The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-07-21

/ creature herself, had enough OF the woman
remaining to save an infant from injury.
L And now. the whole horde. Of, boys beset
the drunken man, pelting him with STICKS
and stones, and decayed vegetables from the
kennel. and reveling III the brutal delight
|. with which, sucha scene always seems to-
inspire BOYS of thelower classes n ~
Ruth saw that her babe was safe and that
her husband was in danger, and, forgetluii
of all else, flew toward him. She cared
nothing for the jeers of the mob before
them all, she flung her arms about INN, ana
interposetl her beautiful person between MN
and his assaiants The head that had Car
ried itself little proudly in the presence OF
the highest in the land-that had seemed
more queenly than that of the empress her
self, at the court of France-that had awak-
ened the envy Of titled English women when
the y,iung American woman dwelt among
them-dropped itself low upon the bosom
of the drunken wretch who was the Jeer and
scorn of a low mob; and only In love and
pity, not in anger, did she speak to. him: a.,
"Come home, Edward! they'll hurt you,
my poor love come home with ME"
Mad as he was-flled with the demons OF
drink to the exclusion of the soul God had
given liim-the soft, sweet voice, the fond
touch OF the white fingers awakened some
memory of the past in the mans breast. &
Go you home, girl" he whispered; ''rll
kill them Don't fret. I'll kill 'em, and"
'Come home, darling" she whispered
again, and he stopped and gave her a kiss.
At that the boys yelled .derisively and flung
more mud and stones at them. One threw
efo cfo chor
Jagged. Whether he even intended to strike
the man is doubtful; but the missile flew
fercely through the air and crushed against
the golden head of the devoted wife. A
stream of blood gushed from the white tenn
pie and poured down upon the bosom where
it dropped never to lift itself again-never,
never more. Only with quivering shud-
der of pain she felt for the face of the man
who had sworn to love and cherish her, and
had broken that vow so utterly while hers
had been so truly kept
'Good bye, Edward" she whispered. Il
can't see you now-kss me- o, be good to
baby p and no word more.
Il The crowd was hushed to siiencc The
culprits SUNK away in terror. A sohered
man ben: :er the dead woman. whose hands
had dro! I'd away from his breast, and the
love and truth and tenderness of the heart
were all manifest to him in that terrible
moment-manife t in vain, for repentance
could not restore her to life. nor blot out
the love which had crushed her heart
through all these weary days of her sad mar
ried life. 'eH
"Wbat is the matter here ?" cried voice,
as portly man forced his way through the
crowd "a woman hurt p "A woman
killed." said the policeman, land that brute
is the cause of all" and the gentleman bent
forward and started back with cry of an
guish. -r-' .Iei
at is Ruth :" he said "AIy Ruth !" an
fell back into the policeman's arms in
death-ike swoon. forgiveness and repen-
lance had come alike too late for poor Ruth
Holly. Her father could give her nothing
but grave. b
p The child born amidst want and penurv,
nourished 10y half.starving mother, pinned
away and died in the luxurious home TO
which its grandfather bore it. and now, rs
the old man sits alone in his splendid home,
he sometimes hears strange, wild cry in the
street outside, through which a drunken
creature reels and staggers, bowling ever and
anon, Ruth Ruth Ruth ~
1t is Edward Holly, who, ever in his
drunken madness, searches for his murdered
wife. 1t is the pitiful, horrible. heart
breaking wreck of the once splendidly
beautiful man of talent, who had only one
fault error '' 90