Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-02-25
HAS he, indeedw The voice of the

II failed to get money for my worl
and I cannot 60 home without the win,
Oh, sir, if you will trust me for bottl
I will certainly come and pay you. Th
money is earned, and it is promise
this afternoon ~
The wine-merchant laughed sneer
ingly as he made answer:
| ut won't do, my good woman. Th
trick is to stale"
"But, sir-n
The urgency of the case made Mrs
Blythe importunate.
"There-there! That will do Ga
noww and the wine merchant wave,
his hand toward the door, impatiently
Mrs. Blythe turned and went away
not speaking another word. The eve,
Of Mr.. Redwood were on her pale, thir
face, and he saw there an expression
that haunted him, as we are sometime
haunted by face in picture, for many
days afterward.
"A common dodge!" said the wine
merchant, In a vulgar way, as the wo
man passed into the street. "If haC
given her the bottle of wine, she would
have been as drunk as beast in half an
hour!"
Mr.. Redwood, in whose memory that
parting look Of Mrs. Blythe had
daguerrotyped itself, thought different
"; but he gave no utterance to his
thoughts.
'"That woman's story was a true one, u
he said to himself as he passed on his
way homeward. II wish had asked
her residence" and he looked carfully
all around him, up and down the street,
a Af - n.
her. But, already too long away from
her exhausted husband. she had hurri-
ed back to him with almost flying feet.
"Oh, Mary" whispered feeble voice
as she leaned over his bed, show long
you have been away! 1 feel very faint
very faint Have you got the wine ?"
T But only the bitter wine of sorrow,
crushed out from an almost breaking
heart, had she brought for her husband,
and as few drops fell upOn his face,
she whispered back huskily:
"Mr. Barker could not pay me for the
work. But he will send the money in
an hour or two, and then I will get the
wine.''
A feeble sigh fiuttered the breast of
the sick man his lids dropped wearily,
until the lashes lay in two dark lines
upon his bloodless cheeks, while more
death-like hue overspread his counte-
nance.
Edward! Edward! Oh, Edward,
Husband ~
Slowly the eyes of the sick man OPEN
ed, but closed again, heavily, without
sending forth beam of intelligence.
The poor woman's strength was all
gone. Sinking into chair, she leaned
over upon the bed, and her face against
that of her husband. Its coldness chilled
her to the heart. Already the death
damps were breaking through the relax
ing pores. A moment she tried to
arouse herself to new effort. But hope
had died, and the leaden pail of despair
was on her spirit
Mrs. Blythe!"
It was the voice of Andrew, the shoe
makers boy,
Mrs. Rlythe?" His hand was upon
her arm, but she stirred not.
Mrs. Blythe I have brought you the
money for your werk. And Mr.. Bar
ker has sent bottle of wine for your
husband"
The voice and words together pene-
trated the shut door of the woman's
Dadrmafed, as sconsciousness.r returned.
Too late too late!"
A thrill of horror went through the
boys frame, as, bending over. his eyes
rasted upon the ashen face of a man
wearing the ghastly image of death.
How little dreamed the well-to do
merchant of scene like this, as he sip
ped his delicately favored sherry, and
remarked upon its quality! Of scene
like this, which an easy act of justice
on his part, in the simple payment of a
bill. might have prevented! Once. as
he looked at the crystal wine, holding
his glass to the light, the couutenance
of the poor woman he had seen at the
wine merchants seemed to glare at him,
as if reflected through mirror. But
the unpleasant vision faded in a mo.
ment. Between that despairing coun-
tenance and his failure to pay trifiing
bill he recognized no possible relation
ofeffect and cause.
Need we give any new shades to our
picture-need we turnsthe kaleidoscope
need we add a word by way of ap-
plication? What good The lesson is
complete enough, and all additional
groupings or colorings would but weak
en- the moral we seek to enforce.
GOOD TAsTE.-A lady of good taste