Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1859-01-21
ureabIe to his exciteable temperament.
CHAPTER ".

In living for her boy in struggles,
sometimes abortive, sometimes resulting
in triumph, eight years of Annie Lam
den's life passed away.
Carl had reached the age of manhood,
but the fair promise of bis youth had
not been realized. He had become quite
reckless, and, alas an inebriate. New
er so intoxicated as to lie in the gutter
but startling, many times, at the mid
night hour, his unhappy mother from her
unquiet sleep, with his ribald songs and
drunken laughter.
Home had not ceased, entirely, 10 be
attractive to the dissipated man, for he
had never found aught than quiet and
unvarying peace there; and sometimes,
when pRusing for a moment in his wild
career, he reflected on the course he had
chosen, and bitterly thought on what he
might have been, he grew remorseful,
and, for the present, penitent; and there
upon withdrew from his associates, TO
strive, in the seclusion of the place bless
ed by the kindest of mothers, to win
back to his bosom the angel ideals that
fed in alright from the temple he had so
ruthlessly debased.
Then came hope to the heart of Mrs.
Landen, and joy displaced the sadness
settled upon her features while Arthur,
near her, read, or improvised his sweet
est. most tender melodies, set often to
words of his own composing.
But these intervals of calm were oi
short duration. He would grow restless
and plunge again into the vortex of gay
ETY., forgetting home and mother, and al
that was self-enobling and manly.
Scintillations of genius, in the guise o.
poems glowing with beautiful imagery
flashing into the eyes of the beholder
but the mind from whence they emanatet
had become almost enveloped in the ruin
of the downfall of its temple.
Annie looked with humid eyes, ant
heart aching with misery, upon the wrecl
of her beautiful boy.
One night, when tempest was abr oa
/
over the earth, and the vivid lightnin
played athwart the pail of clouds trail
ing their wet skirt close to the GROUND
Annie Landen, sitting alone in the pal
lor, so desolate and drear to her nov
when she knew that Carl, elated by a
almost unprecedented triumph in the lii
erary world, was celebrating his succes
, in drunken orgies, felt an indescribabl
= sensation stealing over her.
i A cloud seemed to fall between be
and the objects in the room; even th
electric flashes were shut out, and in th
: eclipse of the outward vision the inne
> became more acute and discerning. ST
saw, as one looking far away, the clll
; room, its throng of jewellers, the tables
which they were banqueting; but the oI
, iect which fascinated her the most powe
t fully was the form of her son, standir
e erect at the head of the profusely sprea
d board. His hair was tossed careless
away from his broad forehead, his ia,
e was flushed and animated, his fran
J quivering with excitment. In his har
1t he held a silver tankard, brim TO the tt
e with ruby wine. He spoke, but her ca
= could not catch the import of the word
d She felt all the horror one experienc
Is in nightmare. She saw clearly tn
L. the laurels upon that lofty brow won
D. wither in the hot breath Of the destroyt
and the soul-the pride and glory of t
Is splendid casket, carved into such adm
nS able proportions, named her SOn-wou
le 90 out in a night of drunken darkne.
IL unless some superior power interpose
ID Annie groaned and writhed in spr
IS though the unaccounta5le incubus tn
y had settled upon her body, forbade t
~ movement Of limb.
ul In her strange, preternaiural visit
Id she saw Carl raising to his lips the tar
n, ard. She essayed to stretch out her ha
to dash it aside. Vain attempt. o
"a wild, terrible struggle, and she started
her feet, shrieking: My son my so
We Oh, my God, save him when she sa
to the floor, in death-like swoon.
ID, When the real current again resum
I'D its wonted flow, and sensation began sic
MI ly to return, she lay upon the sofa, 81
nd ported in the arms of man. At Fl
= she felt dreamy and blissful. am
heaven she thought, and this is Art
" by me ; then, as she gradually beca
~ aware, by noticing the familiar obj'
''' about the room, that she was in her c
'u' parlor, not yet recollecting the events
~ the previous two hours, she mused
up, This is Arthur, and have had 10
1g5 melancholy dream, In it | have Ii