Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-05-11
an Eutsrtstina Storp.
Selected for the Indiana American.
THE DRUNKARD'S BIBLE.
ny MRS. 5. @. HALL.


toNCLUDEps
lie rose from the table, and paced
up and dosn the little room; no eye
but His who seeth all things looked
upon the earncstness and agitation Of
that man; no ear but the All-hcaring
heard his sighs. his half muttered
prayers TO be strengthened for good.
lie said within HIMSELF "Who will
counsel me In this ma,teiY--to whom
shall LILY for sympathyY-who will
tell me what | ought 10 doY--how
remedy the evils which l have bro't
on others while in this business. even
when my heart was alive TO It's wick
edness?" lie had no friends to ad.
wise with-none who would do aught.
but to laugh at him and ridicule the
idea Of giving up good business for
conscience sake; but 40 IL was that II
occurred 10 him-"You have an I'm
mortal Friend take counsel Of Him
pray 10 Ilim--leafn Of Him-trust
Hm--malSo His Book your guidc;"
and opening the BmLE he rend one
other passage: Keep innocency, and
toke heed 20 the thing that is right. for
that shall bring u man peace at the
last"
Pondering ON this blessed rule OF
life, so simple and so comprehensive,
he turned back the pages. repeating
il over and over again. until he came
to the first ny.leai, wherein were
written the lirihs. marriages. and
deaths Of the humble family to whom
the Bible had belonged; and therein
second on the list. he saw in stiff.
half printed hand, the name-EMMA
HASDy, only daughter Of James and
Mary Jane Handy. born so-and-so,
married at such n day, to PrrER ]
CRoFT.
Emma Hanby"-born in his native
village; the little Emma Handy whom
he had loved 10 carry over the brook
to school-by whose side in boy-lov,
he had sat in the meadows-(or whom
he had gathered ilowers-whosc milk.
pail he had so often lifted over the
church sile--whom he had loved a,
he never could or did love woman
sirce-whom he would have married,
II she. light.hcarted girl that she was,
could have loved the tall. yellow,
awkward youth whom il was her pas
time to laugh Mt. and her delight te
call "Daddy,"-was she then the wifi,
torn, soied, tattered, worn.ont, in
sultsd. broken spirited wife Of tn.
drunkard Peter Croft! 1t seemed i'm
possible; her memory had been such |
sunbeam from boyhood up; the re6nel
of lis nature-the dream that otter
came to him by day and night. Will,
passing the parochial school, when the
full tide Of girls rushed from its hea
into the thick city air, his heart hat
often beat If the ringing laugh Of Q
merry child sounded like the laugl
he once thought music; and he woult
watch to see il the girl resemblet
the voice that recalled his early love
"And | have helped to bring her te
this" he repeated over and over t,
himself; "eyen have done this-thi
has been my doing" He might hav,
consoled himself by the argument
that if Peter Croft, had not drunk a
"the Grapes" he would have drunl
somewhere else; but his scared con
science neither admitted nor sought al
excuse; and after an hour or more o
earnest prayer, with sealed lips. but
soul bowed down, at one moment b,
contempt for his intirmity of purpose
and at another elevated by stron,
resolves OF great sacrifice. Mathew
carrying with him the Drunkard'
BiJle, sought his bed. He slept tn
feyerish. unrefreshing sleep. which S
frequently succeeds strong emotion
He saw Sroops Of drunkards-blear
eyed, trembling, ghpstly spectres
pointing at him with their shakin
fingers, while with pestilential breath
they demanded "who had sold ther
poison" Women, too-drunkards
or drunkard's wives-in either case
starved, wretched creatures, wit
scores Of ghaslly children, hoote
him as he passed, through cavern'
reeking of.gin,.. ,..and hot with the stear
of all poisonous drinks! He awok
? just as the dawn was crowning th
hills of his childhood with glory, an
y while its munifiicent beams were per
! eirating the thick atmosphere, wbic
: hung as villa before. his bedroor
window.
To Mathew the sunbeams cam
!; like heavenly messengers, wingin
0 their way through the darkness an
. . chaos of the world, for the world