The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-30
A Night in a Station House.


It was forlorn sight
"A drunken father, blear-eyed and
bloated, to whose hand child of five
years old clung with tenacious grasp.
"What's this man in for ?" asked the
| Chief of Police.
D1sorder1y conduct, throwing
stones at people, and cursing and swear
ing"
"very well put him into the cell.
But stop; there's the child p
The little fellow was an exceptionally
beautiful boy. He had grave blue
eyes, SO large and 50 pitiful that their
glance appealed to the Chiefs stout
heart. His complexion, where it was
not discolored by dirt and tears, was
the finest and fairest. His lips were
like cherries His yellow hair curled
thickly over nobly-shaped head.
"That man has seen better days, p
said the Chief to himself "Come, bub,
your father must go in the cell. Well
find a place for you somewhere.
"No, no, sir oh, no !'' cried the boy
in terrified voice. "I'll go with papa.
Oh please don't take me from my
papa
But, child, you must. See here,
Colbert, you must take the child away. {"
Easier said than done. The little
fellow caught his fathers hands, clung
to his body, which staggered at his
touch, all the time screaming in heart
breaking tones, that he must, he would
go with papa.
"L' m alone" said the man at last,
seeming to come out of his stupor for
moment. "Don' ye see-he's got no.
body but me? L. m lone"
81 can't allow the child to go into
the CELL" said the Chief, "but I can't
bear to hear his cries. I suppose there's
nothing else to do. He must go. Put
them in together, Colbert"
! So they were put in together in the
dark, sitting den, and the door was
shut. The little fellow cuddled himself
against the half-insensible form, and
laid his head upon his fathers bosom.
So they slept together.
The faint light looked in through the
grimy bars when, on the following
morning, the father awoke and bestir-
red himself. Of course, as is usually
the case, he wondered where he was
he remembered, he had gone into sa-
then recollection ceased. Where was
his hat? where his coat? And looking
round, he cried out in agony:
"God of heaven there's my little
Benny p
Yes; there was little Benny, the
pure, fair child, the idol of a broken
hearted mother. There was little Ben
ny, and he had spent the night in this
hole.
The man fairly beat his breast as he
looked down on that bright, curly
head.
Husband and child both,' he NUT
tered bitterly. "Too bad, too bad"
At that moment, the blue eyes of the
boy opened. He raised himself in
wonder, but as he met his fathers gaze
he smiled as an angel.
"The bad man would put you in
here, papa, but I wouldn't let him take
me. You didn't know anything, papa,
when [ found you in the street. You
ost your hat-I guess the wind took it
and the boys were all laughing. You
was sick; wasn't you, papa And
when the bad man took you off, I came
too. Now, let's go home ana tell man.
ma all about it Let's tell her we was
stoled, and the dear, unconscious little
fellow laughed merrily over the bril-
liant idea.
But that father God help him !!
His heart was touched as it never had
been before. He could not speak
could scarcely think. What was the
mother suffering that moment ? And
this awful sin that had led him into its
foils-it never had looked as it looked
to him now, within the unsightly cell,
the faint light lying on the curls of his
innocent boy.
And when they went out. there stood
the mother, who, half-distracted, had
been wandering and searchinga all night.
Oh what a sight for her gentle, loving
eyes With wild cry, she fell upon
the neck of the child, and drawing him
away sank to the floor with him, sob
bing as if her heart would break.
Think of the bitter anguish so many
good and gentle women are called to
endure, and then look in the face of the
respe 3table rum-seller and call him gen.
tleman if you can.