Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-23

Drought uOWH JnelF gray nalrS Win
sorrow to the grave. Here / com
menced married life, and all that
heart could wish was mine. Here
Mary and | took comfort, till Has
kins came here and opened his rum
shop, and now he calls il his. In
that south room my children were
born, and there my Jennie Died
0, how sorrowful she looked when
she saw me take her shoes and start
for the store to pawu them for rum,
while she lay sickl And then how
she begged me, before she died,
never to strike her mother again
| can see her now, her pale face,
her wasted form, but she cannot
come to me again. And o, my
wife, how shamefully have / abused
you! 1t is not your Daniel that
did it. MOI it was that cursed rum
that Haskins sold me. No wonder
you were taken from me by those
who loved you and would not see
you abused. They won't have me
in the house. They will not let me
live with you. Not drop more,
Daniel, till this house is mine again.
Not drop more, till these broad
acres are again in my possession,
and that wife and the children that
are living, are in yonder rooms, and
we are happy family once more.
Not drop more, Daniel, so help
me God, till all these things are ac-
complished l thank you, Haskins,
for these words, I shall not for
get them"
He had become 50 much occupied
with his thoughts, and spoke in a
tone so loud, that he had not heard
the wagon which, by this time had
reached the road in which was seat
ed the kind hearted Quaker who has
been mentioned. He stopped his
horse, and heard distinctly the Ian
guage which Daniel used AS he
closed his soliloquy he turned and |
saw Thomas Edgerton, who said,
Daniel, does thee mean to keep thy
VOW ?" --.----...
He answered, II do"
"Thee has promised great many
times that thee would drink no
more. What makes thee think thee
will keep thy vow|'
81 know, friend Edgerton, l have
often vowed to drink no more, but
now | feel different from what |
ever did before. My heart is bro
ken, and I feel my weakness, and 1
believe God will help me this
time"
"God grant it may be SO. Dan
iel, get in and take a seat. Thee
must be hungry; go home with
me-"
On the way the Quaker drew out
of him all that has been written, and
he advised him to go to California.
He told him to 60 to New York,
and work his passage around the
Cape. He determined to do Co.
The Quaker furnished him with
suitable apparel,
"Thee wants to see thy wife and
children before thee goes" t
eyes, Friend Edgerton, l do, but |
they have become enstranged from
me. If 1 went, perhaps they would +
not believe what | say. 1t is bet |
ter that l sno0Id not see them. In {
deed, it is better they should not {
know where.I am. ! want to sur {
prise them, as | hope to do, by l
coming back sober man, and with
money enough to make them com !
Portable, I prefer that you and ]
your wife should be the only per- '
sons in the place who shall know G
where l am, and what am doing" {
Thus while riding to the quiet {
farmhouse Of the Quaker, the q
whole thing was arranged. When J
hey reached the place, the horse il
was put in the barn, and they enter f
ID the house. He said as they took a
seats before the fire, "Amy, thee
nay put on another plate; Daniel t
will stay with us few days, and t
hen he will go to California" S
The benevolent Quaker was con- p
ident that Daniel Akin would keep v
lis resolve.
At length, when everything was p
n readiness, and the old horse was o
larnessed, and before daylight h
Daniel Akin was on his way to q
'ailway station. He had not been in |,