Port Royal standard and commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-12-23

| o0luC U<alOs "oo hho ASPAys
one pair of the whole Of these shoes on
this shelf that hasn't been taken off the
feet of the child of drunken mother" "
"How do you know thata" asked bis
companion.
"a sober woman" he replied, "may
be in distress, and bitter distress, too,
but she will part with everything she
has sooner than pawn her chlldren's g
clothes; while the drunken mother makes
no scruple on the occasion, and In
ninety-nine cases out Of hundred be-
fore half an hour has passed since she
received the money every farthing OF it
is gone in the gin shop. 1t would be
very curious to trace the stories Of those
families whose children's shoes are on
that shelf. Many tale OF the most
heartrending description would be
found connected with them, and every
portion of the misery endured, the
fault of a drunken mother. Now rs to
these very Shoes" he continued, ~
can tell the history of the woman who
pawned them ;" so saying, he mechanl
cally examined them under the light.
"You see they're well made; there's no
slop-work here. I can almost tell by
the look of them that the child's mother
has never pawned them before. l
should like to have seen her when she
was in the box offering them, and then. I
could have told. When used to be be-
low in the shop could always tell when
a woman offered pair of her children's
shoes for pledge whether she was be-
ginner or an old hand"
"How could you know thata" asked
his companion.
eff a beginner" said the man, " she
generally turns her head on one side and
tries to conceal her face I; if an old hand
she will brazen it out. Why, these
shoes have not been worn fortnight or
anything like it."
Trottie's eyes now fell on the shoes as
the man was examining them, and it
struck her they were remarkably Like
her little brother Johnny's, and she re-
membered that about fortnight before
a pair of shoes had been bought for him
out of the last wages her father had
earned before he was thrown out OF
work at the docks. It also occurred to
her that the shawl the woman wore
strongly resembled the one which her
mother had on when she went out to
market. Her attention, was, however,
again riveted to the conversation OF the
two men.
CT wonder whether any Of these fe-
male drunkards are ever reclaimed" re-
marked one of them.
"Never," said the assistant. "Ive
been now in these kind of shops in Rat
cliff highway and about Whitechapel for
the last five and twenty years, and, you
may imagine, have had good deal of
experience, and beyond that, belong
to q temperance society myself well, I
can assure you I've never in my life
known o female drunkard reclaimed af-
ter once having pawned her children 8
shoes. I almost look upon it that when
once she has pledged her child's shoes
she is as completely lost to all chance OF
reformation as the men we used to read
of in former times who sold themselves
to the evil one."
"Isn't that carrying the idea rather
too far2" said his companion.
"Not bit, replied the assistant.
"You don't, then, consider it possible
| for drunken woman to be reclaimed ?"
| "Not when she's once pawned her
children's Shoes" said the man, "and
there's very curious circumstance con-
nected with it, showing how much more
prejudicially drink will act Oh woman S
mind than mans. A man may be an
irreclainable drunkard, and to satisfy
his propensity for drink will purloin or
steal anything he can lay his hands
upon, but never knew case Of o man,
although very likely dozen-times- con-
victed thief, ever having pawned his
children's clothes for the sake of drink.
A drunken woman, on the contrary. af-
ter once having perpetrated the act,
never again hesitates. No, believe me,
when once she has done that she Is
thoroughly lost.
The dead hand now drew Trottie from
the warehouse, and after passing through
darkness as profound as that she en-
tered when first led from her home, the
light began gradually to appear, and OBJ
iects, as of people passing her In the
streets, became distinguishable. Then
glare of light appeared in the distance,
and presently she found herself standing
near the Whitechapel gin shop in which
she had intended to purchase bottle OF
rum, and then quilted it in disgust
from the scenes she had witnessed
The same noise of shouts, quarreling and
laughter which had appeared to her so
repulsive, she now heard again, and with
the same adherence. She would will
ingly have moved off, but the dead hand
led her forward. She attempted to re-
sist, but the pressure, which had hith-
erto been light, now became so strong
as to be irresistible, and she was obliged
to enter the place against her better
Judgment.
The scene here was, if possible, more
revolving than the one she had before
witnessed. There were more persons II
the place, both men and women, and
these in a grosser state of intoxication
Language of the most disgusting de-
scription was banded about from one
to the other, less in anger or jest thar
as ordinary conversation. One scene
particularly attracted Trotties attention
A middle aged man, in state of maud
lin drunkenness, was crying, and dirty
disreputable- looking woman was at
tempting to console him.
"Don't take on so," she said; "yor
know that'n do no good-you can't cure
her that way"
"But she'll be dead before I gel
home," said the man.
"Wen," you can't help that, said the
| -o-,on. ss 10 varu cod bnt Won cam