The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-09-11

sire to smash itself. I did. But it was no
use. Happy bottles, beautiful cut glass
cologne bottles, innocent water bottles
nave been broken when they most desired
to last, no doubt; but I, who had become
a dwelling-place for devils, | lasted.
''They carried the old grandfather away,
and his poor daughter got a black dress
somehow. One night Jack went sneaking
out of the house with a bundle unde one
arm and me under the other. The bundle
was his wife's mourning dress for her
father. He took it to a pawn-shop and
pawned it for enough to fill me twice.
The poor woman never had a decent dress
again.
ssShe was in rags. She was hungry.
I've seen Jack clutch her hand and wrench
the money she'd earned for her children's
bread from it, and then go off with me.
Think of it I had to aid and abet him,
and hear her say things about me that
were very natural. seeing that she didn't
know how | hated the devils that lived in
HIT DuI lldb WCiC ~ u Cal Dot iC iCii
down stairs with me in his pocket and
broke his head, and didn't break me. He
hit me against things, to their injury, not
mine. l must have a guardian devil,
lasted so.
Gone day-it was such 4 bitter day, ice
and snow and sleet everywhere-just five
| years from the Christmas I'd been made a
present to Jack, he stood, ragged and
dirty, at a bar-room stove, with me in his
pocket-my neck sticking out. Up came
the proprietor.
"'Now Jack Barker says he, why
don't you go home?'
"He was ashamed to have him there, you
see, a ragged creature with his toes out
and a black eye and a broken nose. He
used to be called Handsome Jack Barker
before he took to filling me. Think of
that.
"Now he looked up with a miserable,
AFFECT whine.
Christmas eve? q says he. You didn't use
to say go home when I came here with
full pockets, Mr.. Jones'
We'll no, | didn't, said the man; 'and
it would have been better il | had. I'll fill
your bottle for YOU, Jack Barker.
HE filled it-goodness knows with
what-and the poor wretch staggered
home. Oh, the wretched cellar; the miser-
able straw bed in tie corner; the wife ly-
ing sick upon it. | remember them SO
well.
s'She was very sick, and there was a
little baby beside her. Just think of
another baby there.
"sHappy Christmas said he, as he stag
gered in. Happy Christmas, old girl!
".Happy!' said she. oh this dreadful
day. That bottle came to us first on
Christmas
1T takes SO little to put a drunken man
in a rage. He answered her with an oath.
Anybody would think | was drunk to
ZEAL you talk, said he. And the poor wo-
man answered:
"tOh good Heaven! are you ever sober ?
Oh, Jack! Jack.
"And then he flew at her. He took me
by the neck and beat her over the head
with me. The cork fell out and the liquor
poured over her breast and over the face of
the little baby lying upon it. 1t mingled
with her blood.
sat first she screamed. Then she lay
still. Her face grew white. | knew | was
a murderer. 'Oh, let me break | cried.
| Let me be broken into fragments" But
her fair flesh was mashed to pulp, her
delicate bones broken, and was sound as
ever, when Jack, led by Heaven knows
what mad fancy, left his victim and stag
gered into the street again. The snow was
falling. The air was white with it. He
staggered along, muttering tohimself. AT
last he came to a wharf and stumbled across
it. believe a boat lay there on which he
had been once before and on which they
had given him drink.
"'Sea Bird, ahoy' cried he. sHullol
hullo! Sea Bird, ahoy!
"Nobody answered him.
"T'm coming aboard he muttered-
I'm coming aboard. Ishan't stay at home
to be preached to. I'm my own master.
''Then he took one step more. Splash
crash! He was through the thin ice under
the water.
Thank Heaven, said |, my miserable
career is ended
ssThen I turned cold as ice myself, and
there was a roaring in my neck.
Next thing | knew it was broad day
light, and | was floating on the water.
".There's a bottle, said some one. II
was a bare-legged boy. He stopped over
the side of a boat and caught me.
"'There was a man drowned here last
night, said he to another boy at his side.
Ibid you see him p said this one.
eyes said the first. lie was drunk,
and killed his wife. They've got an in
quest on her, down in the cellar over there.
l say, Tn going to sell this bottle to Bill,
the junk man.
$50 | was saved. and much against my
will stood in the junk shop window for a
week. The water had washed the blood
off of me. | had no smell of liquor left,
and along comes rom wife.