Middletown transcript., 1868-11-21
Popular 0ates,
AN OLD MANS STORY.

Many years ago, temperance meeting
was held ip a certain village. A little
boy who lived in the village, was very
anxious to go, and persuaded his father to
take him. The boy never forgot that
meeting, and he wrote the account of it
years afterward. One of the speakers at
the meeting was an old man. His hair
was white, and his brow furrowed with
age and sorrow. When he rose to speak
he said:
My friends, I am an old man, stand
ing alone at the ead of lifc's journey -
Tears are in my eyes and deep sorrow is
in my heart. l am without friends, or
home, or kindred on earth. It was not
always SO. Once | had mother. With
her old heart crushed with sorrow, she
went down to her grave. / once had a
wife-a fair, angel-hearted creature as
ever smiled in an earthly home. Her
blue eyes grew dim as the floods of sorrow
washed away it's brightness, and her ten
der heart ! wrung till every fibre vas
broken / once had noble boy; but he
was driven from the ruins of his home,
and my old heart yearns to know if he yet
lives. I once had babe, sweet, lovely
babe but these hands destroyed it, and
now it lives with Him who loyeth the lit
tie ones. Do not spurn me, my friends,
continued the old man. There is light in
my evening sky. The spirit of my mother
rejoices over the return of her prodigal
son. The injured wife smiles upon him
who turns back to virtue and honor. The
child-angel visits me at pightfall, and l
seem to feel his tiny hand upon my fever
ish cheek. Mg brave boy, if he yet lives,
would forgive the sorrowing old man for
treatment that drove him out into the
world, and the blow that manned him for
life. God forgive me for the rnin I have
brought aboat Me,
- was drunkard From wealth and
responsibility, | plunged into poverty and
shame. dragged my family down with
me. For years l saw the cheek of my
wife grow pale, and her step grow weary
/ left her alone to struggle for the child
rem, while was drinking and rioting at
the tavern. She never complained, though
she apd the children otten vent hungry
to bed. y at ~
"One New Years night, I returned
late to the hnt where charity had given us
shelter. Ny wife was still up, and shiv-
ering over the Goals. demanded food.
She told me there was none, and burst into
tears, / fercely 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 the cradle awoke,
and uttered cry Of hunger, startling the
despairing mother and making pew sor-
row inher breaking heart
We haye no food, James; we have
had none for several days. / haye moth
| ing for the babe. OF my once kind hus-
band must we starve y A
s. That sad pleading face, and those
streaming eyes, and feeble wall of the
child, maddened me; and Iyes / struck
hen a fierce blow in her face, and she fell
forward upon the hearth II seemed as if
the furies of hell were raging in my boz
som, and the feeling of the wrong | had
committed added fuel to the flames /
had never struck my wife before. but now
some terrible impulse drove lne op, and /
stopped down as well as could ip my
drunken state, aud clenchcd both Of my
hands in her hair
For mercy's sake james exclaimed my
wife, as she looked up into my fendish
countenancc, you will not kill Us You