The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1871-12-23

The promise of that hour did not
prove vain. The tavern was closed.
and Edward Pratt went daily to his
business and returned home at evening
Il soEer man. III. as Was often tile
case, he felt II desire for stimulating
drink. lie qt,eilef,cd the desire i'll
tlraiIghts OF pure cold water. 1et,
even as he passed the old tavern stand.
ripeiling g.lin-tl,e ground had run to
/ waste lcfore-he felt Il desire to enter.
/ But there was no bar there NOW; so
the morbid desire WAS friiitless OF evil
consequences.
Thus it Went on for three years. III
that time not II drop of anything i,l-
toNicating had passed the lips OF Eft
ward Pratt. I!ow striking the change
In all around him, Worn ont filrli-
tiire WAS renewed abundance of good
clothing for children rs well rs parents,
gave an air of thrift and comfort.
Cheerful. happy faces were seen. where
before was s;ltlllcsS, pallor, want and
tears.
Three years OF sober in6lu 'try! How
in that short time, had the wilderness
been made to blossom as the rose.
One day about this time. Mr.. Pratt
came home with Il serious countenance
aud IL detected air. His wife noticed
the change, but said nothing ut first
waiting until her husband should speak
of what troubled him. He seemed To
recover :: little ut the tea table, and
! talked plea sanity, but, after supper.
! Withdrew to himself. and sat most of
/ the evening in deep thought, with his
head resting o, his bosom. Several
! times his wife. whose anxious atteli-
/ tion was removed from him scarcely
! for Il moment, heard Il low sigh cs-
cape his lips. \ little While before
/ firing he said to her. speaking abrupt
~ and with something SO strlng, in
/. his voice that the sound eau ;pd Il thrill
to run along her nerves:
I" Park sold his place Ia It week"
| :" He did, To whom -
= Mrs. Pratt spoke i'll stlrtling
manner.
= 'rc Il man from Brookviile, who
Is going to open the tavern again.
Ii Il heavy blow had fallen on the
poor woman she could not have sunk
down more gioomily. If death pang
had entered her heart. the groan from
her lips could not have been more
frauglt with agony.
: He opens Tomorrow" said Pratt,
in Il botling voice.
:. . Edward -
The unhappy wife arose. and NOV
ing to the sile of her husband. flung /
her arms around him, saying rs she
did so LET us so from here
:. W here - WAS responded, gloom
lily.
= Oh. anywhere. Death and eter- I
nal destruction are opening at your |
feet. Come !. come. Let Us flee. for /
our lives. Let lis go this hour. l will
t.rf n irev
come upon us so that we can escape
this evil
= have thought it over Saral,''
replied the poor victim, sadly. 's.Ye
cannot go anywhere and be free from
the curse. Tie law sanctions the evil, |
and under the protection of law it
throws out its allirements everywhere.
Oh, that | was strong enough to resist.
Heaven knows how earnestly | have
sought to overcome this fatal desire
but the moment l come within sight
of the acc,rsed temptcr my whole
being Is int1amcd. Reason is abscur-
ed-rcstraint grows wcaker-and |
fall under the Turing gaze of y SER
pent.''
Oh, what u night was that; spent t
watchfilily in prayer and weeping-a
night. the anguish of which years
would fail to cover with the dust of
forgetfillnes>. Morning tlawncd ut
length. To one condemned to die
it scarcely had broken more drearily.
II will strive to he man, Sarah.
| will look up for strength, said Mr..
Pratt. rs he pressed the hand of his
wife and parted from her at the door.
. Pray for me-"
Tears were in his eyes as he turned
away; and her checks were wet. The
voice of Pratt was not confident. lie
spoke rather to assure his wife than his
own heart. He felt that he was too
weak for his enemies.
And he was too weak. Evening
brought him home with all his bright |
manhood obscured. One short month
suffieed to do the work of ruin. Then
his poor wife stood pale, fearless and
heart-broken hbove the grave! He
fell so low that he made no effort to
rise again-and died in drunkenness
and despair.
The poor widow was not long from
his sitie: and now his chiItlren's home
is the alnlsllouse. The 'sman-trap.' in
Aslidale is open still. And for the
privilege of scattering ruin and death
around him the new owner pays the
State fifty dollars Il year and the
State takes the money with an eager
hand. and seems to think her bargain
a good one.