The Van Buren press., 1859-08-03

fallen asleep in his chair.
| On the following morning / walked out
with my friend. told him / was sorry to
see him as l saw him the night before.
"Oh," said he with laugh, +" oh, that
was nothing. Onlya little wine party
We had glorions time. l wish you had
been there
| At first thought would say no more,
| but was it not my duty / knew his ma
ture better than he knew it himself His
appetites and pleasures bounded his own
vision. knew how kind and generous he
was--alas too kind. too generous.
John. could you have seen Ellen's face
last evening, you would have trcmbled.---
Can yoa ma ke her unhepn
ae stopped mo With r =
Don't be fool. Why should she be
unhappy 90
| g Because she fears you are going down
HILL" l told him.
Did she say so 90 he asked, with a
flushed face.
=" No; l read it iIrher looks,' said.
g Perhaps reflection of your own
thoaghts," he suggested.
sc Surely thought SO when you came
home," | replied.
Never can forget the look he gave me
then, SO full of reproof, of surprise and of
pain.
Go, forgive you, for l know
you TO be my friend but never speak to
| me like that Igoing doaca hiH you know
better. That can never be. l know my
own power, and / know my wants My
mother knows me-better than Ellen does -
All had that mother been as wise as she
I 4 L
4" wild oats which her son was sowing
would grow up and ripen, to furnish only
seed for re- c-sowing But she loved him
loved him almost too we'll, or / should say
too blindly.
But could say no more. l only pray
ed that God would guard him, aud then we
conversed on other subjects. could spend
but day with him, but we promised to
correspond often.
Three more years passed. during which
j ohm Anderson wrote to me at least once a
month, and ottener, sometimes /; but at the
end of that time his letters ceased coming,
and received no more for two years, when
again found myself again in his native
town 1t was early in the afternoon that
arrived, and took dinner at the hotel
had finished my meal, and was loung-
ing in front or che hotel, when saw fu-
neral procession winding into distant
churchyard l asked the landlord whose
funeral it was.
Mrs. Anderson's." he said and rs he
spoke, ] noticed slight dropping Of the
head, as if it cut him to say so.
What John Anderson's wife ?' |
yentured
"No," he said, g it is his mother" and
as he told me this, he turned away But a
gentleman near by, who had overheard our
conversation, at once took up the theme
| "Our host don't seem inclined to con-
verse Oh that subject" he remarked with Il
shrug. Did you know John Anderson 90
:" He was my schoolmate in boyhood and
my bosom FRIEND in YOUTH" told him
| He then led me to one side, and spoke as
follows
Poor John ! He was the pride of the
town six years ago. This man opened his
hotel at that time, and sought custom by
giving wine suppers, and John was present
at many of them-the gayest of the gay
and the most generous Of the party. In fact
he paid for nearly all of them Then he
began to go down hill, and has continued
to go down ever since. At times true
friends have prevailed on him to stop, but
his stops were of short duration. A short
season of sunshine would gleam upon his
home, and then the night came, more dark
and dreary than before.
"He said he never would get drunk
again but still he would take glass of
wine with a friend ! That glass of wine
was but the gate that let in the food. Six
years ago he was worth sixty thousand dof-
lars. Yesterday he borrowed the sum Of
fifty dollars to pay his mothers funeral ex-
penses !! That poor mother bore up as
long as she could. She saw her son-her
+" darling boy" as she always called him
brought home drunken many times. And
she even bore blows from him But now
she is at rest. Her darling wore her life
away, and brought her gray hairs in sorrow
to the grave. Oh, hope this may reform
him 70
i 50 But his wife o. asked
II 9. Her heavenly love has held her up thus
i far, but she is only shadow of the wife
she was six years ago." he returned.
II My informant was deeply affected, and sc
was 1 /; consequently asked no more. :,
During the remainder of the afternoon
debated with myself whether to call upor
John at all. But finally resolved to gt
though waited till after tea. l found Johr
and hfs wife alone. They had both beer
, weeping, though could see at glance tina
Ellen's face was beaming with hope ant
love. But, oh she was changed-sadly
painfully SO. They were glad to see me
and my hand was shaken warmly.
|, "Dear C., don't say word of tn
past" John urged, shaking my hand a sec
ond time. :" know you spoke the trutl
five years ago. l was going down hill
But have gone as far as l can-herc
stop at the foot. Everything is gone bu
my wife. | have sworn-and my oatl
9 shall be kept-Ellen and are going to
5 happy now."
The poor fellow burst into tears, Ellie
: followed suit, and kept them company
e could not'help crying like child. NJ
God, what sight The once noble, tru
. man so fallen-becoming mere broke
Q glass-tfel last fragment only rejecting tn
image it once bore a poor suppliant, a
s the foot of hope. begging a grain of warmt
e for the hearts of himself and wife /! An