The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-01-09

happiness and home 20 tho accursei demon
| Of the bowl | wns q drhnkard From re
spectab lty and aiiluence plunged into deg.
relation and poverty. dragged my family
down with me | left wife and children amid
the wreck Of their home idols and rioted a.
the tavern. They never conn lained, yet
thev vve'r hurorv 'or broad One Naw Noar's
night returned late to the hut where charity
had given us a home Mary was up and
shivering over the Goals demanded tooo,
but she burst into tears, and told me there
was none / fiercelY ordered her TO get
some. She turned her eyes sadly. upon me,
the tears falling over her pale cheeks Az
this time the babe in the cradle awoke and
sent up a famishing wall, startling the de-
spairing mother like serpents stingn
1--WE have no food, James | have had
none for several days. have nothing for
the babe Must we Starve"
"The sad pleading face, and those streani
ing ewes, and the feeble wall of the child
maddened me. an |, yes l-struck Mary q
fierce blow in the face aud she fell forward
upon the earth The furies of he'll boiled IN
my bosom, and with deeper intensity as |
felt had committed n wrong. | had never
StrucH Mary UvlO.c uut uuw some lerrluie
impulse bore me ON, and | stopped as well as
could in my drunken state, and clutched
both hands in her halr.
God OF mercy James, excla amed Mary,
rs she looked up ,uto my fendish counten-
nce, you Will ct kill us; you will not harm
Willie: AMI she sprang TO tn, cradle and
grasped hun to her embrace ! caught her
gam by the hair, and dragged her TO the
loor. As lifted the latch the wind burst
with n cloud Of snow. With the yell of a
lend | still dragged her on, and hurried her
out in the storm. With wild hal hal
closed the door aud turned the button. her
D eading moans minglug with the walls of
the blast and sharp cry OF her babe. But
my work was not complete. | turned to the
tile bed where lay my elder son, and
matched him from his slumbers; and against
IS half awakened strugg es, opened the door
md thrust Kim OUT In the agony of fear he
called to me by n name / was no longer fit to
tear, and locked his fingers into my pocket.
| could not wrench that frenzed grasp away,
lnd with the coo ness of a devil as | was, shut
the door upon his arm, and with my knife
severed It at the wrist
The speaker ceased moment, and buried
ais face in his han Is as If to shut out some
earful dream, and his deep chest heaved
ike storm sweep sea. Ny father had arisen
from his seat and was leaning forward. his
countenance bloo1leSs, the large dropS stand
ing out upon his brow. Chllls crept back 60
my young heart and wished was Mt home,
The old man looked up, and | never since
eheld such mortal agony pictured upon
human face as there was on his.
lit was morn.ng when | swoke, and tho
storm had ceased, hut the cold was intense.
| first secured a drink of water, and looked
missed her for the first time, "A shadowy
sense of some horrible nightmare began to
lawn upon my wandering mind. | thou h
| had a fearful dream, but | invo'unttrIly
ope led the outside door with shu iderng
read As the door opened the snow burst
IN folowe hy tie fail of something across
the threshold, scattering the snow, and strik
ing the floor with sharp, hard sound. My
ood shot through my veins, and | rubbed
my eyes to keep out the sight. IL was oh,
4, LII 0 h.,,. 10,
irolen to lie. The ever true mother had
owed herself over tn chi d TO shield it, her
own person stark and bare to the storm.
she had placed her hair over the face of the
child, and the sleet hal frozen it to the white
cheek The frost was white upon It's half
opened eyes, and upon its tiny fingers. |
know not what became Of my brave boy
Again the old man bowed and wept and
all that were in the house wept with him. In
tones of love and heart.broken pathos, the
old man conc.ujed
81 was arrested, and for months raved in
delirium. | awoke, was sentenced to prison
for ten years: hut no torture could have been
like those | endured in my own bosom. Oh,
God, no, am not a fanatic / wish to in
jure no one. But while | live, let me strive
TO warn others not to enter the path which
has been SO dark on to me.
The old man sat down, but a spell rs deep
and strong as some wi ards breath rested
upon the audience. He rts could have been
heard IN their heating, ana tears to fail. 1ne
old man then asked the people to s.gn the
p.eige. My father leIpe aud snatched at 1t
eagerly. had followed him, and as lie hesi-
taled a moment, with pen in the ink, a tear
fell from the old mans eye on the paper My
father wrots Mortimer HUDSON The old
man looked, wiped as fearful eyes. asa
looked again, his countenaucs alternately
flushed with death-li paleness.
1t is--no, it cannot be; how strange"
muttered the old man. Pardon me, sir,
but that was the name of my brave boy
Ny father trembled, and held up the left
arm, from which the left hand had been
severed They both looked Tor "A moment in
each others eyes AMI reeled and gasped.
My own injured sonm
my fathsrm
They fell upon each others neck and wept,
and it seemed that their souls would grow
and mingle into one. There was weeping in
that church, and sad faces arouui me.
Let me thank God for this gTell blessing
which has gladlened my guilt-burdened
soul" exclaimed the old man; and kueeling
down, he poured out his heart in one of the
most melting prayers | ever heard.-MuSicdt
Million.
Temperance News and Notes.
Liquor bills are often paid at the lunatic