Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-18

the grotto, with their voices in prayer;
When their vespers were concluded
the old man embraced his son tenderly,
and retired to the inner part d the
grotto.
AS soon as Hemet knew that his
father slept; he lighted a lamp and
us the Genie had told him, he saw Il
large vessel of wine stan-'ing uno"
HE table. The unhappy dervise
raised it 10 his lips anl drank deep
Is, Of the Intoxicating draught. ~
glow of fire seemed to electrily his
frame, and he laughed as he sat the
vessel down upon the table. Again
he drank, and lie ie =, reckless an;
careless Of the consequences. IT,
drank the tllnd time and when he
had emptied the measure, he ran out
to the door of the grot,o, and threw
it down the slope oil the mountain.
Then, as he hear,l'it bounding along,
he laughed with indescribable mirth.
As he turned to enter the grotto, he
saw his father standing behind him.
"Lvn,' said the old man, the
noise of revelry awoke me from my
slumbers, and rise to find my be,
loved Hamet drunken with wine
Alas is this merely one OF many
night orgies ? and have | now awaken
ed 10 the dreadful truth of thine I'M
piety for the MIST time? Alas thou
hast cast ashes upon the gray head o.
Thy father"
Hamet could not brook. this accu-
sation, and the implied suspicion that
he was accustomed to indulge il
wine while his father slept. He telt
suddenly indignant at the language
of his sire, and cried " Return t'
your couch, old dotard Thou know
cst ut what thou sayest!: !?
Ard, as he uttered these words, he
i,nsl.ed his father violently into the
rratto. The old lnan resisted, ano
IAN remonstratetlwith Hanet. Tho
brain of the son was confused witl
lioaA. and a sudden dread of expo
sure 10 the world entered his mind
With the rage of q demon he rushed
upon his .!;oary-headed sire, and
,lashed him turiously against the
stone walls Of the grotto. The old
man fell with his temple against Z
sharp fint-one groan emanated from
his bosom and bis spirit fed fore ger
Suddenly conscious Of the horrid
crime of which he. had been guilty
IEanet tore his hair, beat his breast
and raved like a maniac. And III
the midst of his rawlings he lifted NJ
his voice against the majesty oi
Heaven, and cursed the Deity whom
he had SO long and iervently wor
shipped,
1T that instant terribledin echoed
round about-the thunder rolled, the
tall trees shook with an earthquake
and, amidst the roar of conflicting
elements, were heard shouts of In
ferna1 laughter. All hell seemed tt
rejoice at the fall of a good man
whom no other vice had ever temp ed
away from the paths of virtue unit
drunkenness presented itself. The
ragz of the storm increased-the trees
were torn up by their roots-ano
fragments of the rocky parts of Olym
pus rolled do~n tn hill with the fury
of an Alpine avalanche. Suddenly
the Genie appeared before the wretch
ed Hamct and exclaimed: Fool by
choosing to commit the crime which
seemed to thee least, thou hast com,
nitjed the other two likewise iol
there is more danger in the wine cuT
than in am other means of tempt&'
lion presented by Satan to mankind.
And the last words of the Genie
mingled with the redoubled bowling
of the storm, as Hamet was borne
down the slope of the mountain by
the falling masses, and dashed tc
nieces at the bottom.