The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-08-06

Little goose, . he replied, laughing
loudly; s'who ever heard of a fellows
sending his friends away with no wine,n
whereupon he himself ordered it.
There were no wittNspeeehes on the
little wife's tongue that night, and all
the merriment was gone from her face.
She dared not count the glasses Frank
drank, though all the while he grew
more and more gay in his retorts, more
brilliant and entertaining. When her
guests had left. poor Ruth, sick at
heart, looked at her husband and
thought how unlike the Frank of old
he seemed
whats the matter with you?" he
asked. grufiy.
"Oh, Frank! Frank! you are running
your own life! Why will you drink
like this?''
Anybody's business but mine?' he
asked. whats the reason can't
have friendly glass when | want it?
/ can stop when please.
Then l wish you had stopped six
months ago"
Ruth, be silent, you annoy me"
Annoy you, she replied, starting
YEARLY up the stairs. 'sAnnoy you!
And you. you are breaking my heart.
There seems a demon in YOUR soul. At
times [ hardly know you. Hook into
our future and see only misery for us
both if you keep this up. You are kill
ing your better nature; you are making
brute of yourself"
Frank, who had staggered up to the
Stair-landing, felt all the unreasonipg
am /? A brute! And it's my fine
young lady wife who says this. A
bruter' he screamed, his eyes cleaning
wildly, and taking a quick step for
ward he pushed her angrily against
the stair-railing. Startled, she sprang
backward, missed her footing, and fell
down the long flight of stairs, striking
the lower landing heavily, where she
lay motionlesS and white.
Frank looked down at her and
laughed like a maniac. ''See what a
brute can do" he shouted. Cant
you call me pet names again?"
But by that time, the servants, hear
ing the noise, had rushed to the spot.
and, seeing poor Ruth lying white and
cold, screamed: ''Deadi She's deadr,
The sharp cry seemed to pierce
Franks clouded brain, and to leave
that dreadful word stamped there.
dead! Dead! Deadr' he moaned, in
half dazed way, rubbing his hot head,
and then. sooner than can be told,
was kneeling at his wife's side. Bring
water'' he called. "Oh, she can't be
dead. Help me, help me! Call ply
sician. o, Ruth, my darling, open
your eyes. Look at me for one mo-
ment. God. what have done?"
He sobbed like child, rubbed her
white hands and dashed cold water in
her pallid face, while the sympathetic
servants, crying silently, did what they
could to restore her to consciousness.
Before the doctor arrived she had
opened her eyes in dazed way, but
without seeming to know any one.
All that night there was alarm and
confusion in the house. The grave old
physician pronounced it simply Sc
we're nervous shock, not apt to prove
fatal, but from which it would take
time to rally, and was glad to discover
that no more serious injuries had re.
suited from her terrible fall.
Frank did not leave her bedside.
Through all her rawlings, before con-
seriousness returned, he was her devoted
and patient nurse, though his heart
ached with remorSe as he heard her re-
peatedly going over the story of his
shame and her own sorrow.
On the first morning that the invalid
could be carried downstairs, there
was a queer sort of ceremony gone
through with in the dining room.
Frank with manly tears confessed his
sins before his little wife-confessor,
told her that he meant neoer, so long
as he lived, to touch another drop of
liquor or TO keep it in his home. And
when tears and kisses had been lavish
ly expended, twelve little wine-glasses
forth and smashed into atoms, amid
crying and laughing, and a funeral
speech from Frank
And late that night if you'd been
near an old dump-pilc, way out on
the common, you might have heard
those atoms of glass congratulating
themselves on the change, for, as one
little ragged-edged piece remarked:
"Pd rather be out here associating
with old cans and stew-pans, doing no
mischief, than to be pretty and clean,
sitting in state on the side-board, and
breaking hearts, wrecking lives and
dealing out poison to men," And all
the happy little smashed bits said
"Amen," and that ended the wine-set.
| -MGude Ritte7aIOatse, 63 Union Signal.