Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1872-04-04
'oison that was bringing them all surely


All the next day after the children
had got him safely home, Joseph Burd
lay PROSTATE on his bed unable to stir.
The pains of rheumatism were racking
his Joints, his head was throbbing, and
his brain was clouded. The black bottle
which lay beside him had been drained,
and at nightfsll, the time he was &C
customed to seek the saloon, he longed
with unutterable craving for just enc
dram; he pictured the warmth and
light of the brilliant gin palace, only
block away, and compared it to the
dreariness of his home. With the dark
ness came a cold, thick fog from the
river, which penetrated the dilapidated
house. and wrapped freezingly around
him. On the hearth, before small,
open fire made from bits of wood and
coal which Theo gathered along the
wharf, sat his two youngest children
the boy and the baby Lena, the darling
of the flock, sunny haired, afectionate
child of four. His wife, with Kassy and
and Sylvia, had gone to carry home
some work. On light stand near his
bedside stood a small fluid lamp, dimly
burning and beside it his supper, which
remained untouched. He tried to shake
off the terrible thirst, the intense de-
sire for drink which possessed his soul
for there was not penny in the house,
nor, as he looked round to see, a thing
worth pawning. The terrible pains all
over, and the awful longing, drove him
almost to frenzy he felt that he should
perish if he could not have just one
glass to warm and comfort him.
"Theo," said he in whining tone, as
he watched the children catching to-
gether and stretching forth their hands
to the pleasant blaze, "Theo, can't you
go round to the shop and get me some
brandy? I'm dreadful sick, and must
have some right away tell 'em I'm
sick and they must trust me till to-
morrow"
"Let me bring the doctor, father, if
you feel so bad," said Theo.
1--WE no money towaste on doctors
it is brandy l want, l tell ye come,
start !" and between a groan and a
whisper he sank back upon the pillow,
and saw with relief his son disappear
with the bottle. Hundreds of little
children in Christian countries are daily
sent on this sad errand, but never before
had Joseph Burd sent one of his to
rumsellers; but pride and sell respect
were last being swallowed up by dread
full desire. Out in the thick and murky
darkness through which the gas-lamps
shone CHASTITY and dim, went Theo, with
burning sense of hate and wrong
swelling his little heart. He longed to
dash the ugly bottle ON the pavement
and run away, but he dared not, and
thinking of Lena, he fastened on. The
saloons were full, and it was long time
before he could get attention or secure
anything on trust. Meanwhile, Lena,
left to herself, came up with her child.
ish prattle to her fathers side and had
he not been crazed with liquor, he
would have welcomed her with kiss,
but filled with the devil, an angels
presence was hateful to him, and after
ordering her away without effect, he
struck her blow across her sunny face
and golden curls, at the same instant
bringing his hand back he knocked the
little lamp and dashed it in pieces on
the floor, splitting the fluid, which at
once blazed up and wrapped poor baby,
who had been felled by the blow, in
flames. In an agony of terror he strug-
gled to save her, but his hands shook,
and his limbs were powerless; his brain
was bewildered and refused to dictate
his movements. For an instant his
baby stretched her imploring hands
with cries for help; he bent over with
the vague idea that he must do some
thing, but stumbled in the attempt and
fell PROSTATE on the floor. Lenas
cries and moans grew faint ON his deaf
enlng ear. and soon he was lost in blank
inconsistencies. He was aroused by
shrieks and cries of terror and raising
his head he saw Theo bending over the
charred and lifeless body of Lena; the
fire had spent itself upon her and left.
oh, such a pitiful wreck
You have killed her! YOU have
killed her On, father, how could you?
the poor baby! What shall we do?
what shall we do?' and the boy wrung
his HANDS, and moaned, and sobbed.
The father caring for nothing but OBJ
hvion, grasped the bottle that had
slipped to the floor. The intolerable
agony OF his spirit gave him a little
strength he crawled on his hands and
knees out through the slime and filth
of the alley, and under cover of the
murky darkness crept into a neighbor-
ing shed and hid beneath a friendly
pile of straw, where he sank into a deep
sleep, that, bringing angony of dreams
and delirium, lasted till late the next
day.
CHAPTER II.
Miss Miggs, the owner of the shed
where the wretched man had crawled
for refuge, was hunting for eggs the
next day, when she espied her lodger,
and, by severe pounding and shaking,
succeeded in bringing him back to the
world he so longed to leave.
"Ah, | know you," she cried, and l
amt surprised; this is just where I ex-
pected you'd bring up, when you used
to take dram day, and scorned the
idea Of ever being common drunkard.
You're worse than that now. You've
killed your baby, driven your wife
raving crazy, and made your children
beggars-that's what drink has done for
you. Oh, I'd like to find out the man
who supplied you with this DEVIL I'd
make him buzz l consider him Just
oneetep nearer the evil one than you
are. "He's one of the DEVILS licensed
agents, and he's bought you pretty
cheap, tell ye."