The Brookhaven leader., 1884-01-17
Temperance.
Il WOMAN'S STORY.
Az Gxc1DExT OF THE CRUSADE.

| Il " O4HIN y - rom.
| Az INCIDENT OF THE CRUSADE.
| Tho room was cold 80 chccrless and bare
| With it, rickety table, and on" broken char,
And its curtain'css window with hardly
pane
/ To keep out the snow, the wind and the rain.
| A cradle stood empty, pushed up to the wall
| And somehow thai sccIne the saddc-t of al.
| ia the old rusty stove the fire was deaf;
| There was snow en- the EOor at the foot Of the
bed.
And there all alone pale woman was lying;
You need not look twice, to see she was
Dying of want-of hunger and cold.
Shall tell you her storv-thc story she id?
mo ma,am, I'm no better my cough is so
bad:
Itswca-ing me out. though, and that makes
me glad.
For it's wear.some living when ones all
alone.
And Heaven they tell me is just Ike a home.
ayes. maam, I've Il husband, he's some
whore about;
] hopcd he'd come in fore the fire went out;
But guess he has gone whcr1 he's likely 10
mean to the clearinghouse over the way.
1t was not so always; l hope you won't
Too hard of him, lady, its only the drink
| know he's kind-heartcd, Tor OH, how he
For our poor little baby the morning it died!
you see he tool sudden, and grew very
And we had no doctor-my poor little lad.
For his father had gone-nevcr meaning to
am sure-to the drinking-house over the
way.
"And when he came back twas far in the
And was so tired, and sick with the fright
OF staying 50 long with my haOy alone.
And ii cutting my heart with its pitful moan.
q" He was cross with the drink, poor fellow.
know
1t was that, not his baby, that bothered him
But he swore n the child, rs painting it lay.
! And went back to the clearinghouse over
the way.
Il heard the gate slam and my heart seemed
| Like ice in my bosom and there on my knees
| By the side Of the cradle, all shiverng,
staycd;
! ] wanted my mother, cried and prayed.
"The clock it struck two fore my baby was
And my thoughts they went back to the home
on the hill,
Where my happy girlhood had spent its short
Far, far from that clearinghouse over the
| way.
wife,
There Watching alone, while that dear little
life
Was going so fast that had to bend low
| To hear if he hredthed, twas so faint and
| so slow.
"Y Yes, it was easy his dying, he just grew
more white.
And his eyes OPP ned wider to look for the light
As his father came in, twas just break OF
Came in from the clearinghouse over the
| way.
" "Yes ma am he was sober, at least mostly
think,
He often stayed that way to wear off the
And know he was sorry for what he had
done,
"And straight did he come to the cradle-bed
where
Our baby lay dead. so pretty and fair;
l wondered that could have wished him to
stay
way.
4" He stood quiet awhile, did not understand,
You see, am, TIL he touched the little cold
hand
Oh, then came the tears, and he shook like a
leaf,
And said: Twas the drinking had made all
the grief
"The neghbors were kind, and the minister
And he talkel of my seeing my baby again.
And of the bright angels-I wondered if they
Could see into that drink .ng-house over the
way.
"And thought when my baby was put in the
ground,
And the man with the spade was shaping the
mound.
If somebody only would help me to save
My husband, who stood by my side at the
grave.
:" If only it were not so handy. the drink!
The men that make laws, ma am, sure didn't
think
OF the hearts they would break, of the souls
they would say,
When they licensed that clearinghouse over
the way.
i've been sick ever since, it can not be long;
BE pitiful, lady, to him when I'm gone;
He wants to do right, but you never would
think
How weak a man grows when he's fond of
the drink.
"And it's tempting him here, and it's tempt
ing him there;
Four places We counted in this very square
Where "A man can get whisky by night and by
Not to reckon the clearinghouse over the
way.
"There's, verse in the Bible the minister
read:
NO drunkard shall enter Heaven it said;
! And he is my husband, and loved him so,
! And where am .tOing, want he should co.
"Our baby and will both want him there;
| Don't you think the dear Jesus will hear to
my prayer?
| And please, when I'm gone, ask some one to
pray
For him, at the clearinghouse over the way"
Hrs Mutt iIU in Union NiOnnI.