bestow.
They stood together before the hymenea al
tar have many time been within the very
house in which that scene occurred. There
she freely and fully gave herself unreservedly
away to him to whom her fond, confiding heart
surrendered her happiness-her life. There,
with men, and heaven, and God, as witnesses,
he pledged to her his faithful, changecss love;
and vowed to her the cherishng, the providence
and the defence of his protecting hand. All!
little thought she, that same hand would by
and by be Redeemed with her vital blood Lit
tie thought she that the plighted hand which
she received in exchange for hers, would WELD
against her the murderer's dreadful weap-
oni No, she knew not-she thought not
Her confdug heart had not learned the infu-
ence of the intoxicating cup. She suspected
err to the malignant demon. Though she might
have heard that others, once devoted lovers and
afcctionate husbands, had been led to offer up,
in blooming sacrifice, their once loved wives
and children, upon the Internal altar of Intoxi-
cation, yet she could not conceive that he, so
loved, so loving in return, could do il. And so
the ailectonae, the con6ding and devoted bride
became drunkard's wife.
Years passed away. They were years of
H. .
up around her. BY daily abors and midnight |
tongs, she clothed, and fed, and schooled them |
and sustained, more OF less, the dissipated faith
er and husband.
Twas on spring or summers morning, of
the year 1891, while they resided in the village
of Ithaca, N. Y. that she spread before her poor
children and her husband, the last repast which
she ever furnished them-'twas the fruits of her
almost unmitigated toll. The breakfast was
anger broke forth-she met from
his eyes a look-she observed in him a motion,
causing her TO tremble for her life, as she had
indeed often done before. She flies towards the
door, essaying escape-he seizes her BY the hair
of her head-there is an axe standing in the
corner of the room-he seizes that axe-he
hurs her to the foor-and with an arm nerv-
I'd by intoxcation, he gashes her head and her
neck with demons murderous wantonness of
cruelty-and her limbs are quickly quivering in
death! Oh, what cry from the beholding
children then arose 1.-The neighbors came,
while yet the demon, too intent upon the work
of death to think Of escape, was yet chopping
to awful mangling, that body from which life
had already He'd!
Such was the closing scene with her who
was the bride and wife of the tippIeri The
closing scene with him that was bridegroom
and husband, was that of the gallows, from
whence he went into Eternity, the impenitent
of her whom he had solemny vowed
to ever love, cherish and protect Looking
Glass.