The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1844-02-09

~ as bd'h as sue "bulus ono went 10 !
a Sabbath School, in winch Temperance
Society had been formed. aud every Sab
bath she heard the sUtll"c, Of lntemperance
discussed, and It's dreadful Consequences dc
tailed. Bot more than all thus, she had
tue daily experience, how much OF touching
misery was involyed-how much of priya.
ion--how much Of the anguish of bruised
spirit. Who can know the weight hat
lies like heavy burden upon the hearl Of
a drunkard's child None but tia, child
--ior language IS powerless 10 convey it.
Un the next morning, the father Of little
Jane went away to his work. aud she was
lett alone with her mother and her young
sister. They were very poor, aud could
not afford to employ any one to do The
house work and SO, young as she was,
while her mother S1s sick, lil,le Jane had
every thing to do the cooking and cleaning
and even the washing and lroning--a hard
task, indeed for her h,lle hands. But she
never murmured--nevcg seemed 10 think
she was overwhelmed How cheerful,
would oil have been done, il her fathers
smiles had only fallen like sunshine upon
her heart But that face, into which her
eyes looked so often, and so ansiously was
ever hid in clouds--clouds arising from The
consciousness that he was abusing his fam.
lly while seeking his own base qualification,
aud from perceyi0g the evidences Of his
evil woi ks stamped on all things around him
/ As Jane passed frequently through her
mothers room during the morning, pausiug
almost every tune 10 SEQ if she wanted any
thing, she saw Too plainly, ,hut she was 10,
so we'll as on the day beiore--,ha, she had
a high fever, indicated 10 her by her hot
skin and consiaut request for cool water.
wish bod an orange the poor We
man said, as Jane cane up to her bedside
Z for the twentieth time, II would taste SO
good 10 me-.
! She had been thinking about an orange
all the morning, aud notwithstanding her
efforts 10 drive the thought from her mind,
the form Of an orange would ever picture
itself before her, and its grateful flavor
even seemed IL drill upon her taste. At
last she uttered her wIsh-not so much
With the hope OF having IL gra,ified, as from
on luvoluntafy impulse 10 speak GU, her de
sire.
There was not n single cent 10 the house,
for the father rarely trusted his wife with
moncy-he could not conlidc IN her Judi.
clous expenditure Of
Let W 20 and buy you nm orange,
mother, said Jane Ihey have oranges a,
the shop
| baye no change, my dear, and !! had
do no, tliuk il right TO spend four or,tiye
cents foi an orange, when VIC have so liillc,
Get the cool dfiok Of water, that viii DO
now.
Jane brough, the poor sufferer glass oI
cool water, and she drank i, of eagerly
Then size lay back upon her pillow with q
SIGH and her itle girl went to attend the
household duties that devolyed upon her
but all the while Jane thought Of the orange,
aud how she could get IT for her mother.
When her father came home 10 dlnncr,
he looked crosser than he did 10 the morn
ing. lie sat down TO table aud ate his din
nor in moody silence, and then rose up 10
depart without so much as asking after his
sick wife, or going into her chamber. A.
he moved towards the door, his hat already
on his head, lane wen, up 10 him, aud look
ing lmidly ~ his face, sad, with a hesitui
,ng VOICE
Mother wants an orange so bad-woni
You give me some money To buy her one 2
No, will not Your mother had bet.
ter be thinking abou, something else than
wasting money for oranges, was tho angry
reply, as The father passed ou', aud shut the
door hard after him.
/ Jane stood for a moment, frightened OF
the angry yehemencc OF her father, aud
I then burst into tears. She SAID nothing TO
her mother Of What had passed, but after
I the agitation Of her mind had somewhat
subsidized, began TO cast ABBOTT in her
/ thoughts for some plan by which she might
obtain on orange. Al las, il occurred to
her that at the shop where she got liquor
for her father, they bought rags and old iron.
How mech dc you give pound for old
rags = she asked, minute or two after the
idea had occurred TO her, standing at the
counter OF the shop.
Three cents pound, was the rerly,
Hos much for old iron =!
4 cent pound
whats the price OF them ofausoo y
Four cents piece.
With this Information Jane hurried back
After she bad cleared away the dinner table,
she went down into the cellar and looked
~ nj! the bits Of old iron tina, she could
ind. Then she searched tho yard, aud
found gone eight or ten rusty nails, an old
bolt and broken hinge. These she put
away in a little hole in the cellar. After
wards she gathered together all the old rags
she could find about tho cellar, and laid
them with her old iron
Blu, she saw plainly enough that her iron
would no, weigh over two pounds, nor her
rags over quarter of pound. II time
would have permitted, she would have gone
into the street to look for old iron, bn. this
she could no, do and disappointed at moi