Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1853-01-12

sHHTRACTs FROM AN UNPUBLISHED Story
4Eaeference to another column it win be
seen tke2be Author of " The Care Of SEaslls.'
Proposes7o republish that Novelette, in Book
form in connection with an unpublished tenn
perance story from his pen. The title of said
.lstoryis, The Two Widows and the Idiot Boy"
and We have thought proper to make an exc
tract from the same in order that our readers
might form some estimate of the character Of
the production.
We quote from Part Second-Secs and Z.
SECTION w.
/ Tittering with jolly glee willy Satyr had
gounu its net around the Life. the soul of Pres
ton Hume. Half coaxing, half commanding D
removed him from his own hearfhstone, his
wife and his little Willie, and set him down
with his captive comrades to join the chorus
song of mirth to the Satyrs praise for her de-
coying bait. And at mignight he sat in the
Hall OF Bacchus. where the walls were hung
with rich paintings fthe vine-wreath loaded
heavily with crimson grapes and goblets of sill
yer catching the purple Juice And his soul
feasted on the music of his comrades merry
glee; on the Bacchantian cymbal's notes; or
the mellow warbling reed and on the pouring
of the winc-wav from the rich goblet's lips
in their clashing. splashing dasi,ing song.
And the Satyr led him to her enticing board,
and poured the bright and sparkling wine
waves down his throat until he grew wild with
merriment and it burned in his blood in ev-
cry quivering snew; in every vital part, whirld
its eddying stream through bis dizzy brain and
sped its electric flash DER every thrilling nerve,
until he grew wild with its madness and cursed
his God
And his soul was ecsta:ic with the Prom
ethean fire, and the voice of the cymbal. the
ringing tabor, the signing flute and the warb-
ling reed, that Bacchus had bid to enliven his
feast, filed his heart with gladness, and his lips
Hapdtongue joined she chorus glee ofthe Satyrs
drunken train:
Hail Bacchus, hail Hail, God of Joy
Shout comrades, shout his merry sway;
Ho sorrows lips loud praise employ,
With Bacchus wine sing care away!
Ho Bacche, HO
King Bacche, Ho!
And he threw his gold and silver in the Sa-
tyr's purse, singing her praises until he slept
with his own pocket empty amid the silent mods
of drunken cheer!
X X
SECTION VII.
Little Willie was kneeling in the drunk
ards miserable home weeping bitterly, and by
snatc hes repeating the sublime yet simple
prayer his mother had learned him, and taught
him to love it because it was the PRAYER that
the Christ taught his disciples as the multi
tude gathered about the Orient mountain to
hear His teachings.
And the little boy wept bitterly, as he prayed
to the Father in Heaven to give his mother
daily bread to lead them not into temptation
and to forgive his own simple trcspasses against
the Law and the word. And he PRAYED that
they might DO delivered from evil-from the
evil OF drunkenness, and he wept the more bit
1 tor Yy' 'dfan&e 1l~aanad sirnnlA words of nraver
And his father stood behind him hearing it,
and his soul grew enraged, as ne heard his lit
tie boy pleading with Heaven for him; his
soul seemed riding on the hot pillows OF n
restless sea of wine; and it seemed that the
sparkling waves played with his soul in rude
dalIiance, tossing it hither and thither teazing.
", and an irradiant fire seemed to CLEAN arounC
him by flashes like the floating fragments o
!, phosphorescent light riding on the heavin:
J bosom Of the deep. A storm Of passion burs
its rage upon the sea of wine, and the soul o
, the man seemed drifting with its purple tide o
: death the storm grew lOud-a blindness gath
cred around him-the storm of passion grey
I, louder, the throne of reason began to tremblt
d to shake, to creak, to fall-and with it cam
a the sage goddess, bruised, mangled, shattere
IS on her broken sceptre! Madness for the me
e ment issued her wild mandates and ruled tn
man to acts of desperationi ne seized heav
bludgeon and struck the praying son a hars
blow on the neaa. frscturing the skull and fe
ling him to the floor Reason moved her brt
i, ken sceptre over the raging storm and Pres
| ton Hume saw his child before him, welterin
in blood and he exclaimed: < 'Merciful Hea,
n ensl what have | done 2"
/, And the little boy laid his hands together an
Il answered:
:. "Delivcr US from evil p