Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-10-30

neard Oh MN IN the village, where he
continued his drinking and fighting !;
but, although the nearest way would
have led him by Mr.. Thompson $
house, both in going and coming, he
always crossed the prairie some miles
above, and never came near the
place.
! Mr.. Thompson, who had once been
a kind husband, an in"ulgent father,
and man of good habits, disappoint-
ed by repeated failures in business
and vexed by poverty, had, of late
years, taken to drink. and now was
little better than a common drunkard.
sHis wife and daughter had persuade d
him to move from Iowa, hoping, when
I 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 a happy future. Mr..
Thompson had left Off drinking entire.
ly, aud was again the kind and affec-
tionate husband and father of former
years. The happiness of this little
family was unbounded, when, in an
evil hour, a cloud darkened the bright
sunshine of their rude cottage, and
finally burst in a destroying storm. A
man named Cook opened a travel ers
ranch, or hotel, near Mr.. Thompson's :;
and between this man and the farmer
there soon subsisted the warmest
friendship. Night after night Mr..
Thompson would 20 to Cooks, and sit
in the society of bad men until the
small hours OF the morning. The wife
and daughter, alarmed for his safety.
redoubled their efforts to make his
home attractive, and resorted to every
womanl Y device to keep him with them !;
but, despite their excrtions, he spent
more than half his time at Cooks.
For a long time he resisted every
temptation to drink but at length the
evil of keeping bad company became
apparent. and one night Mr.. Thomp-
son came home to his family rceling
drunk. His downward course was now
rapid; he was drunk every day and
70 the vice OF drinking he soon added
that of gambling. The land on which
he lived Was homestead, and the title
could not be perfected for five years,
SO he could Lot gamble it away ; but,
one bv one. the horses, cattle, aud
farming implements were put up and
lost, until at last all that was left were
two horses. 4 wagon and harness
Among the persons who visited
Cook was u person called Long Ned,
ilashlIy dressed individual. an cX-
stage driver. drunkard. a gambler,
and an unprlncipled scoundrcl. Ned
had won most Of Mr. Thompson's stock
AMI money, ant was now wuirinr TO
tiulsh up his dc~ poor man had. He
..--'''''"s iouS 10 wait, for one evening
thompson, with his team and wagon.
came over 10 the ranch, and after sun
dry drinks had been taken Ned pro.
posed to play for the team and horses.
At hrst Thompson refused, sayinp it
was ali he had left, and he meant to
Keep that but 4 drink or two more and
the exhibition by Ned Of a hundred
dollars N money changed his mind.
and he sat down a, the fatal table; he
nc 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 prop
crtv.
In one hour the last horse was gone. |
and MI. Thompson rose from his chair |
and staggered to the wall, where he |
stood with his head hanging upon his |
breast, pondcring his misfortunes, and
realizing ut last that he and his family
were pcnniltsS, and he had not even
thc means Of getting home. Ned came
up and, slapping the farmer Familiarity
oa The shoulder, sald Come, cheer
np. old fellow, and let Us take drink"
thompson moved mechanically to
The bar, AMI. filling his glass to the
brIm, drank it oil. Again and again
ne drank, and at each swallow of the
'llt stun seemed to grow more desper-
ate. lie was now maudljn drunk, and
Ned led his victim to one side, and
'ald he had long wanted wife, and as
Mary was fine girl lie would like to
marry her. lie really sympathized
With Mr. Thompson in his losses and
Is 1t was the custom in new settle
nents for men TO buy their wives from
he Indians he would put up all he had
Won OF Mr. Thompson against Mary. !
AZ hrst the former was shocked and
urprised but the more he thought OF it
b" more rea>oun'l" Ncu's proposition
eeme,' 10 DC, and after another glass he
at down and staked his own daughter {
N hand of cards. Ned won, aud the !
armer burst into tears. The gambler
lade light of the matter. and assured
i'm, if he had lost daughter, he had
'on son-in-law. Again and again
hey drank, and, Ned called for a
ot'le of whiskey, the two got into the d
'a9on and started for the farmers
ouse. On the road, Thompson drank
cavity from the bottle, SO that, when n
ney arrived at the farm, the farmer d
'as SO drunk he had to be helped out a
the wagon. 1t was very late, but '
he wife and daughter were still up a
altiDg for his return, and Mary was I
lad In a neat white muslin dress, which a
'ade her look charming. They were j,
9th mnch surprised to see a stranger g
It'll MIR. Thompson, but received him a
lndly, thinking, no doubt. he had G.
erely come to see Mr.. T. safe home. il
Ned turned out the team-his team n
-and then entefed the cabin. He was n
repulsive-looking fellow at best but, ft
DIV that the night wind had puffed and u
'shed his bloated face, he looked CT
srfectly hideous. Fixing his bleared el
'es on Mary, he stared the girl out of $,
'untenance, and caused her to blush b.
I'd turn away. Wherever she went tt
ed followed her with his ferret eyes, 81
It'll the girl became so nervous and II
lcasy she went into the room and D,
Ir..x