The Brookhaven leader., 1883-10-25
TIE BEER.SHOP.
A Washerwoman's Story.

But alas for poor Mary! 1t
was not long before she came to grief.
1t seemed that her little family had been
wonderfully prospcred, What with
Mikes daily wages and her own, and
the money the vs. earned selling
papers. they had bccome quite rich peo-
pie. They owned their bit of Il house
and had snug little sum laid by. And
now the desire to rise crept into Mary's
ambitious heart. "Nhy shouldn they
live in fine house some day and be as
GOOD as the bcSt?'
So she persuaded her steady old hus-
band to set up beer-shop-a fayorite
way of making money with that class
of people-and only three months after
wards she came to me in great distress
and poured out her soul in sorrow and
repentance.
"lt's all along o. that cruel beer
shop" she groaned; cts ruined us in
tirely! Be the Howly Father!' she
cred, throwing up her arms in pas
SION of misery, Il wish this tongue had
been pulled out O me mouth wish
black death had come to me, before iver
| coaxed my Mike to 90 into it! An he
ALWAYS the best of husbands! Many's
NHt tltlC llC = fSpt uI' III INC t''t " thO
night to get me q dhril2k o lCdtheT-hc
has indadc, mum! And that fond O
the Childcr-cOaXin' an tain EN-
from mornin' til night; and now he is
that savage w,d EN- that they run and
hide when he comes a-near the house!
Many the bloody fight we We had along
of EN-! Oh that |, their poor mother,
should have to be always a-watchin',
watchin .-slapin' or wakin'-lest harm
come to 'cm from their own father!
God knows,' said she, scornfully,
barring a bruised and bloody arm, ''its
little fear for meselt, anyway. I'm
match for Mike, dhrunk or sober!
lar,n' a few bruises with sniff of
dIsdain and putting down her sleeve.
A little while after came the dread
climax of her woe. | wish | could tell
the story in Mary's very words:
For weeks gone, mum, Mike was
niver, niver sober at all. Up in the
mornin aud out for dhrink--mad crazy
in it all day an all night till his strength
was gone from him intirely; then slapin
in his clothes wheriver he happened to
be till he wakes, then ups an to the
drinks agin.
well, mum, this is how it was: That
night the childer was to bed an asleep,
an sat in me rockin' chair crOonin' to
the baby-our little Dinny-an' feelin'
Il grain o comfort creepin' into my poor
heart. How could help it?-thc baby
was a-smilin' up into me face, an for
minute | forgot me trouble-yis, thank
God thank God - she burst out vehe-
mently, her poor old face drcnched
in tears. Thank God for that last
blessed minute that | hid my baby in
these arms forgot that | had made me
home Il he'll an me husband dirl!"
| shall never forget the power and
expression of her words and looks.
Even while | wept | could hut admire,
what had often noticed, her wonderful
dramatic power.
.'Yis,' She went on, Il did forgit, an
| began to coax meself into bef favin'
as things would all come right. Now
that we had gin up the beer shop long
since, Mike would come round in time.
Poor Mike ne heart warmed to him.
80 was a-settin' there soft an tin
der like, an the child was smilin' in
me arms, when | heard Mikes step on
the stairs. He burst into the room
flourishin' his big stick in his fist, an
he comes up to me-the bloody muir
therin' villain -drags the baby out of
me arms, ups wild winder an heaves
him out into the road i springs to the
door, an he hits ME on the head with
his club an rushes out.
"a lay there on the floor till me sinses
comes back to me an then | thinks me
o the baby, goes as fast rs can crawl,
with the blood stramin' from me head,
out into the street, an there, in the
middle of the road lay me baby stark
dead the breath gone out of his little
body intirly! his head hit on a sharp
stone. an that was what kilt him.
Il kneeled me down in the bloody
road an took me baby to me heart an
prayed to God to sthrike me dead; but
he didn't, num-" she added, dryly,
wiping her eyes. "An' it's glad | am
now that he didn' t, for poor Mike 5
sake an the childers'.
swell, mum. whin Mike come to his
self in the mornin' he was jist wild wild
| grief. 1t was all Father Riley an
could do to hold him from b'atin' his
own brains out.
''An would We behave it now? whin
| /, that murdered la5y' S mother, saw his
heart a-breakin' in him, an heard him
groanin' an cryin'. forget everything
in the whole world baby an allan