The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-06-02

! sound Of cries and shouts in the street
.bAlow. She cast her eyes toward the
d-herl husband fwas not there !? to-
ward the cradleNit was empty. She few
| tothe window-the street was full Of
factory boys with their tin kettles. Some
great Jest amused them nightly They
| roared, they danced, they tossed their
| ragged caps ON high, they shrieked in
unmusica1 laughter, and the object Of
all this mad nirth was only too evident
On the steps of the iauor store OPP
poelte stood Edward Holly, holding his
child in his arms and exhibiting for the
benefit of the delighted crowd all those
antics Of which an intoxicated man alone
is capable He called on the grinning
master of the, gin-cellar x, .sgive this
child fsome brandy" and turned the
screaming infant about in q manner that
left no doubt that he would end by drop
ping it upon the broken pavement.
Wild with terror Ruth rushed out into
the street. and made her way through,
the crowd to the spot where her husband
stood, but before she reached him the
scene had changed.aHsi aass = sitiE
- Some boy more brutal than the rest
had thrown handful of mud into Ed
ward Holly's face, and he, reeling and
blaspheming, had dashed forward to re-
venge the act. z e. &c.. -.
The child had been flung away at the
first step. but fortunately had been
caught by, an old woman who, though
degraded creature herself, had enough
Of the woman remaining to save an IN
FAINT from injury. 'gn1 3 81 rsissss4 -
And now the whole horde of boys beset
the drunken man, pelting him with
sticks and stones and decayed vegetables
from the kennel, and reveling in the
brutal delight with which such scene
always Seem to inspire boys of the lower
classes. .fg ed e1ffw .tRnE e. $50 ast
Ruth saw that her babe was safe and
that her husband was in danger, and,
forgetful Of all else, hew toward him.
She cared nothing for the jeers of the
mob; before them all she flung her arms
about him and intsrposed her beautiful
person between him and his assailants.
The head that had carried itself little
proudly in the presence Of the highest of
the land-that had seemed more queen
like than that, of the Empress herself at
the court Of France-that had awakened
the envy of titled English women when
the young American woman dwelt
among them-dropped itself low upon
the bosom Of the drunken wretch who
was the jeer and scorn of q low mob, and
only in love and pity, not in anger, did
she speak to him: 'A749as4 &eS aia
"Come home, Edwardl They'll hurt
you. my poor love! come home with me- "
Mad as he was-fi1led with the demon
of drink, to the exclusion of the soul
God had given him-the soft, sweet
voice, the fond touch of the white fingers,
awakened some memory Of the past in
the mans breast. s2 5ng1 G sriass7
go you home, grill" he whispered,
| .Tn kill them? Don't fret I'll kill
'em. and" Es7is tfzfsa eaa " 3 taE4 b =
s'Come home, darling, she whispered
again, and he stopped and gave her q
kiss At that the boys yelled derisively,
and flung more mud and stones at them.
One threw Stone heavy stone, sharp.
pointed and jagged. Whether he ever
| intended to strike the man is doubtful,
but the missile few fercely through the
air and crashed against the golden head
of the devoted wife. A stream of blood
gushed from thewhite temple and poured
down upon the bosom where it dropped
| never to lift itself aQain-never. never
moro. Only with a quivering shuddef
of pain she felt for the face of the man
who had sworn to love and cherish her,
| and had broken that vow so utterly
while hers had been SO truly kept =
"Good-by, Edward" she whispered.
a"I can't see you now-kiss me. Oh, be
good to baby! Be good to babyp and
| no word more. ,.i,.-,. e,rss..-,, oil, "a tT..t..,
The crowd was hushed to silence. A
sobered man bent over the dead woman,
whose hands had dropped away from his
breast, and the love and truth and ten
derness of her heart were all manifest to
| him in that terrible moment-manifest
in vain. for repentance could not restore
her to life, nor blot out the love which
had crushed her heart through all those
weary days of her sad married life. ser
"What is the matter here?" cried
voice, as q portly man forced his way
through the crowd GA woman hurt?"
"A woman killed." said the policeman,
and that brute is the cause of all, and
| the gentleman bent forward and started
back with cr~ Of anguish. .''i& p
"It is Ruth r. he said "My Ruthl"
and fell back into the policeman's arms
in deathlike svoon. Forgiveness and
repentance had come alike too late for
poor Ruth Holly Her father could give
her nothing bnt a grave. -, -.
| The child born amidst want and PEN
4 urv. nourished bv o half starving mother.
pined away and died in the luxurious
home to which its grandfather bore it !;
and now, as the old man sits alone IN his
splendid home, he sometimes hears
strange. wild cry in the streets outside,
through which drunken creature reels
and staggers, bowling ever and anon,
| "Ruth Ruth! Ruth y ..--.-.-
It is Edward Holly, who ever in his
drunken madness searches for his muir
dered wife. It Is the pitiful, horrible,
heart-breaking wreck of the once splen-
didly-beautifnl man Of talent, who had
only one fault. t.-Masv Kvle Dallas.
| 4, 80 -ts.4s