Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1873-09-11

'sHaye you got more like that" h
whispered, hoarsely q approaching hi
burning lips SO. close to- the mans eal
that he inyoluntarily started. "More.'
sI'ye got another flask, but-''Iu
Hwill you leave its be hindu Pll pay
yeua good price for r. 70 s"aa sa
@What for SO sea s.i -fI57-'toi
Israel's eyes fell suiltily. "In-ir
| case of sickness, you know. We cam
buy such liquor hereAand it's lonely
spot" --'' -A IN
aYou're right enough there said
the man, laughing, as he drew out an
other fiat flask, the mate to the first.
laHere, take it. Pshaw, friend, put up
your purse. You're Welcome ysllceso9m to it as a
gift" j.. 4aid = ae4s p- sE.f j..
And he was gone, lunging through
the high grass and bsshes, all fringed
with scarlet cardinal flowers and nod
ding marigolds beforesIsrael could stay
him.
:. Israel Esmayne -crcpt back to his
house or, rather the9 rude log cabin
which was sort of hostage that one
day real home should rise on its foun-
dations, holding the sAF bottle caose 70
him, and giancing round with ft1rtise,
wandering eyes,
1 needed it." he said to himself; eyes,
I needed it. didn't know how much
until tasted it. It slips over ones pal
ate like glass, so smooth, SO nice, so full
of strength. One more taste and
then"
/ When the clock struck nine the whis-
tile of the train sounded faint and far
of, and Israel Esmayne rose uncertain
ly to his feet. The subtle, burning
fumes of the liquid fame had entered
his brain; the walls seemed to reel
about him, the stars to swim in the
great blue armament overhead. Moth
ing was real-all was faint and far off
and visionary. 2 But the chsins of habit
are hard to shake of; and Israel had
gone out at nine O'Clock every night for
a year. Cropping his way, and walking
with unsteady steps, he went, still
clasping the partially emptied flask to
his breast in the inner pocket of his
coat.
He could hear the rush of the river
below; he could see the rails of the
track glistenins in the faint starlight !;
and mechanically feeling under clus-
ter of spice bushes for the switch-key,
he knelt down and stupidity fumbled
there an instant. leysil lss7is Tsl1W G.
''The way train," he muttered to him
self. ats all right. And then the
freight train-half past nine--a quar-.
ter to ten; landln SIR aintG = s2iSl-
He stopped down by the river and wet
his burning forehead with the cool
drops he could scoop up in the hollow
Of his hand. He sat down on fallen
tree, and let his head fall on his hands.
"Am 1 drunkP" he murmured, half
aloud. 40 God! have come to this in
spite of everything?"
And the memory of Dorothy Beers
and his sacred promise to her rose up in
his mind, as one sometimes remembers
promises made to the dead. In the wild,
wide, reeling, rocking world Of his
brain there was but one certainly. He
mad lost Dorothy, his soft-stepping,
redeeming angel-the one.
in all the world who loved and trusted
him most implicitly. t-- 7i
81 don't deserve her," he thought,
scarce able to shape definite thought in
his mind; ''but if 1 had only fallen
down dead before-before touched the
accursed stuff, She would have be-
lieved in me the1.IIqoIS ,yliI5O =
The fresh, cool night air OH his brow
was SOLDERING him little; the touch of
The cold river water cleared the mists
from his .ciouded brain in some degree.
He rose up, steadying himself by the
slender stem of a young white birch
that grew close beside him and looked
TFf1 Cg
Hark! A clear whistle, half mile
away, clearing the silence like the call
Of some sweet throated bird.
1t was the express, whose plume.of
lurid smoke spanned half continent
the long serpent like train, glittering
lights, and carrying great eye of fire
in front, WHICH nightly thundered over
the line OF rails, and shot like a meteor
out Of sight into the hush and,silenceof
the woods, westward bound. / QnJ|
The way train passed at nine, making
a brief stoppage at oHurstly station be-
yond, mere wooden shed with plat
form on either side. Half an hour af-
ter slow and heavy freight train fol-
lowed it, running off on side track to-
ward the river shore until the express
should have safely passed. And it was
the special business of Israel Esmayne
to set the switch for the freight, and
subsequently replace it for the hurry
ing express. 1902 3''l .-''i 2 ~
Had he done thiss With an awful
doubt poisoning his heart, he pressed
his hands on his temples and tried to
think. Had Fhe been 7there-he could
recall just how the dewy rails looked,
wet and glistsning in the starlight. He
had the switch key In his hand-that
he could also remember. But was that
before or after the freight had
switched Off He could not remember
whether the freight had passed or not.
He did not know whether he had locked
the switches twice or once, or, good
heavens, not at all. The past, was a
swaying vacuum, the futurc strange and
dream like. He closed his eyes, he
pressed his temples as If either hand
had been vice of iron, in the wild
agonizing effort to recall the last half
hour.
80 God!" he groaned aloud, Is he
threw himself on his face in the wet
grass, Gam going mad?Y
Something. hard struck against his
breast bone as he flung himself down;
It was the fatal flask.s He tore It out,
full Of dark red poison, and dashed it
passionately into the bushes. 1t was
that-that that had done all the mis-
chief. ,NTakTaoM e5HSAl
SO Heavenly Fatherr' he cried aloud
In anguish ttif IL nleasa Thee to avert