The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-03-02


out till morning, and then he'd sleep so
late; and l couldn't wake him when l
knocked, he'd been out so late the night
before. And then the farm run down.
and then we lost the team. One of the
horses got killed when he'd been to town
one awful cold night. He stayed late.
and L suppose they got cold standin out,
and got scared and broke loose and run
most home; but they ran against the
fence, and stake run into one of them.
and when we found him next morning
he was dead and the other was standing
under the shed. And SO after awhile he
coaxed me to sell the farm and buy a
house and lot in the village, and he'd
work at carpenter work. And so / did
as we couldn't do nothing on the farm.
!" But he grew worse than ever, and
after awhile couldn't get any work, and
would not do anything but gamble and
drink all the time. l used to do every
thing l could to get him to quit and be
good industrious boy. again, but he
used to get mad after awhile, and once
he struck me; and then in the morning
| found be had taken what little money
there was left of the farm and had run
off. After that got along as well as /
could, cleanin' house for folks, and
washin bat l didn't hear nothing of him
for four or five years; but when he got
arrested and was taken up to Oshkosh
for trial, he wrote to me-
By this time there was not dry eve
in the car, and the cards had dis
The old lady herself was
weeping silently and speaking in snatch
es. But recovering herself she con-
tinued
But what could l do? I sold the
house and lot to get money to hire a
lawyer; and l believe he is here some
where Cooking around) Oh, yes, there
he is, Mr. pointing to LAWYER,
who had not taken part in the play
And this is the man, l am sure, who
argued against him pointing to Mr..
the district Attorney And you Judge
sent him to prison; 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 cards most
all night, and drinking. But oh dear
it seems to me as though if he hadn't got
to playing cards he might have been alive
yet. But when used to tell him it was
wrong, and bad to play he used to say
Why, mother, everybody plays now. l
never bet only for candy or cigars, or
something like that And when we
heard that the young folks played cards
down at Mr.. Culver's donation party.
and that Squire Ring was going to get
billiard table for his young folks to play at
home, | couldn't do anything at all with
him. We used to think it was awful to
do that way when I was young but it
Just seems to me as if everybody now
adays was going wrong in something or
other. But may be it isn't right for = me
to talk to you. Judge, in this way but
1T just seems to me as if the sight of
them cards would kill me, Judge. 1
thought if you only knew how bad 1 felt,
you wouldn't play on so; and then to
think, right here before all these young
folks
May be, Judge, you don't know how
young folks look up to such as you; and
then l can't help thinking that may be
If them that ought to know better than
to do so, and them that are higher learnt,
and all that wouldn't set such examples
my poor Tom would be alive and caring
for his poor old mother. But now there
ain any of our family left but me and
my poor gran child, my dead daughters
little girl; and we are going to stop with
my brother in Illinois"
Tongue OF man or angel never preached
a more eloquent sermon than that gray,
old lady, trembling with old
age and excitement, and fear that she
was doing wrong 1 cannot recall half
she said, as she, poor, lone, beggared
widow, stood before those noble-l looking
men, and pleaded the cause Of the rising
generation.
The look they bore as she poured
forth her sorrowful tale was indescrib-
able. To say that they looked like
criminals at the bar would be a faint
description. I can imagine how they
felt. The old lady tottered to her seat,
and taking her little grandchild in her
lap, hid her face on her neck. The lit
tie one stroked her gray hair with one
hand, and said, Don't cry, gran ma
don't cry gran'm Eyes unused to
were red for many mile on
that journey. And can hardly believe
that one who witnessed that scene ever
touched a card again. 1t is just to say
that when the passengers came to them.
selves, they generously responded to the
Judge, who, hat in hand, silently passed
through the little audience