The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1881-06-30
but the answer crushed all hope within

L
have no longer q daughter" and Ruth
knew that henceforth 6or she had been
motherless for years. she had in all the
world only the husband for whom she
had sacrificed fortune, and what is worth
tar more, the tender protection of O
father.
In those early days Edward did his
best to make amends for all, and she
was 80 proud OF him and so fond of him
that she soon forgot to grieve.
She heard his name uttered in praise
by all. She knew that he had but to
keep steadily on, to mount to the proud
est seat in fame's high temple, AND for q
year she had no fear OF his falterine.
Now and then q feverish something in
his voice and manner, O strange light in
his eyes, a greater flow of eloquence in
his talk, more passionate demonstra-
tion of love for her than usual. told that
he was under the influence of wine. but
the fact only seemed to enhance his power
OF Fascination. Never was he so brilliant.
never 80 handsome. Almost could Ruth
have laughed at the sermons preached
by the temperance folks of the harm sure
to follow wine drinking.
If the story could end here. the true
story of Ruth Holly's life, it'would be
almost 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
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 ever. 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, III state bordering upon beg
gary.
Edward had been moro madly intoM-
Gated than ever before; he had even
given her q 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, vowing to get drunk some
where.
Poor Ruth stood where he had left her
Tor few moments. The memory of the
past was strong on her that night. Just
at this hour five years before they had
fled from her fathers home together.
How tender he was, how loving,
how gentle! How he vowed that
she would never regret that night, and
how had he kept those promises? He
had broken every vow-he neither cher
lshed nor protected her. His worldly
goods he had given to the ravenous de-
mon, drink, his love had become a 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 remem-
Der the blow he had given her, the oaths
he had uttered, but she answered herself
as she did so, "It was not him who did
lit was rum" She listened to the
uncertain, reeling footsteps in the street
below and burst into tears.
"My poor darling" she whispered, as
she thought some grievous calamity had
smltten him into the thing he was, and
he had not himself "put an enemy in his
mouth to steal away his BRAIN" unmind-
full of her pleading, unmindful 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. Ho might fall in some out-of-
the-way place and lie there undiscovered
and 80 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; she
wrapped it in a blanket and laid it in
its poor cradle. Then she threw her
warm shawl over her head, and fastened
down the street, busy this late Saturday
night with market-going people Of the
poorer classes.
A little way before her reeled the
handsome, broad-shouldered figure of
her husband, and she, lady bred and
born, fastidious, elegant, accomplished,
reared in luxury, heard poor laborers'
wives warn their children to beware of
the 06runkan FalioSv