Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-08-24
Tanira lfpartkRut.
The last Letter Of the Drunkard.s Wife.
BY R :. D. GAGE,

tell you such q tale rs my pen must tell you
this morning. 4 Fshut my cyes<ls elasp my
cold and almdst paralyscd hands over them
70 exelude-t9e fearful vision @but it will not
away. Motifs there, ahorrid, soulthrilling,
heart-brpaking reality. Amy,,my sister, my
.morethan sister, canI so crush thee. So
dash from thy lip the cup of Joy which thou
art now, even now, lifting sparkling to the
brim, with hope and love. Yes, ], even ],
must do it. Hard and thankless as is the
task, it will be mere kindlydoneb by my hand,
than another's, for love will soften every
word, and sorrow and deep pity veil every
wrong.
Amy, William is dead: thy loved and
loving brother: my loved and loving bus
band is dead. Even now while ] write
these fearful words, the long white sheet in
yon corner, hides away from my sight the
manly form, the fair broad brow and laugh
ing lip of William. Oh God that this were
all that | could tell you that a fever had was
ted him, that consumption had gnawed away
his vitals, that the murderer had struck him
in the dark But alas no. none Of these
forms Of death came to him, to rob the mon
stcr Of his appalling form.
But | must still my t~hrobbing heart and
wipe the cold sweat Of agony from my brow,
and tell you all, aye tell you all, not to wound
but to warn, lest those who arenow growing
up to manhood, in the same paths he trOd,
may reach the final goal Of life even as he
, You kRow, dear Amy, when we were mar
ried, five years ago yesterday, Ooh that fatal
yesterday William stood forth among the
crowd as the embodiment Of noble manhood.
Just rct0rned from his long tour Of collegiate
study, let loose rs he expressed it, in the
great pasture Of life, he was the gayest ofthe
gay. lie told us that evening, with q prGnd
Hook. that during his eight years study be
had not drank one drop Of ardent spirits or
wine. he had made the resolve, to touch not,
taste not, handle not till the completion Of
his studies; it'll lac was odd enough to coGtrot
himself, till his habits were foFMSsd; and do
YOU remember it, Amy, Oh DO yen renem-
Der it, ere ] had been ten minutes a bride,
his father brought him the winc-cup, and
pledged him in a sparkling glass Ito his ne'o
wife, All, how | trembled and shrank from
that fathers first kiss, how my heart aRisgare
me, how it thE0bbed ghen Z saw WiRiam,
my adorod Villas, yielding to a fathers
temptation, following a fathers example, and
grasping without q seeming thought the oon-
tents Of that cup.
Nonsense, nonsense, Emily said our ia
ther, when ] faiFtly whispered, Don't Will
liam, you have persevered so long, don'tcom-
mence now, but rather renew your covenant,
and resolve never to dUiak ever wine Non
sense. Emily; a little wine wont hurt him
/ believe in temperance as much as any one,
bat this sparkling Catawba' won't hurt a In
dy. Come, you must not teach him any OF
yOur SgaeGHSSh notions
/ knew then that the sparkling CStawbG'
had worked egil to my Husbands father, al
he would never nave spoken thus to me. He
the kind, the generous, polite aud d~igniied
to talk to me then Of being 'squeamish.
knew we'll that there was n devil in the GU
even of Sparkling Catawba.' Again an,
again William wGs pressed to driRk. Thi
was the first step. We came West-came t
a. city where all men, as it where, INDUCED i
wine. Ny husband felt himself strong to II
sist temptation. His table eonld not be 81
without wine. How copldhs refuse to .othes
what was always offered to himY Thu
Amy, it wasthat he fell. Not in those haunt
of wickedness where the low and beastly DO
Themselves iutothe dust in seAsualism; n
ged by the wicked and 1epraEed into 81
and shame but by his own freside, at Il
altar of home, with his wife and childrt
around him, his little ones stretching the
arms to embrace him, and his wife pleadiI
even lovingly against his weakness, did
go down 20 ruin, led by fathers hand, Azure
by d fathers example. Year after gear 1
grew worse, TIL, unwilling thatg SHOULD s.
aim drink, he learned to tarry at the ofic
the hotel, the club room, into the weal
watches ofthe night; aud then lac grew co
and hard, Nnd-shall l say tito thee, Nmy-
BRUTAL. Ills bloated cheek, his red rimmI
eyes, his distorted face, told every passer-I
tho tale. Business forsoOk him; friends fl
II lin. x;nAa,a pal.rfnn# N1ap1inncS fnrco
him. How could they tarry with the drum
ard2
Months Mgo, the spirit Of William SiC
Yesterday the breath left his suffering bod
and he is dead. Oh! doubb dead to
- vu=.-1--- ~ ~ not. eaaa lsp fr X we yea
You will remember him as The lofty, hi
minded, noble brother the embodiment
all that was good and manly. l must
member him as the dying mapiac-shrieki
IN his agony, and fighting with q madma
fury with legions Of devils. Remember Ii
with glaring and bloodshot eyes, with fu4
ing mouth, utteriRg eGrscS and grOaRs .
deafening cries
Emustremember him as themurderer Of
boy, for it was his hand thst in a frenz
moment dealt the fatal ldOw thGt preeipi
ted him down the long flight Of stairs, VIII
fall. yoU know, ended his life. Spare /
oh Emily, spare me ! 1 near you cry; w
hnve voa told me all this Why, if my i
Their is gone, wiilyou blight his memory tn
In pity let me remember ki& as the good =
the noble I! Have you Thought Of the age
that this recital will give his grey hai
mother, or of the pangs that will grieve
fathers soul, of his young brothers and
ters just bursting into womanhood ? Co
you not have spared US this recital,
thrown the mantle of charity over the erl
Of dead husband 2
- Gladly would have spared yoE, ola
sister, my mother, my father Sndmy broth,
Gladly would l have hid his sin in my Z
heart, and locked them in the casket of
as strong as woman's heart Ger knew.
a stern duty said no. His father still orc
the wine to be placed before his guest, v
his own hand he fls the tempting glass
Nilsson. His mother smiles eomPlaeentlv
makes no effort, and Amy. my sister 4
and her lover, sip the dainty nectar &C
from the same glass. Amy a0dA her love
ne pure and good and strong now, but
purer or stronger than was William ia
days agone. Amy said TO him. Drink
will do you good never mind Emily
belongs to the fanatics who preach that e.
man who wants a glass now and then foI
hilaration, must become a drunkard, beca