The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-04-15

pausing in their play they all looked up
inqniringly.
G.z.ng directly in the face of Judge
-, she said in tremulous voice
"Do you know me, Judge --2'
mo, mother, | don't remember you,
said the Judge, pleasantly "Where
have we me, p''
MY name is Smith," she said 81 was
with my poor boy three days, of and
on, in the court room at Oshkosh, where
he was tried for-for-for robbing some
body, and you are the same man that
sent him to prison for ten years and he
died there last June -
All faces were now sobered, anil the
naoeonsers began TO gather around and
to stand up all over the car to listen and
see what was going on She did not
give the Ju lge time to answer her, but
becoming m ,re and more ex:ited, she
went on:
"He was gool hoy, il you dill send
him 10 jail. He helped us clear the farm,
and when father was took sick and died
he done all the work, and he was getting
along right smart till he took to going
to town and got TO playing keards and
drinking, and then somehow he didn't
like to work after that, but used to STAY
out often till mornin', and then he'd
sleep so late, and couldn't wake him
when he'd bin out 80 late the night be-
fore And then the farm kinder run
down, and then we lost the team; one
of them got killed when he'd bin to town
one awful cold night He stayed late,
and suppose they had got cold s,andin'
out, and got skeered and broke loose,
and run most home, but run agin the
fence and stake run into one of 'em.
and when we found it the next IN ,rning
it was dead, and the other was standin'
under the shed And so after awhile he
coaxed me to let him sell the farm and
buy house and lot in the village, and
he'd work at carpenter work And so l
did, as we couldn't do nothin' on the
farm. But he grew worse than ever,
and after awhile he couldn't get any
work and wouldn't do anything but
gamble and drink all the time l used
to do everything could to get him to
quit and he good, Industrious hoy
sgin, but he used TO get mad after awhile,
and once he struck me, and then in the
morning I found be hal what little mon
ey there was left on the farm, and run
of. After that | got along as well as
could, cleanin' house for folks and wash
in, but didn't hear n, thing of him for
four or FIVE years; but when he got ar
rested and was took up to Oshkosh for
trial, he writ to me-"
By this time there was nota dry ey&sin
the car, and the cards had disappear1l ],
The old lady herself was weeping silent
ly and speaking in snatches. But recOv
er,ng herself. she went on.
.But what could I do? !. sold the
house and lot to get m 'ney to hire Q Law
yer; and believe he rs hetr somewhere
Cooking around). Oh, yes, there he is,
Mr.-." pointing to lawyer,
who had not taken part in the play. "And
this is the man, ] am sure, who argued
again him." pointing to Mir, the
district attorney. And you Judge
' sent him TO prison for ten years
'spose it was right, for the poor boy told
me that he really did rob the bank. But
he must have been drunk, for they had
all been playing keards most all night.
and drinking. Butch, dear! it seems to
me kinder as though il he hadn't got to
playing keards he might have been alive
yet. But when used to tell him it was
wrong and bad 10 play, he used to say,
Why, mother, everybody plays now.
never bet only for the candy or cigars, or
something like that And when we
heard that the young folks played keards
down TO Mr.. Culver's donation party,
and that Squire Ring was going to get a
billiard table for his young folks to play
at home, couldn't do nothing at all with
him. We used to think il was awful to
do that way when was young; but it jist
seems to me as if everybody, now days,
was going wrong into something or 9TH
er. But may be it isn't right for me to
talk of you, Judge, in this way; but it jist
seemed to me as if tue very sight OF them
keards would kill me, Judge. / thought
ifyou only knew how ielt, you wouldn't
play on so and to think, right here be-
fore allFthese young folks! May be,
judge, you don't know how younger
people, especially boys, look up to such
as you and then / can't help thinking
that may be if them as ought to know
better than to do so, and them as are lar.
ger larnt, and all that, wouldn't set sich
examples, my poor Tom would have been
alive and caring for his poor old mother
But now there ain any ofmy family left
except me and my poor little gran chile,
my dead darter's little girl; and we are
going to stop with my brother in Illi-
novs."
Tongue OF man nor angel never preach.
ed more eloqaentsermoa than that gray,
withered old lady, trembling with old
age. excitement, and fear that she was do.
ing wrong. / can't recall half she said, ,as
she, poor, lone, and beggared widow,
stood before those noble-looking men
and pleaded the cause of the rising gen.
Grafton
The look they bore as she poured forth
her sorrowful tale was indescribatle. IL
say that they looked like criminals at the
har would he a faint description. l can
imagine how they felt. The old lady tot
tered to her seat, and taking her little
grandchild in her lap, hid her face on hen
neck. The little one stroked her gray
hair with one hand, and said, Don't cry
gamma; don't, cry, gamma" Eyes unus
ed 10 weeping were red for. many a mile
on ,ha, journey. And l can hsrdly be
lieve that one who witnessed that scene
ever touched card again. 1t is hut jus
to say that when the passengers came tt
themselves they generously responded tc
the Judge, who, hat in hand, silently pas
sed through her little audience"
6r"What does your husband do ?
asked the census man.
"He ain'td dom nothin' at this time O
the year" replied the young wife.
"Is he pauper ?" asked the censu
man. She hlushed scarlet to the ears.
"Law,no." she excIaim I'd somewhat in
dignantly, 1--WE ain been married more'l
/ " ,,onntho ,,