Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-10-26

cEOWu HdOAlcTSu uS,
ed leered, cursed and hedged us in. l
wept and urged my husband to come away.
Cousin Clancy, my own dear cousin Clancy,
With whom | played in the meadow by the
mill when we were children, brought out
the bowl and bid my James drink and be
social He refused and the rabble sneered.
Strong arms were laid upon him and bloat-
ed demon poured the fiery draught down
the throat of my husband. There must
have been pint of the accursed liquid, and
a general rejoicing swayed the mob. The
laugh yet rings in my ears-even Clancy
laughed and Knocked my grief. We rush
ed from the crowd and a taunt came after
us. 4 ac0nadn's man, sneered the horde.
My husband bit his bleeding lips with re-
morse, and curse sweIled up from his -
heart and it trembled on his tongue. /
dared not speak such a storm of wrath
have never witnessed We went to our
home in silence A shadow rested upon it.
That night my husband was a demon the
liquid fire that had been forced between his
lips was taking its effect. He raved like
an infuriated beast in his den. trenbled
and my children concealed themselves III
secret places about the cottage. Such re-
voting blasphemies no mortal ever heard
curses against man-against society
against God, filled up the early watches of
that memorable night. My husband slept,
and l bowed at the Altar and prayed. Next
morning he was calm, but the fiery light
that played about his eyes was not the love
glances of my pure and exalted James. A
change had come over him. The first step
had been taken and [ trembled for the fu-
ture.
My husband was ensnared-the Demon
held him in bondage without hope Of
deliverance. The syren led him to the pit
where the plague went forth to Destroy
Jonas took his honest earnings from his
hand and gave him the deceptive bowl and
he drank to madness He joined the Heav-
en-insulting chorus Of the revel song of de-
bauchery and sinned with the SHINING. He
buried his honor and hope of Heaven in
the fiery food and yielded his manhood to
, be wrecked and shattered upon its breakers.
Rum was his worshipped God, and he bow
ed his soul and body to do it homage. He
forgot our early love, and when he came
, from the dram-shop his tongue was armed
; with stings against her whom he had sworn
!, to protect. Oar once quiet home was hell
= in his presence. My soul and body suffer
: ed in his riotings; with his scornings,
spurnings and lashings, I suffered death
!; !; and would have gloried in going down to
! rest in the grave. Our children that once
: ran down the path towards the little white
> gate to meet him at his coming, now hid
: themselves from his Rum-aroused wrath
{ when his curses and slavering songs were
: heard on the hill.
9 = ooh |! how changed-how changed =
u Beneath oblivious waves my brightest hopes
;, ;, of earth had gone down and perished. The
u shadow had at last fallen across Our hearth
= stone-had fingered across the base of our
u altar, like the dark foot prints of unspoken
le | woe. Our home, that we had prided our
4 ! selves upon, was going to waste, and wife
u and children turned from the home-roof in
u the storm and darkness to suffer, to fear, tc
le perish. All /! the sun Of my earthly Joy
&c was set in an eternal cloud-had sunk il
Ae the bosom of rayless night of gloom for
AZ ever My last star of Hope had been shu
y y out from view by the clouds of despair tha
us rolled their boiling clements of sorrow a
y cross my troubled sky. l prayed for tn
"a night of death and wept over the desola
g tions of my ruined home and husband.
%, Hundreds of hearts were crushed il
ia ~ Woodstock. The nightof gloom seemed t
Il IL know no breaking, andno day-star yet gen
y, med the horizon. Village, citizens, home
ap ~ and hopes were going to ruin. The greed
'1 vulture of the dramshop had fed to fatnes
gu upon the blasted hopes and shattered home
, Of the land. Jonas was the gamer
h0 en- and happiness the loser. The slumb
=, was profound The monster sat in purp
W 'Wne robes at every gathering. Diligently it pile
we its fearful work. The Gorgon reigned
'"s Woodstock and was drunken to madness
" the blood of its victims.
Vi Darker and more profound grew IL
long night of sorrow; my husband was
~ naV gambler. Its curses rested upon him al
| l nc bore him onward like strong current
! IN The Demon led him on day and night
anu d bent DER the fascinating gaming table a
u :, his earnings were thrown to the wind. I
iien legacy an indulgent father gave me on
as dying bed, was rapidly squandered-l
ered Jewels and cherished relics were snatch
my away and lost The pride of my life v
f,hg drunken bankrupt. One idea alone p
thGt sessed him-to drown his sensibiities
vail the damning bowl. He closed his eyes
s. rushed to ruin.
III III Jonas held a mortgage on our cott
";s ",sn and our lot 1t expired and was sold.
l1ng 'ana1 sold THE cottage, the land, the gr
80" meadow, the crystal spring, my flowers,
= -, - old hearthstone and little blue eyed Y
= so ~ e's,-the baby's, grave, all sold to
80 Jonas for the fiery Demon that had sto
M tho heart and hope away.
~ as sAn1 then we left the lost home "
wen. tears in all our eyes. James tottered all
arful down the little path towards the little WI
ave gate and | followed after him with poor
as it tie sickly Jenny in my arms, while
trem- children that were older stood around
vice, cottage and wept as if their hearts VIC
,ling, break. l called them to come away;
stial- Emma plucked a rosebud from the busl
:, had the garden wall; Nelly got sprig of
eholy jessamine by the door Jimmy ciambt
ed an up the porch to get bright vine of WI
bine flowers; while Mary, my eldest b
,orrid went down the slope to the old walnut
D rab. where the baby was buried, and knelt
clunp the sod, and covered her face with
and hands, and then arose and come awav
!. He green myrtle boughs from the grave.
-. then all was borne Weenino oyUavp