Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-11-15
THE MAN.TRAP AT ASHDALE.
"A Story that is not a Story.

her work. The sun had gone down, and
twilight .was gathering dimly. Mrs.
Pratt leaned closer to the window, that
she might catch the fading rays and a
little while longer continue her work.
"Well?" Mrs. Pratt did not turn,
nor look toward the speaker. Her
voice was a low, sad murmnr.
Sarah" The hand of the speaker
rested lightly on her shoulder.
With quick movement, and with
some surprise in her manner, Mrs. Pratt
turned herself from the window.
30, Edward!" Her voice choked,
and her eyes filled with tears.
Sarah" And Mr.. Pratt seated him
self beside his wife, placing his hand
gently on hers as he did so, and looking
earnestly and tenderly in her face. Sa-
rah, have little good news for you;
it good news can come in just such a
shape. Old Killgrew is dead"
Dead!' Light and shadow were
blended on the face of Mrs. Pratt.
Death is an awful thing, come in almost
any shape it will; and in the case of a
man like Killgrew it was awful in the
extreme. Yet the intelligence caused
a throb of pleasure in the heart of Mrs.
Pratt.
No wonder Mrs. Pratt was overcome
by her feelings. Ten years before, as
she stood beside her young husband,
she had the proudest, happiest heart
in Ashdale. Since then, alas! none was
so humbled and grief stricken; for, in that
bar, her loved and honored husband had
trailed his manhood in the dust of de-
basing sensuality
Than Edward Pratt kinder hearted
man could not be found. But he had
neither decided will nor strength of
purpose. The current in which his life
boat happened to be usually bore him
along; and even when conscious that it
was gliding toward dangerous sea, he
opposed to it only slight resistance.
Very soon after their marriage Mrs.
Pratt discovered in her husband fond
ness for stimulating drinks. A prompt
yet gentle and loving remonstrance ac-
complished all she had hoped to gain
for time. The dangerous tempter
was banished from their house, All
would have been well from that time
forth, had not the tavern of old Kill
grew, the only one in Ashdale, stood di-
rectly on the way along which Mr.. Pratt
daily went to the store in which he was
employed as clerk
At dinner time, both in coming home
and returning to the store, he succeed-
ed in getting past old Killigrew's man
trap" without being hailed by the
watchful landlord. But his good reso-
lutions were not proof against the inhu-
ences that assailed him in the evening.
Later than usual he fingered at the
store in order to avoid the company of
one or two young men who always stop
ped to drink at Killigrew's. He thought
he had escaped them; but it was not So
They were in the tavern porch as he
came along, and, having taken their cue
from the landlord, who was keen-sight-
ed enough to see what had been passing
in the mind of Pratt, and feared to lose
a customer, assailed him with influences
that he had not strength of mind to re-
sist. Just to satisfy them, as he
said. he consented to drink single
glass. But that did not satisfy either
them or the tavern-keeper A second
glass was almost forced upon him; then
followed third, which, purposely made
stronger than usual, completed the ov
erthrow of his reason.
From that time the weak young man
stopped, almost daily, at the tavern to
drink. The temptation was in his way,
and he had not sufficient strength of
purpose to resist it's allurements. This
was continued for months, until, under
the gentle, yet often fearful solicitations
of his wife, he again resolved to stand
firmly against the pressure of a current
that was so steadily bearing him on
ward to the sea of destruction.
And so the work went on. There was
a pitfall in Pratt's way, and ever and
anon he stumbled therein. All! if the
pitfall could only have been removed.
Why did not the people Of Ashdale
cause the pltfall to be closed up? Why
did they not remove this man-trap?"
They had no power to do so.
No power?"
You may look surprised but it is ev-
en- as we say Killigrew had the law
on his side.
The law?'
Yes, for all you seem so incredulous.
The law of the State in which Ashdale
was situated provided, by special en-
actment, for the digging of just such
man-traps as the one maintained by
Killigrew. And any person, not having
the love of man nor the fear of God be-
fore his eyes, could, by the payment of
a few dollars into the State Treasury,
obtain the right to make for himself
such a pitfall in any highway or street
in any village, town or city IN the Com
monwealth.
But for this pitfall all might have
been we'll with Pratt; but his feet were
ever stumbling on its fatal brink Stead
lily, for nearly ten years, had he been
going down, down, down; and at the
period when he came home sober, for
the first time in many months, and an
nounced to his wife the death Of Kill
grew, he was almost helpless in the pow
er Of his adversary. All manly strength
was gone when the temptation was be-
fore him.
Well might this sorrowing, despair
ing wife feel thrill of pleasure in ev-
cry heart fiber at the announcement of
Killigrew's death. He had been doing
an accursed work in Ashdale for years.
Broadcast had he sowp the seeds of an
guish and desolation; and in her heart
and home had many of the evil seeds
fallen, taking quick root, springing up
and bearing bitter fruit. Nor did she
attempt to stife this pleasure as un-
seemly, in view of the passage of fel-
low mortal to his great account in etern-
ity. She was glad the tavern-keeper
was dead-so glad that it was useless
to affect concealment.
The promise of that hour did not
prove vain. The tavern was closed, and
Edward Pratt went daily to his business
and returned home at evening sober
man If, as was often the case, he felt
desire for stimulating drink, he
quenched the desire in draughts of pure,
cold water Yet, even as he passed the
old tavern stand, around which soon
waved fields of ripening grain the
ground had run to waste before-he felt
a desire to enter. But there was no
bar there now; SO the morbid desire
was fruitless of evil consequences.
Thus it went on for three years. In
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