Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-03-10

that he was thrown entirely upon his
own resources for livelihood. Hither-
to. he had received regular remittances
of money from his brother. which, with
economy. enabled him To live in COM
parative ease and gentility. with the
reasonable expectation. that. at no
very distant period Of time. he should
return to England.
But now, the dream was over; and
the problem of mere existence must he
solved; the wolf must be kept back
from dcvouring his helpless lambs with
In doors. What could he do? No
trade. no profession. no means,
OF turning his education to ac-
count-but something must he done
lie was about to give up. disconrag-
ei and dispairing, when he happened
to recollect that he was remarkably
expert with the rifle. As hunting and
trapping was then a remunerative busi-
ness, he resolved to join party. just
then ready to set out for the head wa
tiers Of ST. Johns river.
With the wild. exciting life he now
led. came the return Of his former reck-
less and dissipatcd habits. Not all
at once. but gradually and surely he
fell the man became the brute the
pcrccptihly, but none the less surely,
was transformed into the tyrant. cruel
and unfceling as fiend. o rum. rum
how soon canst thou change the image
of God into the likeness ofSatan Pow
erty and want followed twas the old
story. thousand times told the
drunkard's home sad, sick, toiling.
dispairing wife,-starying. shivering.
half naked chidren.-pinchlng want
and living dea'hi Then. the cruel,
blasphemous words, and more cruel
blows. from the wretchcd man. who
once pledged himself to love and fi1"li-
ty Oh. the damning horrors Of the
drunkard's home What mind can
measure the depths Of woe. implied in
those two worhs: Not ns-perhaps,
not angels.
Everything. but the miserable rags
/ which chung 10 their bodies. went for
| rum; and poor. forsakcn Mary Bram-
ford died brokenhcarted, in n loatllsome
hovcl Thus was another added 10 the
s""e lit Of innocent victims, sacrificed
10 the Moloch Of INrEMrEKANcE!
What a fearful sight met the gaze ot
Edmund Biamiord. when. one morning
hc rceled into his squalld looking hut.
| pom the miserable bed he had come
ter. and which had already been barter
ri for rum. lay the dead body Of hi>
wife.
Around "A few cmbcrs in the replace.
were crouched little MARY and Robert,
-obbing bitterly, because. a. they said.
"mamma won't wake up; and we can't
make her wake up''-Agha>t. he stood;
amazed, horrified he retrcated towards
The door; bar. just then. something ar
rested his attention. llis eyes fairly
giitercd a, il with demoniac JOY: all
rcmorse was, for the time, driven from
his crazed brain.
II was the diamond ring, which, years
before. lac had placed upor the hand Of
nj Young and gladsome bride. Quickly
he drew il OF. but it fell from his trem-
bling fingers into the ember>. With a
nervous jrk. he snatched it up. but
again it fell: this time alight;ng on the
bare shoulder of little Robert. Being
caught by his garment. the hot ring
burned deeply into the tender flesh, in
flicting Il wound, the scar of which he
always carried.-an imdelible memcuto
Of drunken father. Half an hour later
the ring lay in the Pawnbroker's draw
er: and Bramtord soon lay drunk on
the floor OF an underground tippling hell.
Tie following night, he again visited the
hut. and softly taking his little son from
the straw couch, where he was sleeping
in his sisters arms, noiscle essly Went
out into the darkness. From that time
he was never seen in St. Johns by any
who knew him. Whittier he fed, or TO
what place he carried his boy, long re-
manned a mystery.
Trnderly, almost as mother, little
Mary nurscd and com fortcd her poor
brother, until, late in the afternoon,
wearied with waiting for ''mamma to
wake up" they sobbed themselves to
sleep. The alarm and fright Of the lii
tie girl, on awakening next IN orning
can be imagined, when she found her
mother still asleep, as she supposed. and
"Bobby" gone!
Her prolonged shrieks attracted the
attention Of lady, who happened TO be
passing. She paused at the entrance to
listen. Hearing no sounds but the dis
tressed moans and cries of childhood +,
she pushed aside the door and went in.
The reader already knows what a scene
greeted her vision on entering
..Merciiul Heaven!" cried she, care
such things real. in this christian land!
Starvation and death striking down so
young, SO fair 9 being, unknown and
unnoiiced, in the midst Of refinement and
luxury! Shame, shame. on you. We hy-
pocrites, who call yourselves christians,