Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-07-11

w hen you Vo olditcu iiO WV" ~
ing colors and all sails set; when
you've gathered around youa sweet
wife and family, when in a fatal
moment you yield to a passion for
drink, when honor is lost, money
gone, health destroyed, your el-
bows out and your dear wife and
children ragged and starving and
you Oh the verge Of a fearful grave,
then you'll know what hell is like
The twilight was settling over
the car and haze of smoke gave
all the figures within it a weird,
bloated, distant look. The sallow
mans voice was deep and hollow,
but loud enough to hear above the
noise of the train. AS he told his
story in a tremulous tone and end
ed with deep groan, a perceptl-
BILE shiver ran over the stout gen.
tleman's frame.
Yes, continued the new man,
bowing his head in his hands, 'that
that is hell The car had become
silent now, and was listening as
he continued:
'One night I stood upon the
Harlem Bridge. The demon in my
soul whispered suicide. l mounted
the rail. looked about me in the
calm, still night. l saw the bridge
policeman going into a saloon on
the shore. 1 could not go too. L
was penniless-penniless, and oh,
how thirsty In anguish | threw
up my hands for the fatal plunge.
At that terrible moment a good
angel came to me. 1t said: Go to
Jerry McAuley's and be saved. L
went and here | am now. Gentle
men, and the sallow mans deep
tones vibrated brokenly through
the car; do ask me if l believe?
The stout gentleman wiped his
forehead and the reclaimed man
continued:
4 am here, as you see me, dis
tributing tracts. 1t is all l can do
to show my gratitude to the Lord.
1 live-it is enough. But ah, my
Door wife and children Kind
friends took them to Ohio. l am
broken down man now. Each day
l am feebler. Soon | shall lay
down the cross and receive the
crown. But alb, my friends, | am
but human. A husbands love
cannot be crushed; a fathers heart
will not be still. 1t is the only
thing wanting to my poor happiness
to see my dear ones before go.
Yet am happy, very happy, |
don't repine, gentlemen; but it's
hard-very hard And the sallow
man fairly sobbed aloud.
Dear me, said the stout gentle
man nervously, this is very pain
ful-vow. This poor, delued, un'
selfish fellow, gentlemen, may be
mistaken, but he is sincere. By
Jumbo, gentlemen, where in this
car is there another man who will
leave wife, children, a decent oc'
cupation, all out of gratitude and
and devotion and pure unselfsh
love? 1t is superstition, l grant
YOU, but hang me up to dry if il
amt noble one. Hang me up,
but I'm going to reward this and
the stout gentleman dived into his
pocket, drew out a So bill, grabbed
his silk hat from the rack, threw in
the bill and passed it to his fellow
players saying: There's my little
mite toward sending this man to
his family in Ohio and giving him
something to take to them. What's
yours?
The drummer threw in two dol
lar bill, the Nihilist contributed ten
cents and the cattle dealer added a
trade dollar with a hole in it,
Splendid a! cried the stout gentle
man gleefully. Pll give you all a
chance, and he passed the hat gal
lantly through the car, collecting
| it half full of money. Then he
brought it joyously back to the
dumbfounded Christian soldier and
poured it into his pockets with a
beaming face. The poor fellow
could only exclaim, God bless you
for at this moment the train stopped
at Poughkeepsie for refreshments
and in the confusion he was lost
sight of. The stout gentleman
drew on his overcoat aud went out
for a cup of coffee.
Ten minutes later the train was
moving off, but the stout gentle
man had not returned. The drum
mer glanced out of the window
Suddenly he uttered a wild cry ant
dashed his head against the pane
On the platform stood the stout
gentleman looking after the trail
with a complacent smile. Beside
him stood the tract distributor will
a cigar in his mouth. He grinnet
for Joy as he transferred a roll o
bank notes to the stout gentleman