Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14
ONLY A BABY's RATTLE.

But 1t Was the Last Thing Clasped in the
Hand Of the Dead.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
''For Gods sake lock me up" 1t was Christ
mas eve and the sergeant in charge of the Sew
enteenth street station, San Francisco sat in
his little Office listening to the rain beating
ceaseless tattoo on the windows. The sergeant
was gloomy. Visions Of a cozy sitting room,
blazing fire in the CRATE, q brown-haired brown
eyed little wife helping the little tots hang up
their stockings for Santa Claus. made the hours
he knew he would have to spend in the station
before he could 60 home seem interminable.
For Gods sake, lock me up, quick quick?"
The sergeant was on his feet in an instant
and stood staring at man who had staggered
through the open door into the Office and was
begging to be imprisoned. The man was not
over thirty, tall, straight-limbed, with broad
shoulders and the torso OF q Hercules. He was
bareheaded and without coat or vest while his
flannel shirt. open in front, showed that his
breath was coming faster and faster as he stood
trembling before the officer. His hair was
matted down upon his high forehead, while
from beneath heavy brows a pair of steel-blue
eyes cleaned with the light one sees in the eyes
Of an animal at bay.
"who the devil are you and what do you want
to be locked up for?" said the sergeant, as he
recovered from the start which the mans abb
rupt entrance and words, uttered in a tone of
voice at once pleading and threatening, had
given him.
Up to this moment the poor fellow had stood
with his hands behind him, but the officer
spoke he let his arms fall to his side and the
quick eye of the sergeant saw that he had some
thing clenched in his right hand. Dropping
his hand upon the ever-ready revolver the Off
Ger said
''what is that you have in your hand?'
The man dropped into a chair and burst into
tears. and as he did SO he lifted the object he
held in his hand to his lips and kissed il again
and again. The sergeant took second look
and saw that it was only baby's rattle-ragged
and dirty, as if it had seen much service in the
tiny hands of its owner.
The sight of the plaything and the thoughts
of his own little ones at home made the officers
shoulder Of the man and cherrily said:
''Come, come, man. This won't do. Brace
up and tell me what it is"
"rm going to have 'em again." hoarsely
whispered the man, as he lifted his tear-stained
face, which, in the moment, had grown
the light Of insanity. quenched for o moment
by his tears, crept again with greater intensity
than before.
'rve been drunk for days" he went on, pant
ing and :hivering. I've got a wife at home
ing up the rattle in his clenched fist, 'used to
be hers. I'm good workman when I'm sober,
but since lost her I've never drawn . sober
breath. Ny wife has stood by me and God
only knows what she has had to stand. Why,
sir, when I first began to drink used to try
and hide it from my wife, but she found it out
and I've awakened from adrunken stupor more
than once to find her on her knees praying for
me. This morning when lefthome she begged
me not to drink; to come home sober, and,
honor bright, meant to, but got to thinking Of
that little unmarked grave out there and l.
I-wel, I went home drunk.
sWhen I opened the door she said had
broken nv word to her and it made me mad to
see she knew it. She didn't scold. The little
woman never scolds me. but she Just said, ooh,
John. joint and fell into a chair CRYING A II
her heart would break. The sight of her misery
drove me mad and I made up NV mind shs
would be better lying out there with little Nil
lie than with me. determined TO kill her. 1
turned to get something to brain her with and