The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1878-08-14


the very end. Thus diverted from her griefs,
and soothed and worn out, the poor gray.
headed, heart-broken old woman went TO
sleep.
As for Tom, when his mother left the room,
and was quiet, he produced bottle he had
brought in he raked up the Goals in the
stove he drank again and again !; and then
flung himself on his bed and slept the drunk
ards Sleep
Scene Th6rd.-The same room better FUR
nished ; some new things in it, and Sc wing
machine in the space by the window. The
old mother gone-dead and buried. Tom has
married. That's his wife, with print gown
of flaming colors, aud enormous ear-rings.-
She had been a domestic, but got tired of re-
straint, saved money, and set up sewing
machine, and thus was free to go to the the
atre, where she met Tom, walked with him,
received his proposals, and at length married
him, year ago. 1t is past eleven o'clock,
when Tom comes in, TO find his wife's brows
black as night, and an omnous silence, threat
ening storm.
SCOT any supper for fellow, Bess?" is
Toms introduction of himself.
:" Get your supper where you spend supper
time, is the giutf response.
"Get me my SUPPER Bess," lie shouts out,
stamping his foot, and trying to look the bull
ly.
"Not if | know it, y is the stolid reply.
He raises his hand, as if to strike her.
4 - la, r.
hit me you'll rue it. 'Tisn't your old mother
you have to knock about, mind you.a
Tom is coward at heart. He dare not
strike her but he takes up his hat, slams the
door, and goes to basement saloon close by
and it is not till dinner time next day she sees
him again.
Scene Fourth, and Ldst.-The same room
but very dreary and empty The sewing ma
chine has been pawned the new things are
gone, and the old look older and older Bes
sic is a mother with pale sckly baby she
was long i'll is weak yet and she has been
in the womanly weakness of these mournfnl
months completely beaten down and cowed
by her brutal husband. Poor Bessie she was
not radically bad only gay and foolish. She
did not respect Tom, but she wanted to
"change her life, and she thought she liked
him." and could get on with him. But Tom
has grown worse-much worse. He is hardly
ever quite sober. His associates are the viii
est, male and female. He has just been in a
dance-house, where some maudlin eompl-
ments to frequenter of the place are flung
back to him with contempt, for he is known
to be without a cent. Get away what
business have you here Go home to that
washed.out rag of your own"
In the temper this singing insult produces
Tom tumbles home late at night, to fpd Bes-
sic asleep no coal for the stove ; and no sup
per, There is an alteration abusive lam
guage !; fierce retort ; blows. If the demons
can get any peculiar joy out of human sin
and woe, it must surely be when they see the
sweet wine of married life turned into the
bitter vinegar of hatred and strife /; when
they see a mans hand uplifted to fell to the
ground the trembling woman he swore to love
and cherish. And they saw this in Toms
room-tbey, and the old man, with his grand
son that sold newspapers and apples and lived
in the opposite room. The old man and his
grandson saw that poor creature knocked
down with his clenched fists They called out
to him. Her very helplessness anaered him.
81 will kill you outright and be done with
it !" and he took up a chair and aimed a blow
at her. She thought, " He will not hit the
child" and held up her babe. Too late f; the
blow had been aimed already the baby's
head had received it first. She screamed,
sob my child" and fell too. The old man
aud the boy saw it. They brought the police
Bessie was found sitting on the ground bleed
ing hugging to her bosom the little body
groanng out at intervals as If nobody was
there, oh my murdered child my mur-
dered child !"
Yes, murder with the extenuating circuni-
stance that lie was drunk. Curtain falls upon
Tom on his way to prison, for ten years.
As you and |, reader, turn from the tragedy
we moralize. " Something very wrong in the
social mill that grinds ont results like that
wonder could we do anything to mend it -
At least we can dedicate this outline to all the
unsuspecting young women who are thinking
Of marrying drunkards and all the mothers
who are spelling their sons by giving them
their own way.
God does not call us always to labor as man
counts labor. He sets us often In solitary
and hard ways, laying upon us only burdens
of suffering and utter weakness and helpless
ness. And then when life is gone and the
world says "Tbis man lived in yain," God
reckons up the account, and over against the
loss and emptiness and waste of life He
writes " Well done, good and faithful ser
vant''
So