Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-11-13
Misfcllalleons.
THE UNMEANT REBUKE.
Il l. IFE L ESS @ ~.
By slLvANus COBB. 1R.

Charies Nelson had reached his thirty
! hfth year, and at that age he found him
self going d ,wn hill He had once bee,
one of the happiest of mortals. and u,
, blessing was wanted 20 complete the sun
. of his happiness He had one of th,
. best wives, and his children were intelli
gent and comely. He was a carp,nte
by trade and no man could conmanc
better wages or be more sure of work. |
any man attempted to build house
Charles Nelson must boss the job. and
the people for miles round sought him tt
work for them.
But change had come over his life
A deamon had met him on his way. and
he had turned back with the evil spirit
A new and experienced carpenter had
been sent for by those who could no lon
ger depend upon Nelson and he had set
tied in the village and now took Mel
sons place,
On back street, where the green
trees threw their green branches over
the way, stood a small cottage, which
had once been the pride of its inmates.
Before it stretched wide garden, but
tall. rank grass grew up among the choak-
ing flowers, and the pailing of the fence
was broken in many places The house
itself bad once been white, but it was now
dingy and dark Bright green blinds
had once adorned the windows, but they
had now been taken off and sold And
the windows themselves bespoke poverty
and neglect, for in many places the glass
was gone, and shingles, rags. and old hats
had taken its place A single look at the
! old boy,sa an1 Il
the story it was drunkard's home
/ Within sat a woman yet in the early
years of life, and though she was still
handsome to look upon, the bloom had
gone from her cheek and the brightness
had faded from her eyes Poor Mary
Nelson Once she had been the happiest
of the happy but now aone could be more
| miserable Near her sat two children
both girls, and both beautiful in form
and feature but their garbs were all
/ patched and worn and their feet were
shoeless. The eldest was thirteen years
/ of age aud the other two years younger
| The mother was hearing them recte
grammar lesson. for she had resolved that
/ her children should not grow up in igno.
rance. they could not attend the common
school, for thoughtless children sneered
at them and made them the subject of
sport and ridicule; but in this respect
/ they did not suffer. for their mother was
we'll educated, and she devoted such time
as she could spare to their instruction
! For more than two years, Mary Mel
son had earned all the money that had
used in the house. People hired her to
wash, IRON, and sew for them, and besides
the money paid, they gave her many ar
ticles Of food and clothing So SIZE lived
on, and the only JOY that dwelt with her
now were teaching her children, and
/ praying to God.
Supper time came, and Charles Nelson
came reellng home. Ee had worked the
day before in helping move a building
and thus had earned money enough to
| find himself In rum for several DAYS. As
/ he stumbled into the house the children
croucbed close to their mother and even
she shrank away, for sometimes her hus-
baud was very ugly when thus intoxica-
! ted
Oh, how that man had changed within
| two years Once there was not a finer
/ looking man in town. La frame be had
/ been tall, stout, compact aud perfectly
/ formed, while his face bore the very BEAU
IDEAL of manly beauty His noble form
| is now bent. his limbs shrunken and
/ tremulous. and his face bloa,ed and dis
! figured. He was not the man he had
oace been the fond husband and the do
| ting father The lovely wife had prayed
and wept, and implored, but all to no
purpose; the husband was bound to the
| drinking companions of the bar room
and he would not break the bonds
That evening Mary Nelson ate no sup
per, for of all the food she had in the
/ for her husband and children but when
her husband had gone she went out and
picked a few berries. and thus kept her
vital energy alive. That night the poor
woman prayed long and earnestly, and
her little ones prayed with her
On the following morning Charles Mel
son sought the bar room as soon as he
arose, but he was faint and sick, and IL
would not revive him. for it would not
| Law on his stomach He had drank very
deeply the night before. and he felt mis-
erable At length. he managed to keep
down few glasses of hot sling. but the
close atmosphere of the bar room seemed
to stife him, and be went out.
The poor man had sense enough to
know that if he could sieer be would feel
better, and he had just feeling enough 70
wish to keep away from home. SO be won
dered off towards a wood not far from the
village, and sank down by the side of a
stone wall and was soon buried in a pro.
found slumber. When he awoke the sun
was shining down hot upon him and rails
ing himself to a sitting posture he gazed
about him. He knew that it was after
noon. for the sun was turning towards
the west He was just upon the point OF
raising, when bis motion was arrested by
the sound of voices near at hand He
looked through chink IN the wall, and
Just upon the other side he saw his two
children picking berries, while little fur
ther off we're two girls, the children of the
carpenter who had lately moved into tht
village.
Come Katy" said one of these latter
, Girls tn her compapiou lets go away