Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-08-10
CHAPTER, V.

Charles Fannuil had been a man. Born
of good parents and endowed with fire tai
80 --I;cb he bod o,,lt;getad far the Rar. at
Old Yale, he entered life with high asplra-
tons and sanguine expectations. His par
ents were not overwhelmed with riches, SO it
was necessary that Charles after having re-
ceived good education and taken pro-
fession, should be cut adrift to work for his
daily bread by his talents. He soon became
known in his professional career, then dis
tinguished and finally amassed large for
tune. But what do men do, when they
have acquired that panacea sought for by
all the earth-Money First, they begin to
grow sluggish and careless Of business, final
ly give up their daily pursuits, and become
men ofpLeasure! And to pass away some
few idle hours that must needs come on
every day, they must fain take glass or SO
with friend, and play game at cards for
trihing stakes. Soon they begin to take
game oftener; the stakes become larger,
and the glass and bottle are constant accom-
panments. And in some few short months
or even weeks, being in company with pro-
fessed blacklegs, and other such filth, the
late rich and naughty man of pleasure finds
himself nae1odicant, at the hands of his for
mer almost servants! Need the simile be
applied to Charles Fannuil? No, it is not
worth tie consumption Of time.
When Fannuil had come to proper age,
he took wife unto his bosom, a gentle,
amiable, christian like, beautiful girl. She
endeavored, but in vain, to stav the tide of
his own destruction, the bent of his brute
like appetite and lust, and pointed out to
him in forcible words the consequences that
would inevitably follow his rainous and dis
astrOus mode of living but all was futile.
Sooner could she have stopped the mountain
torrent, as leaping from rock to rock and
= gaining an impetus as it goes finally dashine
, itself with laundering sound into the deer
abyss below! She tried every remedy thai
! could be thought Of, but none had the de
> sired effect. IT'S true he promised, anG
y even made VOWS, to reform and retrieve hi
" ruined and sunken fortune, and gain name
again in society. But how can men wht
have once INDUCED at the muddy fount
g whore, it is true, adulterated liquors alont
are afforded them, hinder themselves from
. being drown into the damnaole vortex again
a willing victim Charles Faunuil set a
nOught the pleadings and entreaties of hi
). affectionate wife, and fell He staid abou
= Philadelphia for some twenty years in tn
= mean time several accessions were made +
! his family but all had sickened and died
! apparently as if swept away by the hand {
:, an all-powerful and designing God. One da
> gentleman called at the humble cottage c
\. the Fannuils', and left with the kind hear
I ed woman a little girl-a baby-which, h
, said, he would again call in an hour or tw
= and reclaim. But he never came back I
% % take his child, and of course the Fannui
II had to adopt it. The girl grew and wake
r strong, and was indeed very beautiful. ST
k had the advantages of a good education, a
II forded her by goodly sum of money, son
{, thousands of dollars, which was found amor
on the clothes left with the Babe, also scale
package was found, and on it was written
al 10 be given to my daughter the day she
az twenty years old And another was direct,
,yo to Fannuil, who read the contents. and afte
nv ward Cwhen sOber) was very attentive
- the little girl.