The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-01
THE OLD MANS LESSON.
BY AUSTIN G. BuRDIoK.

! Aoi 1tte yening, Alice. / have prom
i ed to mee1 some friends this ev ming
/ nd must keep my word. viii De at
4 nome in z ,nd season.
. had hoped that should have your
company this evening Come, Why can't
you try and see if cannot make you as
happy as those companions whom you are
TO meet? just this once, Malcolm. Oh,
| his once
L +" Nc, no, Alice. l am going out. What
| crying? Now what ) the3us of that?
| Can't a fellow go out once in while
without leaving u crying witc,"
81 can't help it, Malcolm. But here
kiss me before you GO" i, .e,.4..,,,t
| Thus spoke Malcolm Warren and his
young wife Male I'm was a yonng man,
twenty seven yeais of age, and carpen-
ter by trade. His wife was one Of the
sweetest disposltioned girls in the town,
| She loved her husband with the while
energy OF her pure soul, and she knew
! that she VAS beloved in return. And yet
there was, q clord upon her heart. Her
two children, a boy and S girl, often saw,
her shed tears when they were alone with
her in their snug little sitting room. and
the boy was old enough to ask what madf
his mother cry. But She dared not tell
him. Is ..,ft.,e. -,-4
| Malcolm Warren owned the little cot
tage IN which he lived, and he had paid
for 1t all out Of his own hard earnings,
while Alice had borne her share of the
burden, by purchasing all the furniture.
Malcolm was stout and healthy and an
excellent workman, and had never yet
seen the day when he needed to lay, idle
for the want Of work A better hearted
lived not In the town, and when he took
the gentle Alice for his wife there was
many lair maiden whose bosom gave
place to kindly, wistfui envy. They
would not have robbed Alice of her prize
but they hoped that their own lots might
be ~ fortunate, Why, hen, should q
cloud come upon that house? Why
should Alice weep? All, for the same
reason that thousands Of our taireSt
4 daughters weep. For the same reason
that hot tears are ever crying ont their
silent appeals lor, mercy tears that run
and run, until they make a food that
Z fairly shrl,ks as il rolls over the land.
Malcolm Warren had highly social
na,ure--hls soclc y was priced by all who
could secure it-and he had been indulg'
ing in the false smiles Of the wine cup
FIR the last year he had been allowing
( his appetite to gain strength at first II
was only an " occasional glass, then il
WAS a glass or 50, on,e ina while, land
then " one or two glasses a day. But
Lately he had gone so tar as to spend hi
evenings away from home, and for nearly
two months past lie had spent all his
money with his "jovial companions
Alice saw all this, and knew full vel
where it would end it it was not stopped
+ She knew her husbands nature, and she
knew how surely he. was falling. Sh,
had whispered to him her fears, and ht
had tried to laugh them off as idle whims
She had prayed To him to stop the ,fata
career while he yet had strength. but BIZ
had beenof nded because she could think
that he would ever become drunkard
SO Alice was afraid to speak all her fears
She saw the broad road upon which hel
dear beloved was travelling, and her hear
was aching. She knew that even now
WANT was staring them in the face
was autumn, and she had asked Malcolu
for money to buy warmer clothing fol
herself and children, and he had none t.
give her. Only the day before he lha
brought home u small bucket full OF flour
instead of sending homesaa barrel, ash,
used to do. He canned money, land
where was it? Alas, poor Alice knew toe
wellan And then sometimes Alice looked
up tnto Matcolm's face, and saw that it
manly beauty was being slowly but surel,
eaten away. The large blue eyes wer,
growing dam, bleared and bloodshot--ths
fair oh L 4 HI az
and swollen, and the lips looked dry anc
cracked, No wonder she kneltlvdowr
i by her bedside and prayed b5iaaam i
b 1t was now Saturday evening, and NAL
tcolm was going out. He was to NEE
some ofhis friends, and Alice knew tina
he was to meet them at the tavern. lii
had worked only three days during rth'
past week and he had the pay of those
three days work in his pocket. Tha
money was needed at home, but where
would it be on the morrow nh - jIa,
~ fiMalcplm, 0, do not wholly forge
y III ond, loving Alice, while you rare
gone!"Laa hGcaus Is 3a3ssra aaiBa
But Malcolm did not answer. He kiss
ed his wife, however-klssed her not az
he used to, but kissed her merely because
she had asked him to--and he lett the
cottage. After he had gone Alice Sal
down and wept She could not help it
Her darling boy crept to her side, and
placed his arms about her Bonded neck
He asked no questions. but asked her not
to cry. His little mind seemed to have
some idea of the coming calamity. |,
must have been vague. but it was clear
enough to prevent him from forcing the
dread thought upon his mother. Once
m,re he asked her not to cry, and then
his own little heart burst, and the mother
lo.,d .hnr child x.n,nf tonenthnr III.