Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-11-29

out saying another word, The family,
through the open doorway, saw him
swing his 1.-THE body across his pony and
gallop swiftly away over the prairie to-
wards his cabin.
From this visit Mr.. Thompson augur
ed bad luck; but as day after day and
and week after week passed they saw no
more of him, they began to think they
had done the young man an Injustice.
True, they often heard of him in the vii
| lage, where he continued his drinking
and fighting; but, although the nearest
way would have led him by Mr.. Thomp.
sons house, he always crossed The prair-
ie some miles above, and never came
near the place.
Mr. Thompson, who had once been n
kind husband, an indulgent father, and
man of good habits, disappointed by
repeated failures in business, and yex-
ed by poverty, had of late years,
taken to drink, and now was little bet.
| ter than common drunkard. His wife
and daughter had pursuadcd him to
move from Iowa, hoping, when his old
associations were broken up, he would
do better in Nebraska, and make their
new home happy one. For time their
most sanguine wishes seemed about to
be realized.
The farm they had taken up was a
good one, the crops were abundant and
all seemed to promise happy future.
Mr.. Thompson had left off drinking en-
tirely, and was again the kind and af-
fectionate husband and father of for
mer years. The happiness of this little
family was unbounded, when, in an evil
hour, a cloud darkened the bright sun.
shine of their rude cottage, aud finally
burst i'll destroying storm. a man nam
ed Cook opened travellers rancho or no.
tel, near MIR. Thompson's; and between
this man and the farmer there soon sub
sisted the warmest friendship. Night
after night, Mr.. Thompson would go to
Cooks, and sit in the society of bad
men until the small hours in the morn
ing. The wife and daughter, alarmed
for his safety, redoubled their efforts to
make his home attractive, and resorted
to every womanly device to keep him
with them; but, despite their exertions,
he spent more than half his time at
Cookies.
For long time he resisted every
temptation to drink; but at length the
evil of keeping bad company became
apparent, and one night Mr.. Thompson
came home to his family reeling drunk.
His downward course was now rapid;
he was drunk every day; and to the
vice of drinking he soon added that of
gambling. The land on which he liv-
ed was a homestead, and the title could
not be perfected for five years, so he
could not gamble it away; but, one by
one, the horses, cattle, and farming i'm
implements were put up and lost, until
at last all that was left were two horses,
wagon and harness..
Among the persons who visited
Cooks was person called Long Ned
flashily dressed individual, an ex-stage-
driver, Il drunkard, gambler, and an
unprincipled scoundrel. Ned had won
most of Mr.. Thompson's stock and mon
ey, and was now waiting to finish up
his devilish work by taking the last
thing the poor man had. He had not
long to wait, for, one evening, Thomp-
son with his team and wagon, came
over to the rancho, and, after sundry
drinks had been taken, Ned proposed
to play for the team and horses, At
first Thompson refused, saying it was
all he had left, and he meant to keep
that; but drink or two more, and the
exhibition by Ned of hundred dollars
in money, changed his mind, and he sat
down at the fatal table; he was so sure
he could win this time, and then Ned
said he only wished he would, for he
wanted to see Mr.. Thompson, get back
some of his property.
In one hour the last horse was gone,
and Mr.. Thompson rose from his char
and staggered to the wall, where he
stood with his head hanging upon his
breast, pondeiing his misfortune, and
realizing at last that he had not even
the means of getting home. Ned came
up, and, slapping the farmer familiarly
on the shoulder, said: "Come, ch eer up
old fellow, and let us take drink"
Thompson moved mechanically to the
bar, and, filling his glass to the brim,
drank it off. Again and again he drank
and, at each swallow of the vile stuff,
seemed more desperate. lie was now
maudlin drunk, and Ned led his victim
to one side, and said he had long want
ed wife, and, as Mary was a fine girl,
he would like to marry her. He really
sympathized with Mr.. Thompson in his
losses; and, as it was the custom i'll new
settlements for men to buy their wives
from the Indians, he would put up all
he had won from Thompson against
Mary. At first the farmer was shocked
and surprised, but the more he thought
of it, the more reasonable Ned's propO'
sition seemed to be, and, after another
glass, he sat down and staked his own
daughter on hand of cards. Ned won,
and the farmer burst into tears. The
gambler made light of the matter, ahd
assured him, if he had lost a daughter
he had won a son-in-law. Again and
again they drank, and, Ned calling fol-
a bottle of whisky, the two got into
the wagon and started for the farmers
home. On the road, Thompson drank
heavily from the bottle, so that, when
they arrived at the farm, the farmer
was so drunk that he had to be helped
out of the wagon. 1t was very late but
his wife and daughter were still up
wait ing for his return, and Mary wal
clad in neat white muslin dress, which