The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-09-02

from the top to the bottom Of a lad
der; he comes down step by step
Let me hear what he has to say for
himself
He will have enough to say; but |
shall not believe him and you will.
So know it is best that | break this
engagement for you"
BY tears, caresses and coaxing she
won from his affection what his iudg-
ment disapproved. But when. Fred,
sobered by his long sleep and some
strong coffee, dressed with fastidious
care, came, the father saw his mistake;
saw how impossible for Marys love,
blind eyes to see the inner man. Fred
was very penitent, and Mary believed
him, and he believed himself, and her
father consented to one more trial,
and for time all went we'll. Then
came another spree, and her father
reasoned and commanded: her mother
wept; her uncle advised; her cousin
scolded. Fred promised, and she
married him.
Very happy we're Fred, and Mary,
and Kate. as they started on that bril-
dal tour, and many places of interest
and beauty, new to them, were visited, I,
but not one was found too large, not
one too small for the wine cup to have
a home in it. With a temple within
and a temple without, where in all the
world shall a man find freedom from
temptation?
And when Katie would throw her
arms about his neck, press her lips to
his cheek, and whisper a gentle re-
! monstrance in his ear, he would say:
This travelling and sightseeing
tires NE, and I need little stimulant,
! and it is always at hand in these hotels,
,, you know. j have not forgotten any
| pledges or the lessons l have learned
| and l shall never again drink more
than a gentleman may. Not enough
to affect my standing on the pavement
or in society"
Il am sure you never will; but you
! do drink enough to dull your brilliant
intellect; to blind your delicate per
ceptions. and to injure your splendid
constitution. Isn't that too much
brother Fred?"
Yes! it is too much, and l will stoE
when l get home, and do not see il
and smell it in every spot l 60 to
And, Mary, We will settle down int
the soberest and most approved ole
married folks kind of life"
| And Mary laughed cheerily as sh'
said: what pattern home we will
make; and we'll teach our teacher
how to be happy"
| Thirteen years have passed. Mary
father and mother, and Frcd's mothe
are dead. Kate is married and gon
to Western city. His own propert
and his wife's property have beel
spent, and she is compelled to supper
herself and their two children.
shall copy now some notes taken dow
from Fred's own lips:
And l was hummer. "a what?
1 asked You do not know what
mean. Bummers are Of three classes
One is kept we'll dressed as a decoy
one gets up games and amuses; an
one does low work. l was for som
time kept dressed and in liquor, t
pay me for inviting my friends an
acquaintances, in a word, to act a
DECOY. Then l fell to the secon
class; then to the third, for drunken
ness is down grade; and then | wa
too low to use at all. When compel
ed to be sober l grew frantic, and a
my life had become a torture to M
and | knew it had long been to m
vile, determined to commit suicid,
/ got hold of some morphine an
went 10 my wife's door and took i
and lay down to die, feeling that | wa
doing her and my children great kind
ness in thus taking myself off. and LEI
ting her know l was gone. l hear
her sing lullaby to the little on,
and | could not resist the longing I
kiss them all once more, and to as
her forgiveness before going to tn;
world to which l knew she woul
never come. She called for help an
they brought me back to life, and fl
three days she watched over and wal
Jed upon me with woman's unqucncl
able love (and he wept as he said i
"and | swore never, never again
81 taste or smell liouor-and / meant
~ But when l woke the fourth mornir
and found my wife, tired out fro
watching over me, was sleeping SCUM,
", the craving for liquor so maddene
me, that [ got UP stealthily. dresse
myself, and crawled under the bed ar
took her only pair of boots and ca
ried them out, and sold them for t.
cents to get my morning dram!''
In the dregs Of that cup lay sci
loathing and despair, the We
, strength it gave him strengthened
rem. rse, and he went back to the M
and begged to be allowed to do an
thing in any way for him to buy ba,
those shoes. But he turned him O
of the store with a cause And he f
the curse was on him, that he was t
i, low, too mean, too base, ever again
see his wife and children. He slept
Blbearyes~ in guard houses, under box,
sold them for liquor, and "one tifIgfl
U copy again), Il watched while a
other as degraded as knocked sh
!, off horse that was tied, and We sc
it for glass of liquor, of W which "
to have one half, but the last half o
drunkard's glass does not amount
much.
Another night there was a f
! and | snatched a 6reman's cap off
head and ran. and putting it on, we
!. into saloon and called for gls
quick. 1t was given me at once.
= didn't 60. Come pay up. l IN wa
. ing. What are you waiting fo
: Waiting to be kicked out?' !"
So it ran on about month. Sol
;. scenes from which were so black a
! blasphemous that his voice trembl
\ az he told them, and my pencil refus
. to copy them. Then, from some impu
7 he went to see his wife. II copy.
I why, Fred. l am glad to see Y,
! Come and have cup of tea.
Il sat down on the floor and cri
+. aloud, aud asked her if she had a
! shoes. #
q IN Il ~