Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-07-20
Il BROKEN VOW.

aaeUer Gomez p And the sufferer tossedfe9G
lessly about on her rude pallet ofstrau. lie
promised me he wouldn't be a drunkar any
more. He won't break his promise vi ne
mother? ?"
A sob of anguish was the only arwer,
and the mother folded the scanty cosrlng
about the form of her child. She t0G the
thin, white hand in her own, and smoeh1ng
back the long, golden ringlets with thoth-
er, ~strove, with tender, loving wort, to
soothe the sick one to sleep.
In one of the vilest haunts of the CITY TODD
a man, apparently about thirty years gage.
On the counter before him was a gSs of
foaming liquor. He stood regardg it
thoughtfully /; ever and amor his eyeaFan-
dered away toward the door, and thenoack
again to the liquor before him. Sudealy
snatching the glass, he placed it to hislips.
But why that start, that shudder, tha ran
through his whole frame ere the conents
were drained from the cup His thoghts
went back to the scene he had left il the
morning The tender, pleading faced his
Ally and his almost broken vow flashed aross
his mind and he dashed the glass resoltely
from him and with one stride reacha the
door; but the hand upon the latch was tay-
ed, and the rumseller's harsh, discodant
tones broke the stiffness: Here, hen my
covey you ant gone yet think I'm goig to
let you off in. that manner after breaking one
of best decanters, and spelling my liqDr? p
"Take that then it's about the lastcent
I've got to name"
"Come, come, man don't give up t the
blues it's always darkest just before the
dawn, as my old school marin used to sF.-
Fill yourself up with some of this warning
stuff"
mo, no my child, my Ally is dyin!-
And with a desperate attempt, he shop off
the grasp of the rumseller.
But the man of liquors was not to betoea-
ted out Of the few coppers that lay in the
pocket of his victim.
"Bill Finn, l must be a fool to let anan
go out into such a storm as this witout
something warm inside"
Thus urged, and too weak to resist, thesnan
tossed off glass after glass, and with stager-
ing steps went out to struggle with the old
piercing storm, and the rumseller sat hm-
self down.by his glowing CRATE, and coulted
over the proceeds of his days work. He
counted the money, but not the woe, the
misery, the despairing hopelessness, the Dit
ter, scalding tears of wives, methers, sisters
All Nls u Ol1OLAS v Az L1O dSOlIlLl1IS
prayers which assembled daily, n~ighAysr*a.
fathers plying ear.
No, he heard none of these that night-no'
a sound disturbed the '~stil!nes, save the Gin.
king of the coin he caressed it in his hand
For money he had turned the child from hi
door, while he transformed the father from
man into a brute. Tell me that the ru,lse]
Ter has a heart, a soul? No, it is dead With
him.
The wind still howled m%ournfully arouni th
the abode of wretchcdness-the mother Der
sorrowful over the form of her child-th
despairing cry of father, still rang throug
the room, when the sound of approachin
footsteps drew the eyes of the child to tn
door. The face wore q troubled, halt -hepef,
look; but as the door opened the face W:
quickly averted, and the half utterd sentenc
Fathers broken his prom" and the ey
lids dropped lovingly over the clear, pu,
orbs, and the spirit released from it's caske
went up to,its Maker.
The mother elapsed the dead treasure to h
breast, and strove in vain to impart warmt
into the cold, stiff limbs of her child. 81
looked in vain for some answering look
sympathy from her husband, but there was
relaxation Of the bloated features; a drunk
leer told too plainly that he was unconscio
of the scene before him.
Mothers, ye that bend agonizingly ov
your dead cherubs, stay those falling teal
and look at that manly form by your sic
strong in the pride of manhood, with
~drunkard's curse upon his brow, striving
assuage your sorrow, while his own bre'
is racked with grief ; and though your IL
were more heart-breaking, thank Heav
that your are not a dtunkard's wife-tha
Him that your have a strong, manly arm
lean upon, and that the spirit of your CHI
I. went not out from the body crushed, blet
ing, to it's Maker.