Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-11-29


exhibition, for suddenly the dance
ended, or rather the dancers gave out,
and sank exhausted into their seats.
After a short breathing spell, Mary's
eyes chanced to light on me, and for a
moment sho was overcome with con-
fusion. She rose, however, and came
forward with great show of hospitality,
routed half dozen children out of
their seats, asking sharply where were
their "manners, busted 4 chair with
her apron and begged me to be seated.
| hastered to reassure her, telling her
that ! had enjoyed the darcing wonder
fully.
"Nell, ye see, mum, " she explained,
"thc young man is ME cousin, jst three
days oyer from the pGld country, and
the blues was on him bad; so to cheer
him up bit an make it seem home
like, ye know, we was havin little
dance"
The homesick youth, the cause of
such tender solicitude, looked sheepish,
and mopped his face with large cot
ton handkerchief
But alas for poor Mary! 1t was not
long before she came to grief. 1t
seemed that her little family had been
wonderfully prosporcd. What with
Mikes daily wages and her own, and
the money the "b'ys" earned selling
papers, they had become quite rich
people. They owned their bit of n
house and had 4 snug little sum laid
by. And now the desire to rise crept
into Mary's ambitious heart. "Why
shouldn't they live in a fine house
some day and be as good as the bestl'
So she pursuaded her steady old hus-
band to set up beer shOp-a favorite
way of making money with that class
of people-and only three months
afterwards she came to me in great dis
tress and poured out her soul in sorrow
ane repentance.
'It's all along O. that cruel beer
shop" she groaned; ''it's ruined us in
tireiy. Be the Howly Father" she
cried, throwing up her arms in pas
sion of misery, | wish this tongue had
been pulled out o. me mouth wish
black death had come to me before liver
| coaXed me Mike to 90 into it! An
he always the best of husbands! Many
the time he's got up in the dead o
night to get me dhrink o. wather-he
has indade, mum. An that fond o
the childer-coaXin' an tain Of EN-
from mornin' till night; an now he is
that savage wild en- that they run an
hide when he comes a'near the house
Many's the bloody fight we've had
along of 'em! Oh, that |, their pool
mother, should have to be always
a-watchin', watchin," slapin' or wakin
lest harm come to 'em from !heir owl
father! God knows!" said she, scorn
fully, barring bruised aud bloody arm
''it's little | fear for meSelf, anyway.
I'm match for Mike, thrunk or sober
barrn' few Bruises with sniff o
disdain and putting down her sleeve.
A little while after came tho dread
climax of her woe. | wish | could tel
the story in Mary's very words;
For weeks gone, mum, Mike wa,
niyer, niver, sober at all! Up in the
mornin' an out for drink-mad Graz,
in it all day an all night till hi
strength was gone from him intirely
then slapin in his clothes wherever h,
happened to DO till lac wakes, then W
an to the dhrink again.
"Well, mum, this is how it was
That night the childer was to bed an
asleep, an sat in mo rockin .chai
croonn' to the baby-our little Dim,
an feelin' grain O. comfort creep
in into me poor heart. How could
help itP-the baby was a.smilin' up in
to my face, an for minute | forgO
me trouble-yis, thank God! thanl
God!" she burst out vehcmently, he
poor old face drenched in tears
'Thank God! for that last blessed min
ute held me baby in these arms for
got that had made me home q hcl
and my husband q diUH!"
shall never forget the power anC
, expression of her words and look
Even while wept could but admire
what | had often noticed, her wonder
full dramatic power.
"Yis," she went on, 81 did fOrgit
an began to coax meself into b'lavin
as things would all come right. Nov
: that We had gin up the beer shop lon
r since, Mike would come round in time
: Poor Mike, my heart warmed to him
Q $50 | was a-sittin' there soft an
a tinder like, an the child was smilin' i
S me arms, when | heard Mikes step ol
tho stairs. He bust into tho room
/, llourishin' his big stick in his fist, an
l he comes up to me-the bloody muI
thurin' villain-drags the baby ont c
], ME arms, ups wild winder and heave
him out into the road! | springs I
:; the door an he hits me on the hea
k wild his club an rushes out.
S al lay there on the floor till me sinso
o come back to me an thin thinks III
o. the baby. l goes as fast as | ca
X crawl, with tic blood stramin' from m
!, head, out into the street, an there, j
n the middle of the road lay me bab
stark dead! the breath gone out of HI
II little body intirely! his head hit on
J. sharp stone, and that was what kilt hin
@ 81 kneeled me down in tho blood
= road an took me baby to me heart NJ
l. prayed to God to strike me dead; br
Q he didn't num-" she added drily, VIII
= ing her eyes. "An' it's glad | am no
l. that he didn't, for poor Mikes sake al
1t the childers'.
"Well, mum, when Mike comes
i hisself in the mornin' he was jist vii
% wild grief. 1t was all Father Riley al
ir | could do to hold him from batin's h
,r owns brains out.
is "And would ye behave it nowp whe
l. /, that murdered baby's mother, 50
III his heart a-brakin' in him, an heal
ID him groanin' and eryin', forgot ever
A thing in the whole world--baby an
,e all, an jist remembered poor old Mix
,r an l loved him jst the same-tl
bloody murtherin' villain!
ID "But, mum, it was | that timptt
s. him in the fust place don't yo forg
n. that!
d. "Well, Father Riley hushed it up a
III made it look right to the neighbors-i
A. little they knew anyway-an' now he
re helpin' us to begin all over again-'Go
I'd dlemighty forever bless him!
70 "We try not to remember how d
to baby went-Mike an debut jist
n. think he's gone to Paradise. But o
n, mum, can tell it to yerself how the
,d orn,s ache for him gOmotimps-hnW