The Red Cloud chief., 1877-08-16
able portion of time was occupied in

uluIlhcI SpltSo dlu lON dIu Vic Gus
of summer Mr.. Dearborn made som,
: pretty sharp complaints regarding til,
condition of the garden.
But a young wife is not easily dis
Outraged, especially when she is still
deep in love. so Mary would put abrigh
face on everything, and hoped for Thu
best, and despite the pain in her heart
she still went about her work singin!
sDatches of sweet, old Irish love songs
Matters didn't mend, however, though
Mary constantly hoped they would, anC
went regularly to church, and ever
asked the priest to bid Dennis sign the
pledge. Dennis refused, saying ht
would not perjure himself by swearin9
a lie, when he knew right well he
couldn't keep to it; and, besides, where
was the harm, any way? Couldn't q
boy take a glass now and then, just t.
pick up his heart a bit and to warm
his blood when the frost was so cruel
cold?
The year drew to a close, and the i'll
luck that poor Mary felt must come, at
last came. Mr. Dearborn, out of pa.
thence with Dennis Connelly's neglect
and slOveniy performances of his work
discharged him, and of course Mary
gave a weeks warning, and followed
her husband.
The shock sOhered Dennis for a
while; and he vowed he wouldn'ttouch
another drop of drink till-welI, till he
couldn't help it; and he kept his word
better than the form of it would have
led ole to anticipate. He was a clever
fellow, and although a gardener, could
turn his hand to many other WAYS of
earning an honest penny; and IS every
one liked his handsome, good natured
face, he got many odd jobs by which he
earned enough to carry himself and
Mary safe through the winter.
Presently, however. came a christen-
ing, and then Dennis felt that the time
had come when indeed he could not
helplt; the christening WAS celebrated
by a long spree, and to keep himself in
practice the happy father took a fire.
quent glass from time to time while
waiting for another tit occasion. The Oc-
caslOn came only too often. Poor Mary
did her duty by the census with ex-
IRENE conscientiOusness, adding 10 its
number one and sometimes two nearly
every year.
There were SoOu ahaif dozen months
to feed and less and less every day to
feed them with. In an evil hour Mary !
proposed to do washing,and often earn. |
ed four or five dollars a week as a laun- |
dress, but the more she worked the la
zier and more shiftIess grew Dennis.
lie o ceased working entirely. and
spent every penny he could lay his
hands on to pour fiery fluid down his
thirsty throat.
And at last, eve Mary, good and
pretty and industrious as size was. be.
coming heart-sore at the misery she
Sd" about her, and often sadly tired
after a hard days work, began at first
to AXE but a taste. just to give her
strength to bear her troubles, but rap
idly found herself depending OH it. and
often sank to sleep in the stupor OF
after a battle both of words
and bows between two people whose
whole world could once he seen in each
eyes.
From bad to worse the descending
scale was so easy as to need no descrip-
ion. The path to ruin is left both
smooth aud slippery by the many tray
'lers that go that way, and few who
yet ont on that track are strong enough
% pull up before they reach the bottom. |
1t seemed that Dennis and Mary Con.
nelly had long given up the effort.
Stunned them, and few even
those that had helped them down.
"ard would now give them even a ,
WORD of pity. The children, such OF {
Ihem as We're old enough to speak, were
'esearS In the street; and many a cruel
'ut little Patsey got if he failed to
Drlng home pennies enough to buy his
a'her nightly glass of whisky. Scold. |
hSs, swearing and crying were the |
SOUNDS most often heard from their d
dwelling, and it would have S
,een something far more than usual f
iiat would have caused even the police. t
nan on that beat to pause before tba; =
lome of vice and misery. e
Mary Connolly had lust come homo s
a days washing and scrubhing e
lie was quite sober, for she had been n
Working for her old mistress. Mrs
Dearborn. but though sober and ouiet Il
here was little of the fair, fresh and o
Mary Mcguire to be traced in the G
'orn, patched dress, the disheveled hair. Il
nd red. hard. blOated face, purple about h
eyes from blows and bruises. There n
as still less of the handsome Irish al
who had stolen her girlish heart in o.
le unkempt, dirty. red-faced, blear- "
led man. unsteady with drink. and h;
Tidently more than half drunk. who ca
Irned to greet her with a silly laugh 81
she entered st
"Ye're welcome. acushla." he said III
'ure I've been longing for the sight o "
r purity face" II
The woman flushed. a dark. painful III
ush spreading all over the face row III
far from pretty; but she never an III
a WCrI. only turned AWAY. III