The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-08-18

but It was not until every drop in the
decanter had vanished that, with I'M
certain step, he left the dining room,
his wife. all fearful, following.
Our little wine-glasses spent dis.
NAL night. and were not surprised
when, in the morning. Frank appeared
with heavy eyes, and answered his
wifc's greetings sullenly. in manner
quite unlike his CHEEKY on.
Days passed. Of,ener Frank tasted
the wine on the side-board, and now
there was less gladncss in his young
wife's eyes when he lauded the rare
old wine. Often he came home, show
ing plainly by his bearing that other
wine glasses than those in his own
home had touched his lips.
And now the sad wife began herself
to refuse to taste the lovely poison so
surely changing her beloved Frank.
and making him now wildly gay. now
low-spirited and dull.
Another night came when guests
again assembled in the luxurious little
parlors. And when, in the course of
| the evening, Frank (who had been
drinking heavily with some frien Is at
his club) called for the wine. Ruth, his
wife, replied in low tones: mo, Frank.
| let us have no wine tonight. have
| delicious coffee, fruits and ice; truly
the wine is not needed"
Little goose" he replied, laughing
| loudly; "who ever heard of fellows
sending his friends away with no wine.'
whereupon he himself ordered it.
There were no witty speeches on the
little wife's tongue that night, and all
the merrment 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 you9" he
asked, gruffly.
"Oh, Frank! Frank! you are running
your own life! Why will you drink
like this?"
Auybody's business but minep" he
asked. 'What's the reason l cant
have friendly glass when l want itP
l can stop when please"
"1'hen wish you had stopped six
months ago."
Ruth, be silent, you annoy ma"
"Annoy YOU" she replied, starting
YEARLY up the stairs. "AnnOy you!
And you. you are breaking my heart.
There seems demon in your soul. At
times hardly know you look 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
a brute of yourself"
Frank, who had staggered up to the
stair-landing, felt all the unreasonirg
anger of drunken man. "A brute,
am Ip A brute! And it's my fine
young lady wife who says this. A
brute!" he screamed, his eyes cleaning
wildly, and taking quick step for
ward he pushed her angrily against
the stair-railing. Startled, she spran2
backward, missed her footing, and fell
down the long fight of stairs, striking
the lower landing heavily, where she
lay motionless and white.
Frank looked down at her and
laughed like maniac. ''See what q
brute can dol" he shouted. Cant
! you call me pet names againp"
n But by that time, the servants, hear
! ing the noise, had rushed to the spot.
} and, seeing poor Ruth lying white and
, cold, screamed: dead! She's dcad!"
The sharp cry seemed to pierce
Franks clouded brain, and to leave
that dreadful word stamped there.
: dead! Dead! Dcad!' 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.
stefan. 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 a 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
0 and patient nurse, though his heart
, ached with remorse as he heard her re-
4 peatedly going over the story of his
r shame and her own sorrow
On the first morning that the invalid
could be carried downstairs, there
: was a queer sort of ceremony gone
G through with in the dining room.
9 Frank with manly tears confessed his
l sins before his little wife-confessor,
( told her that he meant neuer. so long
: as he lived, to touch another drop of
| liquor or to keep it in his home. And
n when tears and kisses had been lavish
S ly expended, twelve little wine glasses
: and two pretty decanters were brough,
l forth and smashed into atoms. amid
S crying and laughing, and funeral
n speech from Frank.
And late that night if you'd beer
: near an old dump-pile, way out on
: the common, you might have heard
4 those atoms of glass congratulating
h themselves on the change, for, as one
S little ragged-edged piece remarked
r 'I'd rather be out here assouiatine
e with old cans and stew-pans, doing nc
t mischief, than to be pretty and clean