Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1842-12-08

: : dirty sIleyt and entering ) low. fain5 &
: door, CROPPED through narrow enffy. III
paused 81 Che entrance a room wishin
That degraded being BAD once been
wealthy man. respected BY his neTfhboss
and surrounded BY f1eDds. Butaiss "a,
I social gfSss had first lured ktm 10 sndui
senee. aDd then 70 inebriety, until re IA
1 dow . common drunksydh
4 The noise of bis footsteps bad bee.
heard within for the cfeaking door u Z
liimidly opened, snE a pale ernariases
boy. about Hire years old stepped sat 81
The landing. end asked 10 Mingled anxiets
and dread III
! - thai yo.s. & lhess -
HI Yes. wet to the skin. curse II sais
The uian-swhy ANT you sbed and asleep
lyno trat.' vi
4 The little fellow shrank back atlfbi,
coarse saluia.ion, but still, though shakinp
with lear, be did not quit his station Be.
fore The door.
What are you standing there gaping
fer ? said the wretch It's bad enough
70 hear sick wife gruDbling ali day.
without having you kept up al night 10
chime in TIE morning; &c. to bed You
imp do you hear?
The little fellow did no; answer :. but
siill holding on TO the door-laicb. Wild an
implofing look. be stood right ia yhe. way
BY which his patent would have 10 enter
iheto9sn. f
Amt you going TO mind said Tie
the man with an oath, breaking into 4
fury, give me The LAMP and 90 10 bed, Of,
III break every bone 10 your body
oh father, don't talk so loud said
The little fellow bursting into tears
youth wake mother, shels been worse
ali day, and hasn't had any Sleep till now 4
and as he made an effort TO snatch HE
candle, the boy losing al personal fears
10 anxiety Cor bis sick mother stood FIRM
y across The drunkard's path, and said
You musn t-you mustn't 20 in
What does the brat means broke CUT
the inebria;e angtily-'this comes Of lesv-
ing youIto wait. bn your neither I'LL you
learn 10 be as obstinate as a mule-will
you disobey me take that, you imp
and raising bis hand, he struck the little
sickly being 10 the floor, kicked aside bis
body, and strobe into The dilapidatkd
room!
Il was truly fitting place for tie home
Of such vagabond as be. The. walls
were low, covered with smoke, add
scanned with a hundred cracks. The
chimney piece bad once been white, but
v as now oftbe greasy lead color Of age
Theiceiling had lost most Of tbe plaster,
and the rain soaking through, drippe1
with a monotonouslick upon the floor. a
few broken chairs, cracked looking
glass, a1d three legged table, on which
was a rimle5s cup, were in different parts
Of the room. BIT the most striking spec
tacle was directly before the gambler
On d rickety bedlayth vile of bis bosom,
the once rich and beautiful Emily Ian.
guerre. who through poverty, shame and
sickness, had still clung to the lover Of
Der youth, Oh! woman. thy constancy
the world cannot shake, nor shame nor
misery su5dpe. Friend after friend had
deserted4he ruined man; indignily after
indignily, had been heaped upon him,
and deservedly, year after wear be had
fallen lower and lower ia the sink oil IN
fanny, and vst still through every mishsp
that sainte dwoman had chung 10 him
forhe was the father of her boy. and the
husband Of her youth. I: was hard task
for her io perform, but il was her duty, and
when all the world deserted him. should
she too leave hims She had borne much,
but alas nature could endure no more
Health had fed from heTcheeks, and Der
eyeswere dim and sunke9, She was in
The last stage Of consumption, but il was
not that which was killing heE-she scas
dying of a broken heart.
The noise made by her, husband woke
her from her troubled sleep, and she half
started up ia bed, the hec;fc fire stream,
ing along her cheek, and a wild fiful
light shooting from her sunken eyes
There was faint shadowy smile lighting
up her face, but it was cold as moonlight
upon the snow. The sight might have
moved felon's bosom, butlwhat can pen
citrate the scared and hardened heart Of
Tie man besides was 10 a
furious passion.
Blast II, woman said The wretch, as
be reeledinlo the room, is this the KsyEl
you receive me after being out all day in
The rain to get something for your brat
and you. Come donrt go TO whining. ]
as his wife uttered faint cry
at hisIbrulualiiy. and fell back senseless
on HE bed. be seemed to awaken 10 q
partial sense of bis condition, he reeled a
step Or two forward. stared wildly around,
aud then gazing almost vacanily upon
her. continued. 'bai-wby what's the
mater
His poor wife lay Ike corpse before
him. bus low voice from the other side
uf The bed answered, and its tones ,qui- !
vsred as they spoke. i
'Oh mothers dead Il was The voice
OF his son who had stolen 10. and was
now soh5ing violently as he tried to raise
her bead ia his little arms. He had been
for weeks her only nurse and had loBg
since learned 10 act for himself He
baihed her temples, be chafed her limbs
he invoked Der wildly TO awake.
Dead T. said tie man. and be was 50.
hhred al once-sdead, dead, he continued
"a tone Of horror that chilled The blood,
and advancing to the bedside. With ewes
ststtingfrom their sockets, he laid bis hand
upoi her marble brow, then. oh. my