St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-17
4n Old Mans Story.


father to take him. The boy never for
got that meeting, and he wrote the ac-
count Of it years afterwards. One of the
speakers at the meeting was an old man.
His hair was white, and his brow fur
rowed with age and sorrow. When he
arose to speak, he said:
"My friends, am an old man, stand
ing alone at the end of life's journey.
Tears are in my eyes and deep sorrow is
in my heart. am without friends or
home, or kindred on earth. 1t was not
always so. Once had mother. With
her old heart crushed with sorrow she
went down to her grave. l once had a
wife-a fair angel-haired creature as ev-
er smiled in an earthly home. Her blue
eyes grew dim as the floods of sorrow
washed away its brightness, and her ten
der heart | wrung till every fibre was
broken. | once had noble boy, but he
was driven from the ruins of his home,
and my old heart yearns 10 know if he
vet lives. | once had a bahe-a sweet,
lovely babe; but these hands destroyed
it and now it liveth with him who low
eth the little ones. Do not spurn me,
my friends" continued the old man.
There is light III my evening sky. The
spirit Of my mother rejoices over the re-
turn of Il prodigal son. The injured wife
smiles upon him who turns back again
70 virtue and honor. The child-angel
visits me at nightfall, and l seem to feel
his tiny hands upon my feverish cheek,
My brave boy, if he yet lives, would for
give the Sorrowing old man for treatment
that drove him out in the world, and the
blow that MANNED him for life. God
forgive me for the ruin / have brought
upon all that were about me.
II was Il drunkard. From wealth
and rcspectability, l plunged into power
ty and shame. l dragged my family
down with me. For years l saw the
check of my wife grow pale, and her step
grow weary. left her alone TO strug-
glc for the children, while | was drink
ing and rioting at the tavern. She never
complained, though she and the children
olten went hungry to bed.
late to the hut where charity had given
Us shelter My wife was still up and
-hivering over the Goals.
demanded food. She told me there
was none, and then burst into tears. |
fiercely ordered her to get some. She
turned her eyes sadly upon me, the tears
falling fast over her pale cheek. At this
moment the child in its cradle awoke,
and uttered cry OF hunger, startling
the dcspairing mother, and making new
sorrow in her breaking heart.
I'VE have no food, James we have
had none for several days. have no.
thing fer the babe. o, my once kind
husband, must we starve!"
That sad, pleading face and those
streaming eyes, and the feeble wall OF the
child maddened me ; and I-yes, struck
her a fierce blow in the face, and she tel
forward upon the hearth. 1t seemed a.
if all the furies of he'll were raging in my
bosom; and the feeling of the wrong
had committed added fuel to the flames
| had never struck my wife before, bu
now some terrible influence drove me on,
AMI | stopped down as well as could IL
nv drunken state, and clenched both my
hands in her hair.
''FOr mercy's sake, James" exclalm-
ed my wife, as she looked up into my
iicndish countenance, you will not XII
us! you will not harm WillieF Ant
she sprang to the cradle and grasped hin
in her arms.
| caught her again by the hair ant
dragged her to the door, and as l litteC
- the latch, the wind burst in with a clou(
OF snow With tiendish yell, | still
dragged her on, and hurled her out aml'
e the darkness and storm. Then with
wild laugh | closed the door and fastene
it. Her pleading moans and the sharl
cry of her babe mingled with the wall
the blast. But my horrible work wa
not yet complete.
Il turned to the bed where my oldes
t.. son was living, snatched him from hi
Slunbers. and against his half-awakene
struggles, opened the door and thru'
him out. In the agony of fear he uttere
P, that sacred name | was no longer abl
. to bear. He called me-FATHER. an
y locked his fingers in my side pocket.
!. could not wrench that grasp away; bit
1r 1r with the cruelty of fiend. / shut tn
door upon his arm, and seizing my knit
J. severed it at the wrist.
1T was morning when | awoke, an
the storm had ceased. | looked roun
to the accustomed place for my wifi
As missed her, dim, dark scene, as {
20 some horrible nightmare, came over M
thought it must be a fearful dream, bl
As lnvoluntarily opened the outside doc
r with shuddering dread. AS the doc
"a opened, the SNOW burst in, and SOM
lg thing fell across the threshold with Il du
- heavy sound
Nv blood shot through my veins liz
on melted lava, and | covered my eyes
in in shut out the sight. 1t was-O God
rs how horrible 1T was my own loyll
}. wife and her babe, frozen to death
With true mothers love, she had bowe
herself over the child to shield it, al
wrapped all her clothing round it, lea
ing her own person exposed to the storr
She had placed her hair over the face
the child, and the sleet had frozen it
9 c, the pale cheek. The frost was white (
the lids of its half-opened eyes, and up,
its tiny fingers.
81 never knew what became Of 1
H. brave boy"
Here the old man bowed his head al
wept; and all in the house wept wi
him. Then in low tones of heart-brok
>, sorrow, he continued:
- sI Eos arrested and for long moni