The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-08-13

old heart yearns TO know IF he Is yet
living. once had babe, q sweet, ten.
der blossom, but these hands destroyed it,
and it liveth with the One who loveth
chilGgen. Do not be startled, friends,
am not murderer in the common accep.
tance of the term. Yet there Ia light in
my eveningsky. Aspirit. mother rejoices
over tho return of her prodigal son. The
wife smiles on him who turns back to
virtue aud honor. The apgel.child visits
me at nightfall, and feel the hallowed
touch OF tinv palm upon my cheek.
My boy, If he yet lives, would forgive
the sorrowiDg OLD lan for the treatment
which sent him out in the world, and Lac
blow which manned him for life. God
forgive me for the ruin which j have
brought on me and mine."
He again wiped tear from his eyes.
Ny father watched him with intensity,
and a countenance unusually pale and
excited by some strange emotion. But
the old man went on:
II was once lunatic, aud madly fol.
lowed the malign light which led me to
ruin. was q fanatic when I sacrificed
c!,'ldren, happiness and home to the ae.
CT. csed demon Of the bowl. once adored
tb gentle being whom so deeply
VI oonged. / was drunkard; ftom re:
apectability and influence I plunged into
degradation and poverty. l dragged my
family down with me. For years I saw
her cheek grow pale and her step weary.
left her alone amid the wrecks of her
home idols and rioted at the tavern. She
never complained, yet she and her chill.
dren often went hungry. One New
Years night returned late to the hut
where charity had given us roof. She
vas otill up shivering over the Goals. I
demanded food, but she burst into tears
and told me there was none. I fie.cely
told her to go and get some. She turned
down her pale cheeks; at this moment
q famished wall, startling the despairing
mother like serpents sting. we have
no food. james! have had none for two
days. !! have nothing for the babe. My
once kind husband, must we starVe ?
That sad pleading face, and those stream
ing eyes, and the feeble wall of the child
maddened me, and I-yes. 7 struck her o
fierce blow in the face, aud she fell for
ward on the hearth. The furies of hell
boiled in my bosom, aud with deep in.
tensity, as ] felt had committed wrong.
l had never struck Mary before, but no n
some terrible impulse bore me on, and
stopped down, as we'll as / could in my
drunken state, and clinched both hands
in her hair. God of mercy 7 exclaimed
my wife, as she looked up In my fendish
countensnce, you will not kill us, you
will not harm Willie7' AS she sprang to
the cradle to grasp him in her embrace
caught her again by the hair and dragged
her to the door and as lifted the latch
the wind burst In with cloud of snow.
With wild laugh, I closed the door and
turned the button, her pleadiBarn crv
ringing with the blast york was not com.
OF her rbaby,urG 10 the little bed where
Plelfny eldest son, and snstched him
from his slumbeB, and against his half
awakened struggles, opened the door and
threw him out. In agony of fear he
called me by q name was not fit to bear.
and locked his little finger in my sids
pocket. / could not wrench the frepzied
grasp away, and with the coolness of a
devil, rs was, shut the door upon his
arm, and with my knife severed the
The speaker ceased moment and
buried his face in his hands as If to shut
out some fearful dream, and his deep
chest heaved like storm swept sea. MY
father had risen from his scat and was
leaning forward, his countenance blood.
less, and the large drops standing out
upon his brow. Chills crept back to my
heart, and wished was at home. The
old man looked up; have never sincs
beheld such mortal agony pictured upon
O human face. He continued:
ut was morning when woke, and the
storm had ceased, and the cold was in.
tense. frat secured drink of water,
and then looked in the accustomed
place for Mary. AS 1 missed her, for the
frat time shadowy sense of somo horri-
BILE nightmare began to dawn upon my
wondering mind. l Thought I had dream.
ed fearful dream, but involuntarily
opened the outside door with shudder.
ing dread. AS the door opened the snow
burst in, followed by q fall of something
across the threshold, scattering the cold
snow aud strikipg the floor with hard,
sharp sound. My blood shot like red
hot arrows through my veins, and I rub.
bed my eyes to keep out the sight. It
was-it-oh God, how horrible It was
my injured Mary and her babe, frozen to
icel The ever true mother had bowed
herself over the child to shield it, and
wrapped oil her own clothing around 1t,
leaving her person stark and bare. She
had placed her hair over the face Of the
child, and the sleet had frozen it to the
white cheek. Tho frost was white in its
half open eyes, and upon its tiny fingers.
! know not what became of my brave
boy"
Again the old man bowed his head and
wepk,. and all that were in the house wept
with hisn. In tones of low, heart.broken
pa.hos, the old man concluded:
q was ? ted, and for long months
raved In hum. awokc was sen.
fenced to ,ison for ten years but no
tolttIIos could equal those in my own
bosom. O., God, no I am not a fanatic /;
Wish. to ipjure no one. But while
live, let me strive to warn others not to
enter path which has been 20 dark and
feafnl for me-"
I. The old man sat down, but spell an
deep and strange as that wrought by some
wizards breath rested upon the audience.
Hearts ccaid hsve bcen heard in their
beating.
] The old man iheE asked the people to
sign the pledge. My fathar leaped from
his seat and snatched at 1t eagerly.
had followed him as he hesirated mo.
ment with his pen In the ink. A tear
fell from the old mans eye upon the
paper.
"Sign IL! I would write my name TO-.
600 times In blood If 1t would bring back
my loved ones !"
My father wrote his name-Mortimer
Hudson.
Tho old man looked, wiped his fearful
eyes, and looked again, his countenapce
alternately flushed with red and death.
like paIeness. ~.