The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-05-12

| Chain she was motionless-unabe to do her
part. Mr.. Lyon observed her agitation, and,
! begging Of her partner that she should be ex-
cused led her to u seat
Are you i'll, my dear?" asked Mr. Lyon.
Ill in mind" she replied; and she gave him
such look of mingled sorrow and pity, and
then such an expression of intense suffering
that he involuntarily looked away, to avoid it,
Let us 20 home" said she.
"Very well, was the brief reply
Presently they were on their way, but not a
word was spoken. Arrived at their own dwell
ing, Mr.. Lyon let his wife into the parlor, then,
turning to leave, said will be at home in
a few minutes"
ooh, stay stay, for Gods sake!" cried she,
seizng his arm "and for the sake of our chill
dren, for your own souls sake, put not again
the accursed bowl to your lips!D
But he rudely undid her grasp, and pushed
her from him. She uttered one piercing shrek,
and then sunk upon the sofa, burying her face
in its cushions The demon was reused within
him. The passion for strong drink, in which
he had INDUCED years ago, was not dead, but
sleeping; and the single glass he had been
tempted to take at Mr.. Pyper's, excited feelings
that could not be resisted. The effects of that
fatal glass Mrs. Lyon saw at the party, and
that was the cause of her agitation. She
would not have gone, had she known that wine
would be furnished for the guests. But regret
was now unavailing-the work was DONE
"Merciful Heaven y exclaimed she, I" God
forbid that should live to see him fall again
She wrung her hands in agony; she arose and
walked to and fro hurriedly, as if to dispel q
horrible vision. She dropped upon her knees
and prayed long and earnestly, that he, in
whom centered all her hopes her love, her life
might be preserved from the temptation. Thus
wrestling with her grief she spent the remain
der of the night
Her worst fears were realized. Mr.. Lyon
that evening found gambling saloon open,
and there he entered, and drank and drank,
till he was beastly drunk. He continued drink
ing day after day, and month after month, In
his lucid intervals his wife reasoned with him,
she appealed to him, she tried to persuade him
to abandon his cups.
But what cared he for reason or appeal
What cared he for home, for wife, for chill
dren, for property for reputation, for his souls
salvation? He would have bartered them all
for one glass of rum His path was steadily
downward. He paused not in his mad career,
and at an early period fell into drunkard's
grave.
Mrs. Lyon shared the ordinary fate of the
lnebr!ates wife. She learned,
To still live on when every Joy had fed.
And strive to love when love itself was dead
Intense was her anguish, es she watched
day by day, over the children of her affection,
and saw them whitening in the chilling atmo-
sphere OF her wretched home. The many COM
forts which had been as grateful to her heart
as the dews of heaven TO the earth, passed from
her presence, and then, one by one, vanished
those cOnyenlences which even stern necessity
seemed to require; and, at last she sat in her
bare and comfortless room with none to mourn
with her The fire on her hearth became dim
and cheerless aud rs she crouched over the
struggling embers, the light of hope was quenoh-
cd, and the dark clouds of despair gathered
over her life's horizon
How many others had dormant passion
for ardent spirits awakened that night-how
many young men had their love of the bowl
strengthened--how many were confirmed in
their bad habits, il Is not the object Of this
tale to relate. The champagne did its work,
aud it was work fearful in its results But
Mrs. Pyper's ambition to have sparkling wine
aud sparkling party, was grat6ed. The
consequences she never thought it worth while
to look after
Oh, woman how often art thou found il
!, error Lending thy influence to fashionable
drinking, which, in turn, FORCES chain tina
drags womanhood into the deepest misery
How slow thou art in learning that when thy
sister suffers, thou, too must suffer for a blow
struck upon any link in the chain of human
affinity, must be felt throughout its whole ex-
tent.
Among those who attended the party was
Charles Green, an agent for n large mercan-
tile establishment in New York. He soon set
himself to work, to inquire into the pecuniary
affairs of Mr.. Piper.
"What do you find " said his brother Will
lam at whose house he was stopping.
81 find things bad enough returned
Charles. "Pyper cannot possibly pay up in
New York Our house will give him no fur
Their credit | am sure. Ned Brown has
mortgage on the place where he lives. The
money will be due in three weeks and no says
if it is not forthcoming, he shall foreclose imme-
diatelyn
"Mrs. Piper had better give another party"
remarked William, ironically. "Let them
send to Detroit again for music, and make
costly wine conspicuous part of the feast,
and then fix up little drinking ROOM where
the topers can go and get something stronger,
and am sure prosperity must succeed. If
they should go into few more extravagances
in dress, and equpage, and living Piper would
certainly come out independently rich"
The subject Of this sarcasm had not forgot
ten his Indebtedness to Ned Brown, or his New
York creditors He intended to collect what
he could and then he expected two thousand
dollars from little colony of Germans who
had purchased land Of him, and the balance
could be had at the bank Intelligence was
soon received, however that the Germans were
sick, and had consumed nearly their entire
means. They were attacked with the bilious
diseases OF the climate soon after their arrival
in the State, and several of their strongest men
had died. They were 30 much reduced they
would be obliged to give up their land. Mr..
Piper had the benefit of improvements now
that he did not care about taking.
I" There is trouble" thought he. My land
Is good, but a purchaser is not TO DO found
every day, and money must have. will bor-
row, and mortgage the land"
But the men on whom he called, informed
him that they had ceased TO loan money ON
funds. Mr.. Blanchard, who had partaken
very freely Of his exhilaratng beverages at the
recent party, said he could let him have one
thousand dollars, If be would get Lee and
Cortland for endorscrs.
Mr. Piper applied TO them, but they hest
tated, and at last positively refused. This cut
him to the very quick; he had never been re-
fused before He expected 10 get Mr.. Fay for
signer, at the bank; and Mr.. Fay was very
sorry indeed not to be able TO oblige his friend,
but he had made up his mind not 70 endorse for
any man. This was a death blow. What could
be done?
Everybody had felt for some time that Mr..
Piper was living too fast--not faster perhaps,
than few families around him, but nc could
not afford it half as well, and they did not
mean that in the event Of failure their necks
should be found in the moose.
After these Intellectual attempts to raise mon.
ey Mr. Piper went home as thoroughly wretch
cd as any human being could be. A month
had not mn asad sipca thu brilliant c..t;y.I M