Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1865-12-22

| Nor spares the hand
| That from the land
Uproots the ancient evil"
Thomas NJ.
The Drunkard's Wife.
Harry, if this is the way yoa con-
tinuc to come home night after mig ght, l
cannot bear it much longer-I will not
bear it"
Then the man addressed lifted up his
heavy eyes, as be asked With curse and
silly smile
"Wcll, what are you going to do about
itY
"l'm going to do something Harry, and
that before long. I've tried to be faith.
full and loving wife to you-I have striven
to keep your house in order, and to well
come you hcre-but my spirit is break
ing DOWN. shall have to give up soon."
"Poh. don't you know you're going to
reform me? Isn't it the duty of wife
to stay by her husband through good and
eyil?'
Eyes where the evil does not come
through yielding to vice, debauching soul
and body If God sent you sickness, or
if through your own miscalculation or
hecdlessness, you became suffering and
poor, | would 60 with you hand in hand,
were the path ever SO ruggad. But as it
is you are defiling what loved, and
yourself destroying every spark of affect
ion that ever possessed. am too proud
to perform menial otheies for drunkard,
| freely confess. Were you poor wan
dering beggar, sick, and staggering weak.
ly to my door I could wash your very
feet, and willingly do what lay in my
power to save you-but l cannot and will
not bear your staggering drunkcnly to
your bed, sitting up till morning dawns,
half.crazcd with apprchcnsions-seeing
you in this or that danger, and to do off,
ces that are too revolving to be though
Of l was educated to habits of neat
ness; and when 1 married you, thought
should so with one who would aid me
in being pure-who would keep me from
coming in contact with anything gross or
demoralizing. Instead OF that married
but boy of mans statue she added
bitterly-"with a weaker than a child.
minded by the nod Of drunkard and
the dramseller, and respecting his wife SO
little that he dares to come reelicg into
her presence with words that no wifa
should hear"
"You are sick Of me then, eh?" muir.
INJURED the drunken man drowsily.
II am sick of your ways, Henry, and
have been for years. My better nature
revolts against your blood.shot eyes,
bloated face and f1tid breath. 40
Henry"-she cried passionately-"wc
have been married ten years, and as I
view that relation, we should be ten times
happier and love each other ten times
more than when VIC first promised that
which united our destinies. Instead Of
that, l dnd myself wishing had never
seen you."
"You do, ch 2"
"Yes, l do. l never said this before.
but l am desperate. have tried all
means my woman's ingenuity could invent
to reform you. For years never met
you but with smiles-no matter what
your condition. l thought, surely my
gentleness will reprove him, and in time
reform him. When l demonstrated it
was not with anger-you can testify to
that, and, o! Henry. how often you
promised to reform. even forgave you
what woman seldom forgives, blow, be-
cause you were not conscious, through
drink, what you did. l was patient after
| laid two Of my darlings under the sod,
because their blood being poisoned by
your vile habits, they had not the
strength to rally when disease camo.-
| And even, when your occasional sprees,
as you call them, became weekly. nightly,
| was patient-but that was the patience
of despair. Now l have decided. l
will no longer sit by druukards hearth
s.one-and | declare to you that it would
be happy hour to me to feel that you
have gone over that door-sill for the last
time."
The woman's face was pa'e-pale as
that of corpse. 1t was evident that a
passlon-a deep, whitehead passion, had
mastered her better mood. 1t giowed
and famed in her sunken eyes-it trem-
bled in her fingers, convulsively working ;
it swelled in her veins that stood out on
her forehead, and in corded masses sprang
from her delicate wrists.
The man all this time was looking
down. He was very handsome, but his
flesh was pallid, his eyes as be raised
them, lusterless, his lips without color.
Sometimes he seemed to writhe .. his
wife spoke; he vas not so much under
the influence of drunk as she supposed !;
but there came . look in his face as he
lifted it, that blanched her own still
more.
"So-it would give you plcasure,vould
it, to see the last of me ?"
The candle-light fickercd--it was
burning down to the frame that support
cd it, and at every expiring effort, q