Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-10-08
CHAPTER III.

In the foregoing chapter we have presen-
ted one picture. Let us now go but few
hundred yards and look upon another. We
leave Mrs Laverne to her lonely desolaton
and walk up street to large house, which,
by the sign hanging in front and the lantern
on the post, we perceive is Hotel We en-
ter and find several persons sitting about the
fire, chatting on indifferent topics. But we
will pass though that room, wind along
narrow passage, enter narrow door, and
descend narrow ight of stairs, and we are
in the Cellar the bar roonn
Aye, fitting place for dealing out destruc-
ton, away from the light of sun and moon,
down under the earth, the damp walls reek-
ing filthy water that trickles down and
.mingls With the filthier srittleandsnewing
of jewellers, the washings Of glasses, &c.-f
Fitting place for drinking and gambling, a
way from the eye of virtue and the ear of
morality. Yes, here in the Cellar the
oaths and obscene songs, the cursing and
shouting, the jingling of glasses, and the
wild demoniac laugh are all confined with
in the wet and blackened walls. They as
cend not to the world above ground but
Sluh NOWhWdIu1 uOWuWdIu W q Stlll OGtpCI
cellar still more uproarious cursing and
shouting, still louder and still more demo.
MAC laughter, until the confusion of the two
'hells' is mingled together, and Satan and
his angels have to exert all their powers to
prevent being surpassed by their satellites!
But let us take survey of the premises,
(of the upper hell, we mean,) Behind a
6 long row of upright bars, (the only upright
things in the ROOM stands a red-faced
bloated species of humanity, looking like
! some unclean animal in huge cage. In
front of these bars stand several persons
! whose ikennesses we would like to draw !;
! but this is not the proper time for it. Suf-
fee it to say there are some who walk the
streets in fine coats and standing collars,
twirling their gold headed canes, and talk
ing largely. They would be deeply insul-
J ted to have our common street drunkards
pointed out to them as their subsequents,
and would talk of the field of honor They
are, as yet, fashionable drunkards; that is,
they drink night and sleep off the more
e prominent effect before morning, attributing
their headaches, flushed faces and red eyes
. to "a very bad cold
u Not far from cracked and smoky old
stove sit several men around dirty, grea
/ sy table, in the middle of which stands
ie decanter labelled Brandy Around this
u decanter, like vice radiating from the heart O
depravity, circulate pack of well-thumbec
&c cards. Among them the figure and counte
~ nance of one arrests our attention. His form
!, is of ordinary size and of fine symmetry; hi
- ! countenance, though now flushed and un
. natural, still bears traces of manly beauty
n of frankness and generosity. His darl
y hair falls nearly to his shoulders, and j
o. thrown back, revealing broad and massiv
forehead that indicates intellect of higl
: order. The fire of the spirit-fend burns il
a. his eyes, lighting them up with strang
7, CLEAN and still they flash forth rays of in
: telligenee, showing mind lofty even IN it
Il ruins, and majestic in its temporary dealt
throes. Through the clouds of inebrity tina
K, envelop his mind, we see just enough q
en- light to enable us to Judge how brillian
IRE would be the luminary if those clouds Ner
O. dispelled.
q, But now reason is dethroned, and can or
ng ly oppose with feeble force the usurper
OF its seat. His laugh and shout and son
ny are the loudest and most frequent of all th
'rn jewellers. Potation after potation of I'll
xl- fiery liquid in the decanter is poured dow
ID, his throat. He plays his cards withou
mt judgment, and loses heavily. Still b
= stakes his money recklessly, increasing IL
lty belts, until finally hispurseis isemptied. I
OF he takes out the last dollar CLEAN of re
son shoots though his bewildered brain al
lad cngenders an unpleasant feeling in /
his breast. He seizes the decanter and sw;
ees lows huge draught; but still that unea
in sensation is upon him, he scarcely kno'
ear how or why, and vain are all his efforts
ing get rid of it. He plays out his hand, q
and again he loses With sudden imPu
tho he rises, seizes the decanter and hurls it
tn the head of one of bis opponents, who dods