The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-02-01
for TIE Yonle GirtIe.
From the Watchmau and Reflector
THE DRUNKARD's WIFE.

| Il
Henry, it this is the way you continue to
come home night after night, cunnot bear it
much longer-I win not bear it,
The man thus addressed lifted his heavy
eyes, as he asked with a curse and "a siIlv
smile ,7eg r ~ ;ss
ell, what are you going to do about it p
M 'n going to do something, Henry, and
that before long. I've tried to be a loving
and faithful wife to 1you-I have striyeu to
keep your home 10 order, and to welcome Won
here-but my spirits are breaking down.
shall have to give up soon.' + s. 4as ssr .sr
+ : Phol don't you know you're going to re.
form me Isn't it the duty of wife to stav
by her husband through good and evil p
Yes where the evil does not come through
yielding TO vice. and debauchiDg soul and
body. If God sent you illness, or if, through
your own miscalculation or heedlessness Won
became suffering and poor, I would go with
you, hand in hand, we're the path ever so rug
ged.s But as it is, you are defling what 1
loved, and yourself destroying every spark of
affection that | ever possessed. am toe
proud to perform menial Offices for drunkard
I freely confess Were you a poor, wander.
ing beggar, sick, and staggering weakly to my my
door, could wash your very feeI, and willing
ly do what lay in my power to save you-but
| cannot and will not bear you staggering
drunkenly TO your bed, sit up till the morning
da"ns, half-craze1 with apprehension-seeing
you in this or that danger, and do Offices that
are too revolving TO be thought of. Twas ed.
ucated to habits of neatness and cleanness /;
and when | married you, thought should
go,with one who would aid me in being pure
who would keep me from contact with any.
thing gross and demoralizing Instead of
that, l married but a boy of mans stature
she added bitterlE-'with weaker than child
mlnd-led by the nod of the drunkard and
dramseller, and respecting his wife SO little
that he dares to come reeling into her pres.
ence with words no wife should ever hear
You're sick of me, then, eh p murmured
the drunken man drowsily. s % " 4
am sick of your ways, Henry, and have
been for years My better nature revolts
against your blood-shot eyes, bioated face
and fetie breath. OF Henry'-she cried pas
sionataiy-'we have been married ten years.
and as view that relation, we should be ten
times happier, ard love each other ten times
more than when we first promised that which
united our destiDies, Instead of that, I iud
myself wishing that l had never, never seen
you -sra g......fs.fe e.8s
- You DO, eh = ''7'39 s7E5ir tsrss % zesi
Yes. l do. never said this before, but L
am desperate. have tried all means that my
woman's ingenuity could invent to reform you
For years have met you with srniles-noo
what your condition. thought, sure
y my gentleness will reprove him, and in time
reform him. When 1 demonstrated, it was
not with anger-you can testify to that, and,
W Henry. how often you promised to reform.
even forgave you; what woman seldom for.
glyes-a blow, because you we're not conscious
through drink /, what you did. I was patient
after some of my furniture had been destroy. g
ID by your hand. I was patient after I laid
'"o OF my darlings under the sod, because.
!. ,helr en- blood being poisoned by your vile hab-
lts. tney had not the strength to rally whom
ilsease came. And even when your occasion
II sprees, as you call them, became weekly.
lightly, l was patient-but that was the pa. :
ience of despair. Now have decided ,
viii no longer sit by druukard's hearthstone
.asd | declare to you it would be happier
lour to me to feel that you had gone over the
ioor-sill for the last time.' l. = -
The Womans face was pale-pale as that Of
corpse. 1t was evident that passion-a
ieep. whitehead passion, had mastered her
letter tier mood. 1t glowed ard famed in her
unken eyes-lt tremhled in her fingers, con.
'ulsiVeiY working it swelled in her vains that
TODD out on the broad forehead, and in cord.
d masses sprang from her delicate wrists.
The man all this time was looking down.
3e was very handsome, but his aesh was pal.
d, his eyes. as be raised them lustreless his
ps without color. Sometimes be seemed to
7rthe as his wife spoke he was not as much
nder the influence of drink as she supposed
'ut there came look in his face as he lifted
y tnas olanched her own still more.
oo-A would give you pleasure to see the
asst OF me, would it p s,5--.,,5s z..,.. q. q
The candle-light fckered-iti was burning
o"n 10 the frame that supported it. aud at
very expiring effort a lurid redness flashed
yer the small room-over those two white
aces--over the innocent beauty of .,;,uo