Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-12-25

thought ess, and thuftless. as he was,
he would not forget and the children
that Christmas Eve.
But the stormy hours wore by, yet he
did not return. Poor. half famished
little Tom sat before the fire, and watched
the scanty supper with longing eyes.
His mother noticed the little fellow, and
proceeded at once to place it on the
table; she made them eat, aud then
coaxed them to go to bed. Then she
sat down again to her work aud her
anxious vigil
Slowly and YEARLY the hours wore on,
and with every moment the storm seemed
to increase. At last she heard the vii
lage bells striking for midnight. At
! the same moment feeble little moan
from the crib made her start to her feet.
The babe was growing worse, its
breath came now in sharp gasps, and its
little face began to wear a strange,
it up with a stiaed cry. Then she ran
to the bed where Tom was lying fast
asleep, and dreaming, no doubt, of
what the long-hoped for
would bring him.
"Tom, Tom" she cried, shaking him
gently, "get up, dear--you must run for
your father, for Imafraid baby's dying"
The sturdy little fellow was on his
feet in an instant.
"The saloon, mother?" he inquired,
significantly, with strange look of sor
rowful humiliation in his Young eyes a.
he quickly drew on his warm Jacket.
eyes, Toni And be sure you bring
him; and if there's any money left, run
by the apothecary's and get the medicine
but it's too late now! BE quick, now,
Tom! How very dark it is! I'll wake
Annie to go with you, if you're afraid. "
"No, mother, she shan't go ont in tn s
storm-Tm not afraid" and away the
manly little fellow went, out into the
wild, stormy midnight.
The mother sat down and held the
dying babe close to her bosom. And
this was the night for which she had
worked, aud boarded, and hoped for SO
long!
An hour passed, and little Tom re-
turned, drenched and shivering.
"ETes here, mother" he half sobbed,
"but he won't come, and the moneys all
gone, he says | came by the apothe-
cary's, but he wouldn't let me have the
medicine. Oh, mother, what shall we
do?"
"ITeaven knows, my boy" said his
mother as the breathing on her bosom
grew more convulsive, "put on more
wood and wake Annie, then you had
better run back. The child is DYING
tell your father So"
Tom obeyed Another hour went by,
and above the din of the storm, above
the sobs of little Annie, the waiting wife
caught the sound of that heavy, un-
steady footstep. lie was coming, but it
was too late. The babe that she held so
closely to her poor, aching heart, was
now past all earthly suffering. She
arose, and laid it in its crib, and crossed
the little, waXen hands upon the pulse
less bosom. Then she rose to meet her
husband.
He staggered in, pale and abashed,
and half desperate. She pointed in
cradle pillow.
"Your work." she said, hoarsely.
"You have killed my baby. The medi-
cine might have saved her! Where's
my money, that worked so hard for?
The shock half sobered him, and he
answered, deiantly:
81 went to the saloon and gambled il
away. You might have known that
would"
This poor wife had spirit and temper
enough beneath her meekness and pa
tience, and it blazed up fercely now
She turned to push him from her in bit
ter anger and disgust, but the sight Of
his face arrested her. A h!oated, brutal,
drunkard's face, but the face of her owr
husband; the face that had won hel
years before, in her happy girlhood; the
face that was so noble and manly, wher
the village bell rang in honor of thoil
wedding day. A sudden gush of ten
derncss melted her heart.
ooh, Charlie" she sobbed, chow car
you break my heart, and love yot
so?n
His face whitened to the hue of deatl
and his breast heaved convulsively.
, "Don't," he cried, hoarsely, as he tore
himself from her arms, and the next in
stant he was gone-out in the storm ano
darkness.
The mother dressed her little one witt
her own hands in its dantiest robes
with knots of ribbon at the dimpeC
shoulders, and fall of misty lace at thu
tiny, white throat. Then she drapec
the cradle all white, and laid it down
, and she and Tom and Annie watched
, beside it. A sorrowful vigil to welcome
, Christmas morn
1t dawned upon them royally-a glo
rious daybreak, born of the storm anc
,, darkness. THE east was one glow o
, splendor, and from every steeple fo
miles around rang out the glorious
, jubilant, ''peace on earth, and goo(
= will toward men,"
The drunkard's s wife and children so
in silence and desoation, watching b,
their dead. A step broke upon thei
mournful silence.
The poor, anxious wife raised he
, head and met her husbands steadfast
sober eye.
"Mary," he said solemly, as he en-
! tered the room and knelt down besid
her, '1ve brought you something" an,
r he laid folded paper on her lap. 'Tv
y signed the pledge, and intend to begi
, a new life If God will forgive me, ca
Q you, Mary"
q She glanced at the paper, and the
she caught his poor, repentent face t
@ her bosom, and covered it with kisses
v "Oh, Charlie, " she sobbed, II do fol
{ give Tou, and love you SOP
r "'Tis your love that will save me-" h
r answered solemnly my wife's forgiy
inp love