Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-11-08

/ 1t was bright morning IN June when Tracey
4tched his sleek horses to the carryall to drive
| to Springfield, and Mrs Hamilton who stood
| in the door looking at him, thinking what a
dear husband he was, was not quite pleased to
see Mr.. Harris coming, and the shade on her
brow deepened to frOwn. when she found he
| too E&s going to Springfield. Shall l put
/ up some luncheon for you, Tracey ?" she called
/ from the kitchen door. She was an extra
cook. and Tracey always said he would rather
| take his duner from home, than TO cat at the
| Hotel; but for the first time be answered ''no
/ to that question Mr.. Harris stood holding
| the horses, while Tracey came in, saying /" just
| get my new hat, wont you Sarah, while fix
my collar" She was up stairs in minute
and coming down her ear caught a faint clink
| from the kitchen cupboard. q Here's your hat.
( TAcey." said she following him, for he was
/ making out as though he meant 10 go bare
| headed. Thank you, wife" and be kissed her,
bounded IN after his neighhor, and away they
sped. The horses trotted Sc. NICE that each
| lighted cigar before the first milestone come
/ to view.
You must be fond of your wife, Tracey,
to judge from yoar mode of leaving her this
morning"
Il am Bill, she's q wife of thousand"
Did she see you get that flask, hey 2"
No." said Tracey, little crestfalen,
should not have got it had you not told me to
get it."
well, nobody will be the wiser, if we do fili
it to-day"
Mr. Hamilton did not feel quite at ease on
that point.
Mrs. Hamilton studied a little after they
were gone. What was he doing in the cup
| board :: she looked nothing gone, Lot a crumb,
but catching a chair she Investigated the high
est shelf A pocket flask, long unused, was
gone, but that was not all the story. In one
of her house cleaning days Mrs Hamilton found
paper Of tartar eneIic, and wishing to keep
it, had put it into the empty flask. Now
Tracey" said she half aloud, and she could
not help smiling TO think how sick they would
be.
The two worthless ate dinner at Hotel,
transacted their business, feeling quite merry
because OF the toddies they had swallowed
The last thing to do was to fill the flask, which
was soon accomplished. If they took the right
road that afternoon. it was the iaplt of the
horses.
After they had proceeded few miles, they
both thought they felt queer" Mr. Harris
vomited, Mr. Hamilton followed his example.
One said be never felt so aucftd sick, the other
hoped he never would again. Finally Mr.. Har-
rs laid back in the wagon, but Tncey declar-
ed he would" sit up. if he died. Sarah never
shall hear that l could not set up for drunken
ness"
Il say, Tracey" called out his friend, lying
PROSTATE, what excuse can we make for
this"
"Tcll the truth growled Tracey.
Mr.. Harris medilated. IN tell you what
do; yop know we had cucumbers for dinner
I told Jane before started that thought thre
would be serae in toVn by this time, and we can
say we ate all we wanted of them"
Mr.. Harris was able to walk almost steadi-
ly from the carryall to his house, a distance OF
two rods, Supper was ready for him, aud he
sat down and tried to eat. but in yain. his Yife
cycling him. She grew red in the face trying
to put pair Of shoes on her son Sam, which
were too sizes too small.
=" Didn't get EN- for Sam, you said Ben.
needed Shoes
{" ] told you Sam, said his wife fatty.
You can change them, Tracey is going
down again pretty soon."
[ Humph," grunted his wife.
Mr.. Harris arose from the table, went out
the door, knelt down upon the grass and voH-
tied heroically, No sleep did he get that
night If he fell into dCze, he dreamed Of
| Jonah and the whale, and awoke to uon1H.
Ms. Hamilton was attending TO some flow
ers when her husband came in sight. She was
in the corner. of the yard near the gate where
| be would enter, but quite hid from his sight
| by some bushes, lie was wondering what to
do with that flask, when bright idea struck
| him, he could throw it into the grass in that
corner, and no one would see it. His wife had
/ Just stepped forward when "spat" came some
thing at her feet, and there lay that flask
! She let it lay and going tbEough the house
met Tracey, who looked woebegoue.
Got home safe, husband" said she, pleas
antly.
Yes" throwing himself on a lounge, g but
/ 1 don't feel well.
She thought it likely. " What did you cat
| for dinner?"
"a Some early c,tcumbers"
"W bat else? ?"
Bread and meat, was the answer, a little
crustfly.
He did not attempt supper that night, but
/ went to bed as early in the day as the cucum-
bers were in the season. His wife was a reli-
gious woman, and be ha4 been accustomed to
read in the Bible at eyening, and that evening
she sat down by the bedside, and read to him.
and, kneeling took one of bis hands in hers and
/ prayed. Oh, the bitter shame that filed his
heart then As he lay awake that night, he
saw how easily he had given wa to temptation.
He had wasted his money, getting intoxicated
and came back to his wife without the slight
est gift, which she never failed TO get for him
whenever she left home
He made another trip to Springfield, few
weeks later without his neighbor, and with
ont the flask That was left in the grass, un-
til he took it TO the wood pile one day and
broke Ii to pieces, not knowing that his wife
saw him from a chamber windows
The evening after his second visit to town
was very different from the first. Perhaps
there were no eucumbers to be had, at any
rate he sat down at his yife's feet with theold
love look in his eyes: 81.
Here, Sarah, is present for you, got
you nothing when went before.'
Oh, yes you did," said she unfolding the
little papOr. and revealing a dainty little