Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-07-05

THE RESCUED DRUNKARD.

eao sohhioi uiSuu WdIuiuSs "A SedSOn
of disease, especially fatal to the work
ing people of the town, kept me con-
stantly at work and, well or ill, willing
or not, must be ready at their call, /
sprang from my warm bed, and, lifting
up the window sash, called out, "Who's
there!'
"You must come directly, sir, to No.
g., Smiths Yard, and see child that
lies very i'll: it's neighbor's BARN, SIR"
"Very well; | shall be there presently"
was my reply, and / shut down the
window.
Throwing on my clothes hastily, and a
cloak over all. / hastened out, and pro-
ceeded TO the house indicated. II was a
cold winters morning, about five o'clock.
The bitter wind, laden with sleet, caught
me at the street corner, and made me
draw my cloak closer around me. The
factory bells were already ringing. and
here and there the huge castles Of facto-
ries were lit up, and poured thousand
streams of light into the darkness. The
streets astir with the factory workers
men, women, and little girls, who clinked
along in pattens through the wet snow
which sprinkled the ground. Poor chill
dren, thus early Injured to the hard lot of
toll what piteous fate was theirs!-
But tinkling through the air went the
importunate bells of the factories, and
away they must 60. Were they warm
ly clad! Were they rested-thus early
astir and exposed to the elements! But
| stifled my thoughts, and hastened on.
| found the house without difficulty.
1t was situated in yard, where | had
often before been, in the course of the
last three months, called thither by the
duties of my profession. Typhus fever
in its worst forms had recently been
constant visitor there. II was in the
heart of an ill-drained, filthy neighbor-
hood, exclu sively inhabited by working
people. The cutters lay close by the
doors; they did not run, but were stag
nant for months together. In such a
place the remedies provided by medicine
have but little avail. The poison held
in solution by the surrounding air battles
the most skillful treatment, and death is
almost invariably the victor in the con-
test. Half the children born in this
district, | was assured by men of long
experience, perished under four years Of
age; and the lives of those who survived
were sickly, joyless, and miserable
Life with them was only long and
painful dying.
J found my little patient in the DEATH
throes. 1t was case of the worst kind.
The house was comfortless in the ex-
treme. A few red cinders in the CRATE
struggle for life--a cold fire, more cheer
less even than none at all. The furai-
ture of the room into which was ush-
cred, consisted OF chest of drawers,
sadly out of repair, deal safe, three or
four rickety chairs and the miserable
truckle on which the dying child lay
A wooden flight Of stairs led to slee-
ping apartment abQve--of the furnishing
of which one might form an idea from
that of this, the '.best" apartment The
mother of the child held an infant of a
few weeks old 10 her breast; she was
crying bitterly, for the sad truth was not
to be concealed from her. She was
dressed in poor garment. patched in
many places, and yet she was clean; the
few articles in the apartment, howeyer
miserable in other respects, being also as
clean as water and securing could make
them. The floor too was clean and
fresh sanded. By whatever means. then
misery had fallen upon this humble
household, it did not, at first sight, seem
10 be the woman's fault; the evidence of
her domestic industry was obvious.
But there was dismal poverty; that was
only too apparent.
My interest in the poor woman's for
tunes was excited by what l saw, and,
after administering some medicine, from
q packet which carried with me for
immediate use on such occasions, / in
quired how she lived.
I'VE live but poorly, sir,'' she said,
"no wages have come into the house
this week; and you see" glaacing at the
infant IN her arms. s.that we have Just
had another little mouth to FILL"
"Then your husband, "--I hesitated,
and seeing my doubt
"Alas! haze husband, and vet he
is not husband" and she hung down
her head and wept.
"Is he in worx!" inquired.
"Work enough, and well paid for that
part Of it: but sir, you see, he has sadly
fallen off in his ways since we were
married. He has become unsteady
careless Of his home and and family, in
short, sir, drnnkard!
The confession cos, her painful eff
fort, and was almost sorry for having
extracted il; but she proceeded with her
story:
"When we were first married, | thot'
myself the happiest of women. He
was affec.ionase. kind, and steady.
did my best TO make things comfortable.
and think / succeeded. We were MOI
always in the poor house you see now.
sir: we had as snug and tidy little
home as is 70 be found in ALI; but
every DIT Of furnishing is gone now. ex-
cept what you see. He has taken away
IA q II