The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-02-27


become quite rich people. They owned
their bit of house and had a snug little
sum laid by. And now the desire to rise
crept into Mary's ambitious heart. "Why
shouldn't they live in fine house some
day and be as good as the best ?"
So she persuaded 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 see me in great distress, and
poured out her soul in sorrow and re.
pentance.
Its all along O. that cruel beer-shop,"
she groaned; "it's ruined us intirely
Be the Howly Father |" she cried, throw.
ing up her arms in passion of misery,
I" l wish this tongue had been pulled out
o. me MOUTH wish black death had
come to me before liver l coaxed my Mike
to 60 into it An he always the best of
husbands Many's the time he's got
up in the dead O. the night to get me
drink o. wather-he has indade, mum
An that fond O. the cbilder--coaxin' and
tain 'em from mornin' till night and
now he is that savage wild 'em that they
run and hide when he comes a'near the
house Many's the bloody fight we've
had along of ''em Oh that l, their poor
MOTHER should have to be always
a.wstchin', watchip' -slapin' or wakin'-
lest harm come to 'em from their own
father God knowsl" sid she, scorn-
fully, barring bruised and bloody arm,
"it's little fear for mesself, anyway.
Pm match for Mike, dhrunk or sober
barin' few bruises" with a sniff of dis.
dain and putting down her sleeve.
litf1n xpb,la Of ba II;
max of her woe. | wish / could tell the
story in Mary's very words:
"For weeks gone, mum, Mike was
niver, niver sober at all Ups in the
mornin' an 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 WHEREVER he happened to
be till he wakes, then ups an to the dhrink
agin.
"Well, mum, this is how it was That
night the childer was to bed an asleep,
an sat in me ROCKINGHAM croonin' to the
baby-our little Dinny-an' feelin' grain
O. comfort creepin' into my heart. How
could l help it ?-the baby was smilin'
up into me face, an for minute forgot
me trouble-yis, thank God thank God !"
she burst out vehemently, her poor old
face drenched in tears. "Thank God
for that last blessid minute that hid me
baby in these arms forgot that had
made me home hell, and me husband
divil /"
shall never forget the power and ex-
preston of her words and look. Even
while wept l could but admire, what l
had often noticed, her wonderful dramatic
power.
"Yis," she went on. az did forgit, an
l begun to coax meself into bel'avin' 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 me heart warmed to him.
g" So was settin' there soft an tin
der like, an the child was smilin' in me
arms, when heard Mixes step on the
stairs. He burst into the room fourishin
his big stick in his fist, an he comes up
to me-the bloody, murtherin' villain
drsgs the baby out O. me arms, ups wild a
winder an heaves him out into the road !
/ springs to the door an he hits me on
the head wild his club an rushes out.
Il lays there on the floor till me sinses
comes back to me, an thin thinks me O.
the baby. | goes as fast as l 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 intirely
His head hit on sharp stone, an' that was
what kilt him.
81 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' its glad l am now that he didn't
for poor Mixes sake an the childers'.
"Well, mum, when 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 batting his own
ms out.
An would ye behave it now whin
, that murdered babys mother, saw his
heart s-breakjn' in him, an heard him
groanin' an cryin', forgot everything in
the whole world-baby an all, an jist
remembered poor old Mike, an loved
him jst the same-the bloody, murtherin
: villain
"But, mum, it was l that timpted him
. in the fustplace-don't ye forgit that p
The Continent.