The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-06-02
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WHOLE NUMBER 735.

almost a happy one, but alas, the sunny
slope adown which it seemed so easy to
slide, daily grew darker as the years flew
on. How they began to tell her the fate
before her, Ruth hardly knew.
A little flush of shame came first when
his step was unsteady and his voice too
loud. Then grieved tear or two when
he was unreasonable. Then sorrow
that kept her heart aching night and
day, for the man who first won inspir
alton from the glass now lost it in its
depths; lectures to be delivered were not
given to the expectant public because
..'of the illness of the lecturer"
Ruth knew what that illness meant,
and tried to hide it. Literary work was
neglected also. Money was lost that
might have been easily won. Debts
grew and credits lessened, the handsome
suite of rooms was exchanged for one
quite shabby Ruth's dress became
poverty-stricken. her husband was out
at the elbows and at the toes-he was in
toxicated from morning until night, and
yet she loved him and clung to him,
and in his sober moments he. loved
her as fondly as eeyer.z Sometimes
the old strength and the old
hope would be aroused in him
and he would struggle to regain his
lost position, but it was all in vain.
rum triumphed, and in five years from,
her wedding day Ruth found herself
with her one remaining child, the first
having died within year OF, its birth, in
the dingiest of wretched tenement
houses, in state bordering upon beg
gary. z.g,t :. +, ~ Ii.5..5z. O.
Edward had been more madly intoxi-
Gated than ever before; he had even
given her blow, and now, as the night
wore on, he muttered and raved and
called for brandy, and cursed her and
himself until she trembled with fear.
| At last, as the clock struck 10, he
started to his. feet and staggered out
of the room, yowing to get drunk some
| where 80
Poor Ruth stood where he had left her
| for a few moments. The memory of the
past was strong on her that night. just
1 at this hour fve years before they had
fled from her fathers homo together.
How tender he : was, how loving,
| how gentlel How he vowed that
she would never regret that night, and
how had he, kept those promises?) He
had broken every vow-he neither cherT
ished nor protected her. His worldly
goods he had given to the ravenotls de-
mon, drink, his love had become some
thing scarcely worth having, and yet
she loved him and clung to him. She
tried to feel cold and hard toward him,
but she could not; she strove to remenn-
Der the blow he had given her, the oaths
he had uttered, but she answered herself
as she did SO, SIT was not him who did
tit was rum" She listened to the
uncertain, reeling footsteps In the street
below and burst into tears. as5 q
My poor darling, she whispered, as
she thought some grievous calamity had
smitten him into the thing he was, and
he had not himself ssput an enemy in his
mouth to steal away his brain, . unmind,
full of her pleading, unmlndful OF her
woe and of her shame. She thought OF
him reeling helplessly along the street,
and feared that some harm would come
to him. He might fall in some out-of
the-way place and lie there undiscovered
and so freeze to death that bitter night,
and in her agony of terror poor Ruth
could not restrain herself from following
him.
Her poor weakly baby slept; sh.
wrapped it in blanket and laid it il
its poor cradle. Then she threw hel
warm shawl over her head, and hastened
down the street, busy this late Saturday
night with market-going people of the
poorer classes. =
A little way before her reeled tn,
handsome, broad-shouldered figure O
her husband, and she, lady bred and
| born, fastidious, elegant, accomplished
reared in luxury, heard poor laborers
wives warn their children to beware o
, the drunken fellow" 49,,
She heard course laughs at his OK
pense, and under the shadow of he
shawl her cheek burnt hotly, but for al
) t44at el.e-ne~er- Thought -sf going -haai
and leaving him to himself As soon q
she could she gained his side and callet
to him by name: c,.3. .,cs5sis
/ Edward! Edward!
Returned and stood unsteadily look
ing at her in bewildered way. :
ssYou?" he said. s'You ought to b
at home this time of night"
$50 ought we both," said Ruth
"Come, dear" f aEli7 ~5fia
| He threw her hand off. .-..-. D.,
"I'm my own master" he said 'Tn
not tied to any woman's apron string
! and staggered away again, Ruth follow
ing through the long streets with ever,
face turned toward them as they passes
some laughing, some contemptuous
some terrified; out at last upon tn
wharves, and there the besotted man sa
down more stupefed by the liquor h
: had swallowed, in that fresh, cold all
Ruth was thinly clad-the chill of tn
, sea-blast seemed to reach her very heart
She thought of the babe at home an
| tears coursed down her cheeks. Agai
{ and again she pied with the mad maj
/ at her side. Again and again she trie
| to bring to his mind some ingerin
: memory of the past days when his loy
and protection had been hers. In vain
5 Wild fancies filed his brain, demon
3 born of the fumes of rum held posses
7 sion of his senses. Sometimes he thrus
: her from him, sometimes he gave her
: maudlin embrace, and bade her brin
l him more liquor, but go home he woul
> not. The distant hum of the city die
l out at last, all was still with the strang
g stiffness of city night. The frost
a stars twinkled overhead. Now and the
/, a night boat passed up the river, wit
q measured beat and throb. Once q ru
fanly-looking fellow sauntered pa
>, them on the pier, but though he fun
T her an insolent word and yet more ins,
h lent laugh, and went away singing y
n more insolently, he did not approac
q them. So benumbed had Ruth grown
e SO cold to the very heart was she, tn
h the power of motion had almost deserte
. her, when at last, as the church cloc
not far away tolled the hour of four, IL
is degraded man staggered to his feet an
% reeled homeward. She followed feebl
n and only by clinging to the balustrat
could she mount the wretched stairs.
was bitter cold within as without, but s.
Sc was glad to find herself at last und
% shelter. Her babe still slumbered al
l. she did not waken it. Her frozen bose
could only have chilled the little ere
g. ture. There were few bits of brok
in | ,uood in ono cornar and with these q