The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1880-12-11

|
ter from the home had abandoned--foi
what reason it matters not-years before. Il
was brief legel notification of my fathers
death, and of my succession, as the last o
the family, to his boarded store.
The lawyer begged me to come on and ia
ciltate the settlement of the estate without
loss of time,
So my darling was rich woman at last
As l thought of this deliberated whether
TO inform her Of her good fortune at once
and take her with me, or reserve the reve
lation till could lay 1t, as a worthy Christ
mas gift, at her faithful feet.
Some curse was on me, and decided or
the latter course.
left her without explaining the nature
of the business which called me away
promising to be back or Christmas Eve Al
the latest.
The jangle of the midnight chimes, ring
ing in the great Christian holiday, rang
mufiied through the heavy snow that was
falling when, on my return, a cab whirled
me up to my own door. was in time, af.
ter all.
| In time, indeed
In time to find my home home for me
no longer, to find my life blank, my love
a wreck, my cousin traitor and my wife
but no. Heaven has forgiven her, hope
and pray, as out of the ruin of my great
love forgave her, even then
Oh, the horror of that night Oh, the
waste of love, resentment, fury and despair
in which my mind ran riot through the
endless hours Oh, that dreadful leadeu
morning, pitiless and cold, that pesred in
OF me, broodng still, but with spent pas
sion, over my scattered hearts idol, before
the cold ashes Of my dishonored hearth
But enough of that. I'm boring you,
know, old boy, though your are polite enough
to shake your head You can fancy what
followed as well as can tell it. The wal
came and went South hopefully. Fate
was my enemy throughout, though.
could not die, though dared the Federal
bullets in a hundred savage fights. So
when the struggle ended, | found mysel
adrilt, ruined reckless, but still doomed Il
bear my burden.
l returned TO my old profession. The
brute instinct still led me to cling to mater.
ial existence so long as could not end my
life by natural means. 1t had never struck
me to resort TO sei-murder, for my early
training had been Of too manly sort fol
that. Being alive, naturally entertained
a desire to eat and drink--driuk chiefly.
was never sober if could help it. Conse-
quently my life was of the poorest, leaden
struggle with famine and despair, rendered
endurable only by periods of mad indul.
gence when all sense and memory wa,
drowned in liquor and the ghosts of my past
gave place to tho lurid pfnntums of those
drunken dreams in which The most hopeles,
find hope that is never fulfilled.
Christmas Eve, FIVE years ago, found me
per force, sober. In those periods Away;
got enough work to do for the theatrical
| business was brisk.
The occasion in question found me play.
ing at Brooklyn theatre.
On Christmas Eye l came across 10 New
York little before midnight. 1t was snow.
ing steadily, and fierce wind was whiri-
ing the white drifts about in bitter clouds
when buttoned my shabby coat about my
throat and started for home. The storm
had driven most people who had any shell
ter to go to indoors. The squald streets
through which dived for a short cut to my
lodgings were quite deserted, so silent, that
when the noise of a rlotous revel reached
my ears, the scene of it was yet a long way
off, That scene was in low-browed, neg
lected house house, one of the vile haunt'
which crop up in every city like poisonous
weeds in a garden.
A fercer gust Of wind than any ye
brought me TO halt in front Of it, and
was gathering breath for renewal Of my
painting struggle with the tempest when
through the shouts, snatches of ribald song
and drunken laughter, which made up th'
compound noise of the riot inside, sounded
a woman's shrek.
1t cut the hoarser medley sharply, ant
the disturbance ceased at once. Then th
door few open and woman, thrust viol
emily into the street; staggered back an,
would have fallen, had | not put out m.
hands and caught her. A coarse, drunken
but, it seemed TO me, strangely familiar
voice from the man who had performed th
T violence howled fierce imprecation ct he
from the doorway.
Releasing herself from my supportln
grasp, the woman sent the curse back witt
, bitter interest ard sprang forward, onl
however, to receive furious blow from tn
ruifian's fist, and to have the door slamme
and barred in her face.
With the most awful maledctions | eve
heard from the lips Of man or woman, sh
cursed him.
Crazed with drink and passion, and sti
moro maddened by the scoundrel's blows
lost, degraded beggar in everything of VIC
man but the outer shape-I listened to he
with chill Of horror freezing ell my voin
This benumbing influence was still o
me, when she suddenly turned and face
me. l was standing in the food Of ligf
which filtered through the red curtaine
window.
In another moment she had made ste
forward, thrown up her arms with gre'
, bloOd-curdling cry, and fallen face down
ward on the snow.
In the brief space that her features ha
J been visible To me, had recognized them
. Wasted, worn, the wreck Of what they ha
been, they were the features of my wife
was down beside the PROSTATE shape il
stantly, gently turning the lace was ono
so fondly proud Of To the sky.
She had fallen directly in the swsihe
scarlet light that made the snow look like
pool Of blood, and the color that rested @
her wan countensnee was that Of ilorid III
Il was pale beside the spots upon the re'
dened snow where the imprint Of the ialle
. f,o. svas howeVer and beside the daf