Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1871-07-29
An Old Mans Story.


Many years ago. temperance meeting was
held in 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 afterwards. One oil the
speakers at the meeting was an old man. Ills
hair was white, and his brow furrowed with
age and sorrow. When he arose to speak, he
said
"My friends, am an old man, standing
alone at the end of life's journey. Tears are
in my eyes and deep sorrow is in my heart. l
am without friends, or home, or kindred on
earth. 1t was not always so. Once had
mother. With her old heart crushed with
sorrow. she went down to her grave. ! once
had wife-a fair, angel-hearted creature as
ever smiled in an earthly home. Her blue
ewes grew dim, as the floods Of sorrow washed
away its brightness, and her tender heart
wrung till every fibre was broken. l once
had noble boy but he was driven from the
ruins of his home, and myold heart yearns to
know if he yet lives. l once had babe, a
sweet lovely babe but these hands destroyed
it, and now it lives with him who loveth little
ones. Do not spurn me, my friends" contin-
ued the old man. "There is light in my ev-
cning sky. The spirit of my mother rejoices
over the return of her prodigal son. The in
iured wife smiles upon him who turns back to
virtue and honor. The child-angel visits me
at nightfall, and seem to feel his tiny hands
upon my feverish cheek. My brave boy, II
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 ruin have brought
upon all that were about me.
al was drunkard. From wealth and
respectability, l plunged into poverty and
shame. dragged my family down with me.
For years saw the check of my wife grow
pale, and her step grow weary. left her
alone to struggle for the children, while was
drinking and rioting at the tavern. She nev-
or complained, though she and the children
often went hungry to bed
Gone New Years night returned late to
the hut where charity had given US shelter
My wife was still up and shivering over the
Goals demanded food. She told me there
was none, and then burst into tears. fierce
ly 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 unger,
startling the despairing mother and making
new sorrow in her breaking heart.
"We have no food, James, we have had
none for several days. / have nothing for the
babe. o. my once kind husband, must we
starve 2"
"That sad, pleading face, and those stream
ing ewes and the feeble wall of the child mad
dened me and I-yes, struck her fierce
blow in the face, and she fell forward upon
the hearth. It seemed as if the furies OF hell
were raging in my bosom, and tue feeling of
the wrong had committed added fuel to the
flames. / had never struck my wife before,
but now some terrible impulse drove me on,
and stopped down, as well as | could in my
drunken state, and clenched both Of my hands
in her hair.
For mercys sake, James 70 exclaimed my
wife, as she looked up into my fiendish coun-
tenance, you will not kill US You will not
harm Willie 2 And she sprang to the cradle
and grasped him in her arms. ] caught her
again by the hair and dragged her to the door,
and as | lifted the latch, the wind burst in
with cloud of snow. With fendish yell |
dragged her on, and hurled her out amid the
darkness and storm. Then with a wild laugh,
closed the door and fastened it. Her plead
ing means and the sharp cry of her babe min
gled with the wall Of the blast. But my bor-
ribe work was not yet complete.
al turned to the bed where my eldest son
was lying, snatched him from bis slumbers,
and. against his half-awakened struggles, open
ed the door and thrust him out. In the ago
ny and fear he uttered that sacred name | was
no longer worthy to bear. He called me
FATHER and locked his fingers in my side
pocket. | could not wrench that grasp away;
but with the cruelty Of a fend, shut the
door upon his arm, and seizing my knife sew
cred it at the wrist.
at was morning when awoke, and the
storm had ceased. looked round to the ac-
custOmed place for my wife. As / missed her,
a dim dark scene, of some horrible nightmare,
came over me. thought it must be fearful
dream, but involuntarily opened the outside
door with a shuddering dread. As the door
opened, the snow burst in, and something fell
.,-..s ,bo .LrosboIi with dull heavv sof,ud