The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-02

night returned late to the hut where cnarlty
had given us home Mary was up and
shivering, over the Goals. demanded 1000,
but she burst into tears, and told me there
was none. I fercely ordered her to get
some She turned her eyes sadly upon me:
the tears falling over her pale cheeks AT
this time the babe in the cradle awoke and
sent up famishing wall, startling the de-
spairing mother like serpent's sting"
"We have no food, James. 1 have had
none for several days. have nothing Tor
the babe. Must we starve"
1.-The sal, pleading face, and those stream,
ing eyes, and the feeble wall of the child
maddened me, and |, YES I-struck Mary q
fierce blow in the face and she fell forward
upon the earth. The furies of hcll boiled IN
my bosom, and with deeper intensity as 1
felt had committed wrong. | had never
struck Mary before: but now some terrible
impulse bore me on, and I stopped as well as
1 could in my drunken state, and clutched
both hands in her hair
"God of mercy, James," exclaimed Mary,
as she looked up into my fiendiSh counten-
ance, "you will not kill us; you will not harm
Williet' and she sprang to tho cradle and
trasped him to her embrace. caught her
again by the hair, and dragged her to the
door. As lifted the latch. the wind buiss
in with a cloud Of snow. With the yell OF
ficnd I still dragged her on, and hurried her
closed the door and turned the button, her
pleading means mingling with the walls Of
the blast and sharp cry Of her babe. But
my work was not complete. turned to the
little bed where lay my elder son, and
snatched him from his slumbers; and against
his half awakened struggles, opened the door
sud thrust Kim out. In the agony of fear ne
called to me by name was no longer hit to
bear, and locked bis fingers into my pocket
l could not wrench that frenzied grasp away,
and with the GOODNESS of devil as was: shut
the door upon his arrn and With my knl1e
severed 1t at the wrist"
The speaker ceased a 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 arisen
from his seat and was leaning forward, his
countenance bloodless, the large drops stand
ing out upon his brow. Chills crept back TO
my young heart, and wished was at home.
The old man looked up and never since
beheld such mortal agony pictured upon
human face as there was on his.
''It was morning when l awoke, and the
storm had ceased, but the cold was intense:
/ first secured drink Of water, and looked
in the accustomed place for Mary: AS
missed her for the first time, shadowy
sense Of some horrible nightmare began to
dawn upon my wandering mind. thought
opened the outside door with shuddering
dread. As the door opened The snow burst
in, followed by tie fall Of something across
the threshold, scattering the snow, and strlk-
ing the floor with sharp, hard sound. NY
blood shot through my veins and l rubbed
my eyes to keep out the sight. 1t was-oh,
God, horriblel 1t was Mary and her babe,
bowed herself over the child 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 had frozen it to the white
cheek. The frost was white upon its half
opened eyes, and upon its tiny fingers. l
know not what became OF my brave boy
Again tbs old man bowed and wept, and
all that were in the house wept with him. In
tones of love and heartbrollen pathos, the
old man concluded:
"I was arrested, and for months raved in
delirium. awoke, was sentenced to prison
for ten years; but no torture could have been
like those endured in my own bosom. Oh,
Gcd, no! I am not fanatic! / wish to in
lure no one But while / live, let me strive
to warn others not to enter the path which
has been so dark one to me-"
The old man sat down, but a spell as deep
and strong as some wizards breath rested
upon the audience. Hesrts could have been
heard in their beating, and tears to fall Inc
pledge. My father leapei and snatched at 10
eagerly. Ihad followed him, and as he hesi-
tated moment, with pen in the ink, q tear
fell from the old mans eye on the paper. MY
father wrote Mortimer Hudson" The old
man looked. wiped his fearful e-es, and
looked again, his countenance alternately
flushed with death-like paleness -,
1T is--no, it cannot be; how strange"
muttered the ola man. Pardon me, sir,
but that was the name Of my brave boy"
My father trembled, and held up the left
arm, from which the left hand had been
severed. They both looked for moment IN
each others eyes, AMI reeled and gasped.
MY own injured son"
"My fathern'
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 around ME.
'.LeJ me thank God for this great blessing
which has gladdened my guilt-burdened
souln' exclaimed the old man; and kneeling
down, he poured out his heart in one OF the
most melting prayers ever heard.-MustcaI
:IiLLion-
Temperance News and Notes.
LIQUOR bills are often paid at the lunatic
asylum.
In Russia, last year, $4,000 dram shops
we're done away with by law.
The United Kingdom Band Of Hope Union
Is raising a fund Of ten thousand pounds for
promoting temperance teachin, in day
schools
The Presbyterian Syno1 of Tennessee has
passed resolution favoriag the suppression
of.the manufacture and sale OF intoxicating
liquors by prohibitory laws.
In the National Temperance Hospital
neither medicate. pills nor tlnctureS with
alcoholic basis ere used. Remedies are pre-,
pared in aqueous extracts or saccharated
powders.
A Temperance Temple has been built in
San Diego County, California, at an expense
of 5000. Saloons within three miles OF the
building have been prohibited by the city
council.
It is alleged in the Congo country. Central
Africa, there are seventy thousand gallons
of rum to every missionary, and one hundred
drunkards to every convert to Christ. Under
the influence of intoxicating liquors sent from
Massachusetts, two hundred natives were
killed by their fellows in single day.
DR.. Joseph Parker, in sermon denouncing
the Whitechapel murders, calls attention to
that other and more terrible, slow murder OF
women gong on all over the world. AS TO
condemning the criminal he pertinently asks
if we lad not better consider how far we are
responsible for his creation by running profits
SO low as to drive young men to gambling
and by surrounding them with legalized
drinking places, yet tining them for drinking
English Grammar in Rhyme.
The following verses, written by Mr.
Buchanan. Librarian to the Legislative
Council of Cape Colony, Mass, form
what is undoubtedly the shortest Eng
lish grammar published
Three little words you often see
Are articles a, an and the.