Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1855-12-14
MIS- c ELLAN Y
MALCOLM WARREN,
Orthc old Mans Lesson.

Malcolm, voulln', <, out tonight.
Come stay with me this evening '
Not thi, evening, Ali,r. have prom
i,,l tn meet some friends ihi, evening, and
| must keep my worl. will be At home in
good season"
II had hoped that should have your
company. Come, why can't YOU try AMI
81, ir cauno, max, you a' harry as tho''
companions whom YOU arr to meet. Jus,
,li, once, Malcolm. q, ibis once"
No, no, Alice, am going out. What
-cpin.' Now what, the us' of that'
Can'ta fellow 20 on, once in a while with
out leaving crying wife,
4 cam, help IL, Malcolm. But hrro, kio
ur before you 60"
Thus spoke Malcolm Warren and hi'
y1uu. wife. Malcolm was young man
tveuty.,cycn year, or age. anl carpenter
hy trade. lie wife was one ol ihc sweetest
di,po.iiioncl girls in town. AMI shc mad-
one NJ the h-st n vi,c. She lu,,l her
husband with the whole energy u her pure
soul, and ,Ar knew that she was beloved m
turn. lIrr t~o children, boy and girl,
often saw her shcl tcar when they were
alone with her IN th, snug little sitting
room. aud the hoy wa. old enough to ak
what made his mother cry, bot she dared
nat tell him.
Malcolm Warren owned the little cottage
In which BE- lived. aui he had paid ior It
out OF hi. own hard earning, while Alice
bad lnrne her share or thc huricu, by pur-
chasing al thc mrniturr. Malcolm wa'
stout auI aas excellent workman, and be-
hal never yot .,rn an hour when he ucrirl
~ las idle Tor the want Of work. \ better
hearted youth lived not in the town and
when hc took the gentle Alice for hi wife
there was mansH fair maiden whose hrsom
gave rlacs to kindly vistful envy. They
would not have robbed Alice Of her prize.
but thoy wished their own lot might be a.
fortunate. Why, then, should cloud
come upon that hou'c2 Why should Alice
wc,p' Ah, the same Tasou that Thousands
Of our Girr,t daughters weep. Zoe the
same reason that hot tears are ever crying
out their .il,nt appeals Tor m"rcy-t"ar'
that run until they make lrod that fairly
shri,ks as it r,'l, over our land.
Malcolm Warren had high social nature
hi, society was priz,d by all who could
secure it-aud be had bc"n indulcinc in the
fal,e smiles of the wine cup. f,r the last
year he had Lccn allowing his appetite to
gain strength. At first It was only an ''oc'
casioual glass, then "a Sla., or - once in
WHILE" and then zone or two glasses a
day. But htcly he had gono 20 Tar as to
sprud his earnings amay irom home, aud
Tor nearly two months past hc had s"ent all
his money with his jpyial companions. Al
ice saw all this and she knew fall well where
It would end, IL not stopped. She had
whispered to him her fears, and he had
tried 70 langh them oh as idle whims. She
had prayed to him to stop the fatal career
while he yet had strensth, but he had been
offended because she should think that he
would ever become a drunkard. 30 Alice
WIS afraid to speak all her fears. Yet she
saw With clear eye all that was coming.
She saw the Lrual road upon which her
beloved was travelling, and her heart was
aching. She knew that even now want was
staring them in the face II was autumn,
and she had asked Malcolm for money To
buy warmer clothes for herself and children
aud ho had none to give her Only day
before, he had brought home bucket full
of aour instead oi sending home q barrel as
he used to. lie carmel money, and where
was il? Alas poor Alice knew too well
by Malcolm's face, and she saw that its
manly beauty was slowly but surely eaten
away. The large blue eyes were growing
dim, bleared and bloodshot, the once fair
checks were becoming swollen and bloaied,
aud the lips looked dry and cracked. No
wonder she knclt down by her bedside and
prayed.
II was on Saturday evening, and Nal
coin was going out. lie was to meet some
! friends and Alice knew that ho was to meet
them at the tavern. lie had only worked
three days the past week, and he had the