The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1852-04-29
WHOLE NUMBER 81.

aspect of things, clinging fast hold of
Ralph. Nobody shall take him to
JAIL"
"I am sorry, my good woman" said
the magistrate, I" to do SO; but it can't
be helped-the debt must be paid, or
your husband must 60 to Jail. 1 have
no discretion in the matter. Can you
find the means to pay the debt? If
not, perhaps you had better 60 and see
your landlord; you may prevail on him
to wait a little longer for his money, and
not send your husband to jail" b
eyes, Sally, do 60 and see him."
said Ralph; :" L am sure he will relent
when he sees you" @
Mrs. Lyon let 60 the arm of her hus-
band, and, darting from the Office, ran
at full speed to the house of their land
lord.
60, sir 20 she exclaimed, you can
not, you will not, send my husband to
jail" .
81 both can and WILL" was the gruff
reply. GA man who drinks up his
earnings as he does, and then, when
quarter-day comes, can't pay his rent,
deserves to 60 to Jail. "
But, sir, consider
"Don't talk to me, woman! If you
have the money for the rent l will take
it, and let your husband 60 free; if not,
the quicker you leave here the better"
1t was in vain she sought to strive
with the hard-hearted man, whose face
was like iron. Hurriedly leaving the
house, she hastened back to the Office,
but her husband was not there. In her
absence, he had been removed to prison.
When Mrs. Lyon fully understood this,
she made no remark, but turned from
the magistrate and walked home with q
firm step. The weakness of the wo-
man was giving way to the quickening
energies of the wife whose husband was
in prison, and could not be released ex-
cept by her effort. On entering her
house she went to her drawers, and took
therefrom silk dress but little worn, .
present when she was married
q good shawl that she had bought from
her own earnings when happy maiden
a few articles of jewelry, that had not
been worn for years most of them pres
ents from Ralph before they had stood
at the bridal altar; and sundry other
things that could best be dispensed with.
These she took to pawnbroker's and
obtained an advance of fifteen dollars.
She had two dollars in the house, which
made seventeen; the balance of the re-
ouired sum she borrowed from two or
three of her neighbors, and then hurried
off to obtain her husbands release.
For a time, the rigid proceedings Of
the landlord proved a useful lesson to
Ralph Lyon. He worked more steadily,
and was rather more careful of his earn
ings. But this did not last a great while.
Appetite, long indulged, was strong, and
he soon returned to his old habits.
The shock the imprisonment of her
husband produced, awoke Mrs. Lyon to
the necessity of doing something to in
crease their income. All that he
brought home each week was scarcely
sufficient to buy food; and was clear
there would be nothing with which to
pay rent when the next quarter day
came round, unless it should be the pro-
duct of her own exertions. Plain sew
ng was obtained by Mrs. Lyon, and an
additional labor of three or four hours in
he twenty-four added to her over task
ID body Instead of feeling rebuked at
his, the besotted husband only perceiv-
ID in it license for him to use his own
earnings more freely, thus making his
poor wife's condition really worse than
t was before. . l .1l
Things, instead of getting better, grew
worse year after year. The rent Mrs. .
Lyon managed always to pay; for the
ear of seeing her husband carried off to
all was ever before her eyes, stirrulat-
ng her to constant exertion but down,
lown, down, they went steadily and
urely, and the light Of hope faded daily,
md grew DINNER and DINNER before
he eyes of the much enduring wife and
mother. Amid all, her patience was
She never spoke angrily TO
salph, but strove, rather, to appear
heerful before him If he was dispos-
d to talk, she would talk with him, and
lumor his mood Of mind if he was
loomy and silent, she would intfudo
othing upon him calculated to fret ms
If he complained she tried TO
oothe him. The man was in charm
d circle, and every impulse tended to
. ~ IN r-I'r rf f1i.o