The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-02-18
CHATTER Y

CRATER N
Jason Andrews, who had been very
reasonable man as long as he was under
legitimate restraint, now that his Ii
cense of matrimonial power was abso-
Lutte, became petty tyrant of the most
provoking and uncomfortable sort.
There are many men, and indeed
the element of tyranny so strongly i'm
planted that it will break forth at every
opportunity, to oppress whomsoever
mSy fall under its baleful influence. To
such, the absolute power which matri-
mony, under the present imperfect laws,
places in their hands, becomes too often
a very rod of terror, that falls little
short of whip of scorpions.
While we recognize the necessity of
wise, well-regulated, and enduring mar
riage contracts, and would be the last to
abrogate them, we have frequently seen
so much of the worst phases of human
nature, under the system of absolute in
dividual ownership which the one-sided
institution, as at present arranged, i'm
poses, that we draw these pictures, not
because we love the task, or prefer to
linger amid scenes of human imperfec-
tion for the works sake, but that the
perspective, thus brought into the
broad glare of the public prints, may
reveal causes of human misery that
need only to be generally seen and un-
derstood to be remedied, and, in time,
uprooted.
During the years of his widowhood,
Jason Andrews had never been intoxi-
Gated. Upon his arrival at Molalla
MoOrland he had found no ardent spir-
its, and so, for sufficient reason, had
totally abstained from their use. And
while intent upon a matrimonial alli-
ance with the widow whom fate had
thus thrown in his way, he had known
better than to drink, else his ambition
had been blasted. And so it was that
Mrs. Morrison had never dreamed of
his ever having been addicted to drink;
still less did she imagine that he would
ever become slave to the appetite after
she had taken him for better or for
worse.
With the exception of the undue and
unexpected usurpation of his newly
f1edged authority as head of the family,
his wife had nothing special to COM
plain of from the beginning of her ILL
starred marriage until the following
spring.
Then Jason went alone to The Falls,
under the pretext of bringing home
the mother of the first Mrs. Andrews,
from whom he had received a letter
stating that she would be ready upon a
given day to join him at that point.
He had promised to return at the usual
time; but a week, and then fortnight
passed, and the family began to hope he
never would return, when he came one
night, without his relative, and in a
beastly state of dissipation, bringing
with him demijohn of the "tarantula
juice" with which the trading posts
were at that time supplied most liber-
ally.
"Mother," said Madge, as the sound
of approaching wheels aroused her from
a seemingly listless reverie, "what
would you do if Jason should come
home drunk? ?"
Mrs. Andrews grew deathly pale.
Possibly she had been asking herself the
same question. Possibly she had not
thought of it.
"You don't apprehend it, do you,
Madge? ?" she asked, in terror.
az can see him, with my eyes Shut
was the quick reply. "And he staggers
and swaggers, and oh, my! Pm as
dizzy as if 1 were drunk myself"
81 shall Immediately discard him il
he does drink" said ner mother.
"But how can you ?"
'rPll leave the place"
"Where will you go?"
Sure enough, where should she go
There was not in all the world Canada
for fugitive wives to flee to; and ever
had there been Canada, there was M
underground railroad.
"What makes you think he's drunk?'
the mother asked, abruptly.
'I feel 1t IN my bones ~
"Did you ever hear of his drinking p
and the mother trembled like an aspen
But Madge was gazing away into va
cancy, and seemed suddenly obliviou
to everything that human eyes coulC
see.
''If Madge had lived fifty years ago
she would have been hung for witch, ,
said her mother, to herself; "and ye
L know that she possesses some thirC
sense or strange intuitive power that
though very unusual, isn't all faney.'
The solilOquy was cut short by th,
sudden appearance Of the family head
as he emerged from the covered wagor
and came staggering up the walk, re
vealing all too plainly that Madge's in
ner sight, in this case, at least, was n,
mere hallucination.
Madge had succeeded, with much la
Dor, and all the help she was able t
command from the younger members O
the household, in bordering the wall