The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1860-04-13

know better. That can never be. |
know my own power, and [ know my
wants. Ny mother knows me better than
Ellen does"
All. bad that mother been as wise as
she was loving, she would have seen that
the wild oats which her son was sowing
would grow up and ripen the furnish seed
only for re sowing, But she loved him
loved him almost too WELL or | should
say too blindly.
But | could say 10 more-I only pray
ed that God would guard him, and then
we conversed on other subjects. | could
spend but day, but we promised to cor
respond often.
Three years more passed, during which
John Anderson wrote to me at least once
month. and oftener sometimes but at
the end of that time his letters ceased COM
ing, and | received no more for two years,
when again found myself in his native
town. 1t was early in the afternoon when
| arrived, and | took dinner at the hotel,
had finished my, meal and was loung
ing in front of the hotel, when | saw fu
neral 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, as if it cut him to say so
"What, John Anderson's wife q [ ven
tured.
"No," he said, " it is his mother" and
as he tod me this he turned away; but a
gentleman near by who overheard our
conversation at once took up the theme.
"Our host don't seem inclined to con-
verse on the subject" he remarked with a
,hrug: enquiring, Did you know John
Anderson ~
lie then led me one side, and spoke as
follows:
Poor John He was the pride of the
town six Years ago. This man opened the
hotel at that time, aud sought custom by
giving wine suppers. 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. Since, at
times, .rue friends have prevailed on him
to stop, but his stops were Of short dura-
ton. \ short season of sunshine would
CLEAN upon his home, and then the night
came more dark and dreary thru before.
He said he never would get drunk again,
bnt still he would take glass of wine
with friend That glass Of wine was
but the gate that let in tie flood. Six
years ago he WAS worth sixty thousand
dollars.
"Yesterlay he borrowed the sum Of fit
tv 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 nome drunk many times. And
she even bore his blows. But now she
rests Her darling wore her life away,
and brought her gray hairs in sorrow to
the grave. Oh. | hope this may reform
him"
"But his wife - 7 asked.
Her Heavenly love was held up thus
far, but she is only a shadow of the wife
she was six years ago." he returned
My informant was deeply affected, and
80 was | ; consequently asked no more
During the remainder of the afternoon |
debated with myself whether 20 call upon
John at all. But finally resolved to 90,
though | waited until after tea. | found
John and hi wife alone. They had both
been weeping, though could see at a
glance that EIen's face was beaming with
hope and love But Oh she was changed
sadly, painfully So They were glad to
see me, aud my hand was shaken warm
ly.
"Dear c., don't say word of the
past John urged, shaking my hand
second time" | know you spoke the
truth FIVE years ago. | was going down
bill. But have gone as far as can
here stop at the foot Everything is
gone but my wife. have sworn and my
oath shall be kept-Ellen and are going
to be happy now"
The poor fellow burst into tears, Ellen
followed, and | could not help crying like
child. My God, what 81 ght! The
once noble, true man so fallen-become
mere broken glass-the last fragment on
y rejecting the image it once bore;
suppliant at the foot Of hope, begging
grain of warmth for the hearts of himself
and wife And how had loved and hon
| ored that man And how | loved him
still Oh, | hoped-ay, more than hoped
i believed that he would be saved. And
as | gazed upon that wife-so trusting, so
loving, so true, and so hopeful, even in
the midst of living DEATH prayed more
fervently than | ever prayed before, that
God would hold him up-lead him back
to the top of the hill