The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1860-04-11

face so used 10 the sunshine OF smile coulu
not conceal a cloud.
At length John came. His face was
flushed and his eyes looked infamed.-
He grasped my hand with happy laugh,
called me "old fellow" "old dog" said
| must come and live with him, and
many other extravagant things. His
wife tried to hide her tears, while his
mother shook her head and said:
"HelI SOW his wild oats soon; my
darling can never be bad man.
" God grant it," thought to myself
and knew that the same prayer was up
on Ellen's lips.
1t was late when we retired, and we
might not have done so even then, had
not John fallen asleep in his chair.
On the following morning l walked
out with my friend. l told him l was
sorry to see him as l saw him the night
before.
"Oh," said he with laugh, "oh, that
was nothing little wine party
We had glorious time. wish you had
been there
AT first l thought would say no
more, but was it not my duty? knew
his nature better than he knew il himself
His appetites and pleasures bounded his
own vision. l knew how kind and gen
erous he was--alas too kind, too gener-
Gus.
"John, could you have seen Elen's
face last evening you would have trem-
bled. Can you make her unhappy 90
He stopped me with DON'T be a
fool. Why should she be unhappy -
Because she fears you are going
do,0n Ill.," | told him
Never can | forget the look he gave
me then, SO full of reproof, Of surprise,
of pain.
G., l forgive you, for know
you to be my friend but never speak to
me like that. | going down hill You
know better. That can never be. 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 was loving. she would have seen that
the "wlld oats" which her son was SOW
ing would grow up and ripen to furnish
seed for resolving But she loved him
loved him almost too we'll, or | should
say, too blindly.
But | could say no more-I only pray
ed that God would guard him, and then
we conversed on other subjects | could
spend but a day with him, but we prom
ised to correspond often.
Three years more passed. during which
John Anderson wrote TO me at least once
a month, and some times oftener; but at
the end of that time his letters ceased
coming, and | received none for two
years, when | again found myself in his
native town, 1t was early in the after.
noon when arrived, and / took dinner
at the hotel.
| had finished my meal and was loung-
ing in front of the hotel, when | saw a
funeral procession winding into distant
churchyard. | asked the landlord whose
funeral it was.
Mrs. Anderson's," he said. As he
spoke | noticed slight dropping of the
head rs if it cut him TO say so.
What, John Anderson's wife 2"
ventured.
No. he said cit is his mother"
and as he told me this he turned away ::
but gentleman near by who overheard
our conversation at once took up the
theme.
"Our host don't seem inclined TO con
verse on that subject" he remarked with
shrug. iuquiring Did you know John
Anderson ?"
/" lie was my schoolmate in boyhood,
and my bosom friend in youth. | told
him.
Poor John lie was the pride of
the town six years ago. This man open.
ed this hotel at that time, and sought
custom by giving wine suppers. John
was present at many of them. the gay
est OF the gay, and the most generous Of.
the party. In fact he paid for nearly all
of them Then he began TO 90 down
hill. Since, at times, true friends have
prevailed on him 10 stop, but his stops
were Of short duration. 4 short season
of sunshine would gleam upon his home.
and then the night came more dark and
dreary than before. He said he would
never get drunk again, but still he would
take a glass Of vine with a friend =
That glass OF wine was but the gate that
let in the flood. Six years ago he was
worth sixty thousand dollars. Yester-
day he borrowed the sum of fifty dollars
10 pay his mothers funeral expenses u
That poor mother bore up as long as she
could. She saw her son-her darling
boy, as she always called him-brought
home drunk many times. And she even
bore blows from him But now she is
at rest. Her darling wore her life away, |
and brought her grey hair in sorrow 10
the grave! Oh | hope this may reform
him"
But his wife 20 | asked.
I" Her heavenly love has held her up
thus far, but she is only the shadow of
the wife she was six years ago." he re
turned
My informant was deeply affected,
and SO was consequently | asked no
more.
During the remainder OF the afternoon
| debated with myself whether 10 call
upon John at all Pnt finally / rasolyel