The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-10-17

| if possible, to excite to greater exer
ton.
| An Irish jig is like nothing els
on earth, and, seeing it for the frs
time, / assure you it affected me il
the most remarkable manner.
felt an almost irresistible desire t
spring out and throw myself int
the mad whirl. Fortunately / wa
spared making such an exhibition
for suddenly the dance ended, o.
rather the dancers gave out, anC
sank exhausted into their seats.
| After a short breathing spell
Mary's eyes Glanced to light on me
and for a moment she was over
come with confusion. 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 chair
with her apron, and begged me to
be seated. I fastened to reassure
her, telling her that / had enjoyed
the dancing wonderfully.
i9 "Well, you see, mum, she ex-
planned, tthe young man is me
cousin, jist three days over from the
ould country, and the blues was on
him bad; so to cheer him up bit
and make it seem homelike, ye
know, we was havin' little dance. !"
The homesick youth, the cause
of such tender solicitude, looked
sheepish, and mepped his face with
a large cotton handkerchief, Az
But alas for poor Nary 1t was
not long before she came to grief.
1t seemed that her little family had
been wonderfully prospered. What
with Mixes daily wages and her
own, and the money the "b'ys"
earned selling papers, they had be-
come quite rich people. They own
ed their bit, of a house and had a
snug little sum laid by. And now
the desire to rise crept into Mary's
heart. "Why shouldn't
they live in a fine house some day
and be as good as the best?" ..-
So she persuaded her steady old
husband to set up a beer shop-a
favoriUe way of making money with
that class of people-and only three
months afterward she came to me
in great distress and poured out her
soul in sorrow and repentance.
"It's all along O. that cruel beer
shop" she groaned; 'It's ruined us
Be the howly father I"
'he cried, throwing up her arms in
l passion of misery, ~ wish this
,ongue had been pulled out o. me
wish black death had
,ome to me before iver / coaxed my
Mike to go INTO it! An he always
he best of husbands! Many's the
ime he's got up in the dead o. night |
o got me a dhrink o. tCdtker-he
las indade, NUM- An that fond
J the childer-coaxin' and tain |
EN- from mornin' till night; and
low he is that savage wild 'em that |
hey run and hide when he comes
linear the house Many's the |
bloody fight we've had along of 'em /!
Oh that ], their poor mother, should |
laye to be always a-watchin',
vatchin'-slapin' or wakin'-lest |
larm come to 'em from their own
atherI God knowsi" said she
cornfully, barring a bruised and |
bloody arm, '.it's little / fear for
neself anyway. I'm a match for |
Nike, dhrunk or sober! barrin' a
ew bruises" with sniff of disdain
md putting down her sleeve. |
A little while after came the dread |
ilimax Of her woe. / wish [ could |
ell the story in Mary's very words:
"For weeks gone, mum, Mike was
liver, niver sober at all Ups in
he mornin' an out for drink
mad crazy in it all day an all night,
ill his strength was gone from him
then slapin' in his clothes
he happened to be till he
wakes, then ups an TO the dhrink
Lgin. ya'D yEa eHafG.l.-s. ..a t-
DWELL, mum, this is how it was
That night the childer was to bed
IN asleep, an l sat in me rockin'
hair croonin' to the baby-our lit
le Dinny-an, feelin] a grain o.
'omfort ereepin' into my poor heart.
How could l help it?-the baby was
I-smilin' up into me face, an tor a
minute / forgot me trouble-yis,
hank Godl ~ she burst out vehem-
ntly, her poor old face drenched in
ears. uI"Thank Godl for that last |
,lessid minute that hid me baby
n these arms L forgot that l had
made me home a he'll an me hus-
,and diUiIP A3Ht ~ .SSoiU9 I
{. shall never forget the power
md expression of her words and
ook. Even while 1 wept 1 could
,ut admire, what / had often no.
iced, her wonderful dramatic power.
"Yis, !" she went on; III did forgit,
N began to coax myself into be-.
avin' as things weuld all come
light. Now that we had gin up
he beer shop long since, Mike.
would come round in time. Poor
nike me heart warmed to him.
$50 / was a-settin' there, soft an
inder like, an the child was smilin'
n me arms, when L heard Mixes
tep on the stairs. He bust into
he room fiourishin' his blg stick in
lis fist, an he comes up to me-the
,loody murtherin' villain-drags |
he baby out O. me arms, ups wild a
yinder, an heaves him eutinto the
oadl Isprings to the door, an' he
tits me on the head with his club |
In'rushes out. ~ Il .ersMHp |
oaI lay there on the floor till me
inses comes back to me an then / |
kinks me o. the baby. i goes as
asst as 1 can crawl, with the blood |
from me head, out into the /
treet, an there, in the middle of
he road lay me baby stark dead ! |