The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-11-11
Albanp Begi5ter.
the Drunkard and His story.

From the New York Fire Points
N,athiy Eetier Is selected the follow
ing story from real life:
\ few Sundays since, at morning
service, one of the most degraded
specimens of humanity that ever
greeted my vision came staggering in
to the chapel of the House of industry.
His wild and frightful looks. ragged
and dirty, beyond descriptions, and
face bruised and swollen, rendered
him an object of disgust and terror.
He seemed to look at the children with
wonderful interest, occasionally NUT
fering to himself. - Beautiful beau
tiful @, that mine We're here - He
set an hour or two more. and then.
with long and earnest look. sta9oer-
ed out of the chapel. and went up to
the dark valley OF the shadow of
tieath''-Cow Bay.
As the bell rang for service in the
afternoon. and while the children We're
still clustering together, the same wild
looking man staggered i'll once more.
lie surveyed the faces of the children
with the closest scrutiny, and at
length his eyes rested on two bright
eyed little girls. who Were singing
one of their little hymns. He sat inn
movable as statue during the whole
service. gazing infently at the faces
OF the two children.
The services closed. the con9re@a-
tion dispersed, vet he fingered, and
the tears came cour>ing down his face
thick and fast.
DR.. S. asked him what was
the matter.
II am drulkarl . Il wretch an
Outcast, homeless and without Il
penny. Once i had Il home and
iriends-fatller. mother. wife and
children. and hosts of friends who
loved and respected me. Time passed
on. and | became a drlnkard, One
friend after another lett me still |
drank on, and down, down | fell.
Father and mother went down to
graves with broken hearts. My poor
wife chung To me when all others ,ie-
serted me. | still drank Oh. paw.led
one article AFTER another till all was
gone, and when my wife refused to
give me her wedding ring. which she
had chung to with the tenacity OF, Il
death grasp, | telled her To the earth.
tore Off the ring and paWned it for
rum. That. the fatal blow, maddenel
her, and III despair she drank, and TO-
getier We wallowed in the gutter
PennilesS, we begged our way from
Vermont TO this great city. Here we
hired Il small cellar. in Il dark and dis
nal street. and sent our children out
ID beg. Many II weary day we spent
III that dreary cellar, while our chill
t!rel We're wandering in the street
begging for their drunken parents
About forty days since my little cliil-
dren went out TO beg, and from that
time To this | have not seen Them
Without food or fire. | chung to my
dismal abode till hunger forced me
ont to search for my children. My
degraded wife has been sent to Black
went to the Island, to the house OF
Reform, to the Tombs, and III despair
] wandered to the Five Points. and
Tor the last few days L have lived in
4:ow Bay. among the beggars and
thieves. To-day L saw two children
VINO, ii they had not looked so clean
and sung so sweetly, L would have
called them mine. Oh, would to God
they We're -
''Te!l me the name.'' said DR..
S. '.and will see.''
Ill few moments two interesting
little children were lead toward him.
At tie sight OF this fearful looking
nian they shrank back. The poor
man spfang to his feet, exclainiiI@.
They are mine my dear children
don't you know your poor father?
Tonne to me children. Father loYes
you; he won't hurt you.''
He reached out his arms the little
ones were tiinid at first. but they
soon climbed upon their fathers knees,
while the tears were streaming down
bis face.
Kiss your poor drunken father my
children"
But the face Of the man was so
black and filthy. not ii place could be
found. Soon they forgot the dirty
1ace, and remembered their poor de-
graded father, and each entwined
tlfeir little arms about his neck, and
kissed him. The elder one said, with
Il voice that touched every heart:
Father, we are SO happy that we
want to stay. Won't you come here
and live too, papa? What makes you
drink so? Dear papa do sign the
pledge, and not drink any more. A
kind friend found lis in the street
begging, now we are happy. Do
papa, come and live here, and be as
good as you used to be.
The fathers heart was overwhelmed
he sobbed and grcaned aloud. For
,nore than an hour they sat together,
Till at last the old man arose, still
clinging to his children. and exclaim-
ing, The pledge. the pledge. [ will
never drink again.
gave him the pledge, and from
that hour he has Kept it faithfully.
lie is now man engaged i'll business,
earning ten dollars pei. week, anti none
recognize the Well dressed man-Who
fsII hnoyfi- N, {In4 ,Ian
ed original whose portrait can still be
seen at the House Of Industry. de-
g,erreotyped in its striking deformity
and s4rallor Rule.
a bachelor says that all he should
ask for in Il wife would be Il good
temper, health, good understanding,
agreeable physiognomy. figure, good
al.luact ION Ia.aaaSt;1. lial,it-