The Van Buren press., 1871-06-06

"No one, have made no engage.
ment. ="
What! Are you not going to the
party2 Do 60; we will have such q
splendid time"
- intend to CO." replied /, painfully
embarrassed, "if l can procure suitable
escort.
"A suitable escort. Miss Gentry will
you explain? ?"
The blood rushed to my brain and
made my head swim. What was do.
ing9 This man was the idol of our lit
tic coterie; all of the girls liked him, aud
he was engaged to my bosom friend.
he stood awaiting my explanation, 4 4
eyes bla<ed on me wrathfully, and trend
bled and said:
"Oh. Dr. Hildreth, If you would mo-
drink |"
"Ah, that's it; turned preacher, have
you! Give us temperance lecture
You were born on the wrong side of Ma
sons and Dixon's line, Miss Gentry you
would be brilliant star in the ranks oil
strong minded women"
Now, a girl Of seventeen cannot bear
sarcasm--few women Of any age can or
men either for that matter. My pride
was touched l became angry, and bold.
ly exclaimed:
You wrong me, sir. do not wish to
deliver a temperance lecture to any man
But l do wish that all men who forget
themselves so far as to get drunk when
ladies are under their care were excluded
from good society. /, tor one, will never
accept the protection Of such man."
Indeed! What infinite sufrerings the
charming Miss Gentry inficts on society
by making such resolution! feel that
the star OF my life has gone one, while
hopeless and anchorless am drifting on
to eternity.
With angry eyes and his lips mockng
y curled into sneer, lie uttered the last
prophetic sentence, and hastily left tho
parlor to hide the tears of wounded pride
From this time DR.. Hldreth ignored my
existence.
/ will not dwell on those oft told tales
Of sutfering-the bloody battles--the
crushed hopes, and the final surrender of
our armies. Few Of us can look around
our homes with clear eyes each house
has a shadow, each heart sorrow to
mark that never to. be. forgotten time Of
woe. returned home fathcrless.
Home Do the ashes of the dead con
stitute homer Can you raise home
out of blackened ruins You may build
palatiai residence, fill its wall with rare
furniture, books, pictures, fountains and
t6s may make J i srae tcypdle of art vet
Give me the quaint old house where /
was born, with its old, old furniture the
little crib where / was rocked in baby
hood; the trundle bed where lay awake
at night thinking Of the " witches which
my black nanny told me always came
through key holes after bad girls--I was
always bad-the tall clock, with its brass
facing, and never tiring pendulum; my
fathers arm chair; the gilt books Of my
the old library. All home means some.
thing else besides house to live in.
Home means happy memories, pleasant
associations and perfect love and trust
had none of these to bind ME to my
native State, broken in health and be.
reaved in spirit, l accepted an invitation
to visit relative, who lived in the town
of W, in Ohio; here l remained un-
til two years after the surrender. W.
was quite large place, and as did not
care for the society Of strangers, devo-
ted all Of my time TO visiting the poor
and sick.
One evening. as was returning from
visit in the outskirts OF the town, was
startled by a groan, just as l was cross.
ing ditch. 1t was nearly dark, and as
| gazed beneath me from the little plank
bridge, on which was standing, Icould
just perceive the body Of man with his
head downward, in tho bottom of the
ditch. Some dirty cnildrcn were playing
near by, and calling on them to assist me,
we dragged the man upon the banks. ]
gazed upon the threadbare clothes, the
dirty. bloated face, and started back with
horror as recognized Dr. Hildreth
had him removed to hospital, and
it was some days before he recovered /;
when he heard OF my kindness, he wrote
to me and begged permission to see me,
One morning he called; his hand shook
as he took mine; his voice had lost its
ring. Could this pale, nervous man.
DR.. Hidrethp We talked for some time
of old friends and better days, then he
said:
"Miss Maggie, If the world could be
filed with brave women like you. there
would not be SO many wrecks Of men,
"Ah DR.. Hildreth you believe, then,
that women are at the root Of all evils ?"
"Far be it from me to say so, but you
women do not know your power. You
remember how you once rebuked my
folly? Oh Miss Maggie, il every wo
man had frown on me then, might have
been saved. But they petted me, and
aattered me, until became the slave of
the wine cup; then they cast me of. Miss
Lotte is now the wife Of another do
not blame her for forsaking me, for am
not 1T to be the husband OF any woman
but do blame her for letting me drink
in her presence 1t has been two years
since | have spoken to a respectable wo.
man. scarcely dared to hope that you
would let me pay yor this visit am a
doomed man can no more fly from the
winecup than the needle can fly from the
magnet. y
"Dr. Hildreth, do not say so ; men on
the brink Of destruction have been saved"
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