The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-01-18
so help me, God I

| All Eldred Thornton said was 10
shower kisses on the pretty face held SO
enticingly up to his. Then turning
over leaf of the Home Companion,
which lay before Olive on the piano, he
Joined with her in singing Balfe's beauti.
full strains:
"When other lips aud other hearts
Their tales of love shall tell"
'Gst out, you little curse ! Let
hiccup-'me alone. l won't 20 home.
Dye hear that now 2
'Oh, father, do come, poor ma is very
sick, pleaded a little girl of about ten
years, us she looked imporingly up at
the inhex ible face of the man who stood
before him.
i tell you I ,cW not. Enough
clear home with you, and don't bother
me any longer ~
Little Edna Thornton, for she it was.
with three convulsive sobs, turned slow
Iy from the door of the 'Beehalt Tavern,
and walked towards her cherries home.
while Eldred Thornton staggetingly
entered tie den of infamy.
Sitting down in the most quiet corner
OF the tavern, he rested his head in
hand and fell asleep.
Willie in this state he had a dream
one summer days.
He thought he was once more stand. .
ing at the piano, pleading with Olive
for her consent to their marriage
He went through the same speech
which he had gone through on that
night, when promising to abstain from
Intoxicating drinks.
Then he heard loud vcice saying:
See, Edred Thornton, how well you
have kept your prolaisc behold the
wreck y
Then he saw the young AND beautiful
O!Ive-the blue eyed girl whom he had
promised to love and cherish lying cold
and dead in cheerless room, and by
her side little Edna, crying as if her
little heart would break. and lnurmur.
ing;
'Oh, mamma, mamma, tol! him you
were sick, but, he would upt come. He
'pke - roughly to me, too, the papa
that u,,a to be 50 kind to US. On. dear
l:.,ri' aud the cnild's wall of anguish
rang out mournlully.
Suddenly EIlrcd Thornton awokc.
aud found this terrible scene was but
dream and he murmlrcd:
My God. thank thee =
Then flashed upon him the words he
heard his little daughter speak about
half an hour ago.
oh, father, do come, poor ma is very
sick, aud, perfectly terrified, he ex-
claimed:
Heavens has it really come to this =
What is it you say 2 asked the bar
tender, bandly
Nothing sir. What do | owe you 2
Seventy cents
Here you are sir. Good day.
Leaving the 'Beehalt Tavern which
had become his general place of resort
only four short years after his marriage
with her to whom he had promised to
abstain from hi, previous bad habits, he
walked rapidly towards his residence.
A great change had come over I'd
ward Thornton. He now felt how un
just were his actions, aud rs he walked
along, he turned over in his mind many
a plan, which might euabe him to re.
trieve his former standing in society.
Then again he thought how he would
endeavor to atone to Olive for the dis
trcss he had caused her And poor
little Edna, his only child, how could he
meet her after the brutal language he
had used in addressing her?
AT last he arrived at his home, and
with burning brow and bceting heart,
he entered the house, praying inwardly
that his neglected wife was not sick as
his child had informed him.
Finding no one in the small though
tidy parlor, he vent into the kichen-no
one there
" hat Where are his wife and
daughter?
Surely there cannot be anything
wrong?
Softly he approaches the bed chamber