The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-05-07

Free, generous livers they were called,
exercising a whole-souled hospitality to
all, while none who came within the
circle could fail to be fascinated with
their charming manners. Alas the
poor young wife saw that they were only
genial when under the influence of ex-
citement, and even those lovely girls,
her new sisters, sought to be lively and
fascinating. When she saw their beauti-
ful eyes sparkle with mwonted brilliancy,
the bloom grow deeper, and heard the
flashes OF Wit, she turned away III sad
ness, saying, ALAS, alas. what lovely
victims" The father could dispose OF
bottle after bottle without losing his con
troll, but not s with his children. Per
sons occasionally wondered that their ami
mal spirits should lead them to such ex-
cess but there were times when she
could not help but knowing what allied
those polite, refined young men and wo-
men.
On festive occasions, the wife began
to watch her husband ~anxiously.
Sometimes he poured out and drank
with Il sort of reckless air, and then the
unsteadincss of his hand or the CLEAN OF
his eye would startle her; and once, but
only once, she shrank from his ardent
kiss, feeling that he was inflated with
wine rather than pure affection. She
tried to forget that time, or to fancy it a
dream, but she could not.
The name of the oldestson, Frederick,
was seldom mentioned by any Of the
family, and the day previous to the com
mencement of this sketch, she under
stood the reason why. Then he came
reeling along into her home, more beast
than man.
She shuddered as she looked upon that
bloated, besotted face. She could not
pollute her hand by placing it within his,
much less i'll addressing the degraded be
ing could her lips frame the holy word
- brother"
No wonder the spectacle haunted her
dreams that night, us she would fancy
herself ut the death-bed Of that once
lovelywoman, whose heart he had broken,
and hear her whisper, Your husband is
following i'll the footsteps of mine /; oh :.
stop him"
Not long after the wife's resolution was
formed, the young couple wished to give
a dinncr-party TO AL their relatives, and
It's it was the first i'll their own house,
they wishedto convey very pleasant ideas
of their hospitality.
Then came the contention which the
lady had forseen and the bitter opposition
of her husband to carry ont the reso-
she had formed to Danish liquor
from their board. In vain she told him
of the delicious coffee which should sup
ply its place he persisted that she should
not thus bring upon him the name of a
And though she told him that
upon her, rather than upon him, should
all imputations rest, though she pleaded
in the gentlest manner, she had need of
all the strength she had SO earnestly i'm
plored from on high.
For a time, there was a serious estrange-
ment between them, and his family, tax
ing sides with him, told him that she
wished to usrlIp too much authority over
him as the head of the house, while they
sneered openly at her "fanaticism, her
"meanness," her want of hospitality"
But she prayed without ceasing, and God
at length opened his eyes to the danger
of t~ritiing with that which had caused
his brothers ruin. With his consent,
liquor was regarded onlyas "medicine,"
and while the wife cxerted herself to have
a supply of good things III the house,
both united III giving SO cordial a vel
come to their guests, that those who n
joyed their hospitality oon ceased to
notice the absence of wine.
BY degrees, others followed the exam
pie Of the young wife, and gradually
such reformation took place in the town
that in few yearsallthe :" first families
had banished the beverage from their
and dinner-tables.
Her husband is now the only survivor
of all his fathers family. While he feels
that each one fills a drunkard's grave, he
turns to his wife, now no longer young,
but beautiful in his eyes, ard says,
"Such would have been my fate but for