The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-02-02
A CHRISTMAS IDYL.
From the New York clfppe'


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A CHRISTMAS IDYL.c ~
i From the New York clipper. ..l 'iZso7.
= "DRUNK again I suppose, Oh, what
wearisome, wretched life is MINER
Jennie Palmer was the name of her
who had Just uttered these unhappy
Z words She was about foiIrand- twenty
years old; when she was nineteen she
fell in love with and married Herbert
Palmer, promising young lawyer, who
possessed some really sterling qualities,
which were unfortunately, overweight
] ed ny his insane passionfor strong drink.
!. Jennie was an actress when Herbert
became enamored of her, and owing to
his present intemperate habits she was
compelled to return to the boards in
| order to shield her child from want and
penury. She was offered her old posi-
tion of leading lady at the Columbian
Theatre, with lucrative salary, which
proposal she readily accepted. rssaf srg
The young people resided in a seqnes-
| tered part of the city, and nothing occur
red to mar or dissolve the sunshine. OF
! their happiness until zthezdemon Drink
1 invaded their peaceful home and laid
his clutches upon its lord and master
| Herbert had been, ON an unusual carous-
al for some weeks, and Jennie had not
caught a glimpse of him for tho. past six
days. She journeyed to and from the
theatre every night, even sometimes at a
very late hour, alone and even unprotec-
ted-she did not dare to call upon Kate,
her faithful Irish domestic, whose duty
was to take care of little Lulu. 81
"Will he ever Gomez" moaned Jen
ME as she threw herself alongside the
crib 90 baby, baby! but for your
precious sake, my darling, Iwould throw
myself into the river and find peace and
oblivion beneath its ever Changing tide. !"
- Don't ty, mamma, "said baby Lulu,
awakening, Papa will soon tum home,
won't hey"
Yes, my darling, he will come
soon"
9 Faith, master ought to be ashamed
of himself, SO he ought chimed in
Kate consolingly, 9 to neglect such a
sweet girl as you are for his deyilish
| friends" .'..'e5 ~ = Z.
80 Kate! when sometimes think of
the life he is leading, it frenzies me,
have tried every method to lure him
from the bottle, but it is all in vain, y
said she, falling upon Kate's shoulder
and sObbing. .a--estfas sse 'i' 7" e-i
A step was heard upon the staircase,
and the door was flung rudcly open as
the recreant husband entered. His eyes
were bloodshot, his clothes disordered,
his voice thick and husky y;sins fact, his
whole appearance denoted his degraded
condition. M 4@ 81
"Helio, JIM said he. = Crying, as
usuals This is a nice reception for a
man ON Ghristmas-eye.' y za=as
" Herbert" replied Jcnnicr sis this
righte is it manly for you TO leave me all
alone in this house for the past week."
" Can't help it, sis; business is bust
ness"
I t'Fie, Herbert; yon Know that You are
speaking falsely. If you would only
I quit your evil ways and reform mot alone
4 for my sake, but your own and our lit
| tie child's. o Herbert, husbandl here
upon my knees implore, and ask have
you the courage and resolution to drive
away this terrible INCUBUS chat has been
the curse of-our married. 1lifcf''Yf
I Excuse me, Eli; bat am very
sleepy" yawned tlle wretch, as he re-
posed his formIupon tIesefaa @Yougo
I to bed, like good little girl, and Kiss
1ufu for me.T Ikpow l am scoundrel
and ruffian for treating you so shame
fuhyrI deseTYeca horse-wllipPin and
ought to getit. Heigho I'm 50 sleepy
Herbert Palmerl" thundcred a voice
fn9l.is ear He started with samazement
and beheld small figure Standing a
few spaces from him. 1t was clad in a
tight-ftting, grotesque suit; It 1 had a.
saffron-coiored face, eyes like burning
Jumps ofeoal, and it smelled most hor-
ribly of .liquory naiIem sgoi9
Herbert Palmer!" repeated the COB
lin, ''you are jolly good fellow, and 1
like you exceedingly well since you have
been in my Company YOU look startl-
ed. Perhaps you dou't recognize me?8
ALLOW me to- introduce -fnyself.SAI am
called whiskey, I'm jovial fellow, and
I stick to my friends to the death I'll
just,relate you an incident which proves
the pewerI r POSSESS. There was once
happy family, consisting of husband and
wife and, one pretty child; they lived &
quiet and contented life until one day a 4
friend introduced me to the husband, j
and.I proved SO agreeable aNcompauion
that we formed asclose andlbfnding part i
eInship. Weshad jolly times together.
Kept him from going homesHIght after
night, and often.it was weeks-before he
entered the house. The wife flew to
me for consolation and she soon learned
what friend was / used TO quench /
her sorfows in oblivion, and 1 even
tried tosrpake her forget that-she was a
wife and mother. One night, when they
were both fighting sIyly put into the
husbands kahd 3 bottle; he quickly di-
Yined my meaning, and like a flash of
lightning Despatched the floor with his
wife's brains! Ha, ha, ha, wasn't that
primer, Helwss arrested, tried, scohviat-il
ed and sentSncsi 70 death but hefere Be
was hanged T-wonld now and then send
him playthipSs ip the shape OF snakes
and rats. Ha, Ia, hal 1t was very funny =
The gobliassy- laughter -xresounded
,ki6rdIy tEiroagheas the,foemf H
But the child? What became of the
,hiie - ASKED E1efBsFt. s0A 0NSR
j 'sOh / rtoeEcate pt.hsrs thaugh Ssouae