Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-12-29

4 - ~NN 1N1N W@a nuAaEu WhFEUINs
Dear don't say 9 word Of The
past. John urged, taking my hand q sec.
ond time. 4 know you spOks truth 70 me
i've years ago. I was going down hill.-
But I've got As fer IS l can. stop here
at the foot. Everything 10 gone but my
wife. l have sworn, and my oath shall
be kept Ellen and l are going to be
happy now
The poor fellow burst into tears here.
His wife followed suit; and | kept them
company. ! could bot help crying Ike .
child. Ny God what sightI The once
noble, true mao, 30 fallsn-become a mere
broken glass the last fragment only rehec.
ting the image it once bors-a poor sup.
plant at the feet of Hope, begging . grain
Of warmth for the hearts Of himself and
wife. And how bad honOred and loV.
ed that man, aud how loved him slilI -
Oh, l hoped, aye, more than hoped, / be,
lievsd, be would be saved. And as ga
Esd upon that wifs-so trusting, 20 loving,
so true, and so hopeful still, aud even 10
the midst Of living dsath-I prayed more
fervently than ever, that God would hold
him up, keep him up, and lead him back
10 the top of the bill.
In the mOrning, I saw tbs children, Cow
grown up to intelligent boys, and though
they looked pale and wan. they smiled,
aud seemed happy when their father kissed
them. When went away, John took
me by the hand and said:. .
'yIust me. Believe me now. l will
be man hencefoHh while life lasts
And little over two years more had pas.
sed, whsu l read 10 a newsprint The death
of Ellen Anderson. l started for the
town where they had lv.d as soon as pos,
Eiible, for l might help-some one. A
fearful preseutmen! had possessed my
mind.
/ stopped at the stately house where
they had dwell, but strangers occupied it.
'Where is John Anderson | asked.
Don't know, I'm sure. Hes been gone
these three months. His wife died in the
madhouse last weekP
And the childrenr
'0h, they both died before she died!'
I staggered back and hurried from the
place.
l hardly knew which way / went; but
instinct led me to the churchyard. I found
four graves which had been made in three
years. The mother, the wife, and the two
ildren slept in them!
~And what has done thl?' I asked my
self. And a voice answered:
THE DEMON OF THE WINE
TABLET
But THE was not all the work. No, rnll
The next day I iaw--oh, Godl far, far more
terrible! saw 10 the court room. But
that was not the laSt-not the lasll
I saw my legal friend on the day fol-
lowing the trial. He said John Anderson
was In prison. FASTENED to see him. The
turnkey conducted me to his cell the key
turned the huge lock-ths ponderous door
swung upon its hinges with sharp creak
--aud I saw a dead body suspended by
he neck from : grating Of the window!-
looked at the horrible facs---I could see
nothing of John Anderson there, but the
ACE I had seen in the court room was suf- Il
ieient to connect the two, and knew
hat this was all left on earth of him who
bad loved so well!
And this was The last Of the Demons
work the last act in the terrible drama!-
Alb, from the fst sparkle of The red wine,
/ hsd been down-down-down-
he foot of the bill had been finally reach
ID.
When / turned away from that cell,
nd once more walked amid the flashing
aloons and revel hall, | wished that my
oice had power to thunder the life story
{ which I had been witness, into the L
ars of ell living men! I