The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-03-07

Tney lived away out West-TOm
Collins and his wife-in the growing
village Of -. on the line of rail-
foad, where Tom held the position Of
statjon-master. He was active and
energetic, and was held in high esteem
by the company for his vigilance and
attention to duty. Tom was jolly,
genial fellow, an out-and-out Yankee
by birth, and when years ago he was
thrown ont of employment by the
closing Of . mill in which he was an
operative, he took Horace Greeley's
advice, and went West, and his young
wife accompanied him. They settled
in q anewly established town and grew
up with it. Mrs. Collins toiled hard
in the outset, and though they had
wonderfully prospered, ,and had moved
from . cabin to neat frame dwelling,
which, with the furniture, was all
their own, she got to thinking that the
struggle for existence was grieyous
burden. Unhappily the union of Mr..
and Mrs. Tom Collins had not been
blessed with children, and in her
spare moments she brooded over her
tolls and tribulations until she reached
that wretched state of mind when sui
eide seemed to offer her the only
means of relief. The road, SO far as
the stoppage of trains at that point
was concerned, was closed ats O'Clock
p. m, the year round, when Tom was
relieved from duty until the following
morning. After supper he was in the
habit of strolling down the road to
the tavern, and. greatly TO his wife's
further trouble, he became habituated
to staying out late at night. playing
euchre, ,high-low-jack,a and other games.
Tom was also in the habit of drinking
once in . while, and sometimes twice
ina while, and many were the Caudle
lectures he received for what Mrs. Col
line termed extraordinary conduct
Il tell you what it is, Tom,' she said
to him one night, I'm tired of this ere
sort of thing, and you've got to stop
it,
Tired of what sort of thing? Got
to stop what?'
why the way you treat me- she
sobbed, Staying ont night after night
playing pedro, or whatever you call it,
with q lot of fellows down at the tav-
ern, and leaving me all alone in my
wretchedness and misery. If you
don't leave it of, Tom, I1l leave you,
I win. and I'll never come back. I'll
just 60 and suicide myself, WILL
tPooh, poohp laughed Tom-ssu
cideI Why, what put that into your
head. Haven't you got a nice, COM
fcrtab BILE home, with lots of good
clothes and plenty to eat and drink P
Yes, yesv she groaned, sbut life's
got to be . burden with your neglect,
Tom and then when wanted you to
60 down to Spriggin's store and buy
me one Of them bonnets he's just got
from York, you talk of hard times,
and yet you'll go out night after night
and play pitch, jack, and all that sort
of stuff for drinks. I've been reading
all about suicides lately in the papers,
and I'll do as the Frisco washerwo-
man did, stick my head in tub of
suds and hold it there until I'm dead ;
or I'll bang my head through a pane
Of glass and saw my throat open; or
I'll jump under the cars, or I'll hang
myself, or do something else, and when
I'm gone you'll be sorry you didn't
treat me BETTER Tom at length prom
ised to stay at home, and Mrs. Collins
composed herself to sleep.
The next evening, however, after
supper, Tom put on his hat as usual,
remarking that he was just going down
to the tavern to see man. The mo-
ment he had gone Mrs. Collins deter
mined on death, and going to the closet
took therefrom q bottle labeled scoro-
siye sublimate-poison.' Then she
composed herself on the bed and
drained to the dregs large goblet full
of the liquid, after which she threw
the glass on the floor, and gracefully
folding her hands across her bosom,
closed her eyes and awaited death. In
stead OF the draught burning out her
inwards, as she expected, feeling of
exaltation stole over her whole system
and her mind wandered back to her
Connecticut home and her girlhood
days. Then she began talking aloud
to herself, but in little time her
tongue became thick, and it was with
difficulty she could speak what
sweet death I never dre-dre-dreamed
desh was SO easily, or I'd do-do-done
1t often befo-O. how sweech-sweet!
o, desh whereish thy sthing. o, gra-
grave whereish thy vic-vic-victory. 1
ought to take som-som mo of that Gro.
shive sub-mate!
At this moment Tom came. and,
looking at his wife, said: what the
deuce are you doing, Susie? What
makes your face 80 laundering red?
'Goo-by, Tom-goo-by-goin' die,
Tom. Taken croshive sub-sublatc--
forgive observation-disclosures.
Fo-give late nights-Tom fo-give ev-
erything. Goo by! Goo by-funeral,
Tom--goo-byv
Corrosive hell,' roared Tom. Cor
rosive devilI Why, 1 swear, if you
nearly emptied that bottle of
fine old brandy the superintendent
gave me the other day, and put on
that label SO you wouldn't tumble to
what was In it.
Mrs. Collins was too far gone to hear
more that Tom said, and her
surprise when she awoke the next
in her usual health, with Tom