Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-01-23

i
back to honor and heaven the bruised and
weary wanderer."
It Is Strange what power there is in some
voices Tue speakers voice was low and
measured; but tear trembled in every tone.
ana before knew why, tear dropped upon |
my hand, followed by others like drops,
The old man brushed one from his own
eyes, and continued:
Men and Christians :" You have iast |
heard that am vagrant fanatic am not. |
AS Ood knows my own sad heart, / came |
mere to do good. Hear me and be just.
| eiil am an ola man, standing alone at the |
-f0a fh 4ftfy sieasr; tgalaS my oyes. 4
have iourneyed over dark and beaconess |
ocean, and life's hopes have been wrecked. |
am without friends, home or kindred on |
earth, and look with longing to the rest of |
death. Without friends, kindred or home |
1t was not once so"
No one could withstand the touching path |
os of the old man. | noticed tear trem-
bling on the lid of my fathers eye, and no
more felt ashamed OF my own.
mo friends, it was not once so. Away over
| the dark waves which have wrecked my
hopes, there is the blessed light of happiness
and home. | reach again conyulsively for
/ the shrincs of the household idols that once
were mine, now no more"
The old man seemed looking away through
fancy upon some bright vision; his lips
apart aud his anger extended involunta-
rlly turned in the direction where it was
1 pointed, dreading to see some shadow invoked
by its magic movements.
" once had a mother. With her old
| heart crushed with SORROWS, she went down
to the grave. once had wife, tai~, an
gel-hearted creature as ever smiled in an
earthly home Her eyes as mild as sum
mer's sky, and heart as faithful and true
as ever guarded husbands love. Her blue
eye grew dim as the floods of sorrow washed
away its brightness, and the living heart
wrung until every fibre was broken | once
had noble, brave and beautiful boy; but
be was driven out from the ruins of his home,
and my old heart yearns to know if he vet
lives. | once had babe, sweet, tender
blossom but these hands destroyed it, and
it liveth with one who loveth children
''Do not be startled, friends. | am not a
murderer in the common acceptation of the
. term. Yet there is light in my evening sky.
A spirit mother rejoices over the return of
her prodigal son. The wife smiles upon him
who again turns back to virtue and honor
The angel-child visits me at nightfall, and
feel the hallowing touch of tiny palm upon
my feverish cheek. My brave boy, if he vet
! lives, would forgive the -sorrowing old man
for treatment which drove him into the world
= and the blow that manned him for Iife God
forgive me for the ruin have brought upon
me and mine."
{ and countenance unusually pale and excl
ted some strange emotion.
!. 81 was once fanatic, and madly followed
= the malign light that led me to ruin. / was
s fanatic W hen sacrificed my wife, children
y | hapniuaSS md hnn,a t0 ha n
> the bowl l once adored the gentle being
u whom injured so deeply.
"I was drunkard. From respectability
= and affluence plunged into degradation anC
u poverty. | dragged my family down with
y me. For years saw her cheek pale, an,
e her step grow weary. left her alone ami,
. her home idols, and rioted at the tavern
She never complained yet she and the chil
ae - eren went hungry for bread.
Vi "On New Years night returned to tn
hut where charity had given us roof. Sh
p ple was yet up, and shivering over the Goals
lo | demanded food, but she burst into tears
e and told me there was none. | fercely ol
dered her to get some. She turned her eye
p he sadly upon me, and tears fell over cheek!
NC AT this moment the child in the crad
:. awoke, and sent up famishing wall star
u ling the despairing mother like serpent
% sting"
ne "We have no food, James-have had nor
J., for several days. | have nothing for II
ri 'la babe. My once kind husband must Y
'al starve?
- THAT sad pleading face and streamir
Nv :" eyes, and the feeble wall Of the child ma
D. D dened me, and I-yes, I-struck her fer
- blow in the face, and she fell forward on Il
1o' hearth The furies of hell boiled in my b
~ som, and with deeper intensity as | felt h;
80 committed wrong. / had never struck NJ
- ry before, but now some terrible impul
.uo o bore me ON; and stopped down as well
''e | could in my drunken state, and clench,
~ both hands in her hair"
.'a .ne "God of mercy James" exclaimed n
'a' on wife, as she looked up in my fendish cou
! =. tenance, you will not kill us-you will n
40 harm Willie,' as she sprang to the cradle a
~ grasped him in her embrace. j caught b
,os "n again by the hair and dragged her t. t
.hs door, and as lifted the latch, the wind bu
n,s ,ns in with cloud of snow. With yell likc
~, fiend dragged her on, and hurried her {
ea ea'r into the darkness and storm. With a W
~ u" ha Z! ha | closed the door and turned [
! ~ no button, her pleading means mingling v
90 the wall of the blast and the sharp Cry of
babe. Bat my work was not yet couple
IL i turned to the little bed where lay
,ioo ,.N older son, and snatched him from his slu
in!s Lns bers and against his halfaw akeued strugg
neA opened the door and thrust him out In
=, agony of fear, he called me by name | '
o,i no longer fit to bear, and locked his fing
""u into my side pocket. l could not wreI
that frenzed grasp away, and with the CO
..a" ness of devil as was, Shut the door al
,uy, the arm and with my knife severed il at
-. wrist"
and - :. = =. -. -. -
; z: % fearful dream, and his chest heaved life
81 storm swept sea. My father had risen Fl
'"' bis seat, and was leaning forward, his CO
-. tenance blodless, and the large diops sts
80 ing out upon bis brow. Chills crept bacl
~ oO" my young hesrr, asdbI wished was at no
.;.sd The old man looked up, and never s.
-. beheld such mortal agony pictured upo
..a r. human face as there was upon his.
tho "a It was morning when awoke, and
storm had ceased. | first secured drin
!, I, water, and then looked in the accust1l
place for Mary. As missed her, for the
: .aa -a time shadowy scene of some horrible nj
~ mare began to dawn upon my wande
mind | thought had had fearful DIRE
but involun.arily opened the outer doDr
tha a shuddering dread. As the outer door o
,loors ed the snow burst in, followed by the fal
lisnth something across the threshold, seattle
- the snos, and striking the floor with sh
tho,, hard sound. My blood shot through