The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-05-20


Pain, toll, and grief be overpast,
And peace shall follow-alterward!
How the Liquor Traffic Interfercd
With Mrs. RaIstOn.
BY EVA B. PILLSBURY.
"But the liquor traffic has never in
terfered with me personally" answer
cd Mrs. Judge Ralston, raising her
fine eyes to the speaker, and smiling
with Just q little unconscious arro-
gance. 81 can understand how those
whose husbands or sons are being
drawn away by such influences, can
wish to give their time and energies to
the temperance work but as for me,
why, it would be pure affectation to
pretend an interest which [ do not
really feel. TO one in my position,
the dangers seem so exaggerated that
I can hardly believe them real, or un-
derstand how they can affect ME or
mine in any way"
"The ways are so many" insisted
little Mrs. DR.. Seabright lone cannot
read the annals of crime contained in
our daily newspapers without seeing
how often the innocent are made to
suffer through this fearful curse. 1t
seems to me the evils and dangers of
the whiskey traffic can hardly be en-
aggerated," and she looked up into the
elder lady's face little nervously, but
still with determination in her eyes,
and in the firm lines of her pretty
mouth.
81 am quite willing to face your inn
aginary danger" laughed Mrs. Raj
ston, placidly folding together her two
white hands, decked with their spark
ling rings, and viewing them compla-
Gently as they lay in delicate leisure
against their background of crimson
cashmere.
Just then the heavy curtains behind
her parted, and eight-year-old Jessie
stole softly in and laid chubby hand
on her mothers shoulder. Instantly
the half supercilious smile faded from
the lady's face, the proud, dark eyes
grew suddenly soft, and she drew her
only daughter close to her side. Sure
ly no lovelier vision of childhood ever
blessed mothers eyes. The fair, oval
face, shaded by long, light curls the
perfectly moulded childish figure, that
was daintily robed in its rich but sim
pie costume; the gentle patrician air
of the tiny woman all combined to
make her what her mother we'll knew
her to be, rare possession that many
a Won an might envy.
wv nat is it my daughter"' asked
the fond mother, after the little girl
had been duly presented to young
Mrs. Seabright, and Mrs. Seth Twom-
bly,, the Baptist minister's wife.
MAY 60 now, mamma? 1t IS al
most three O'clock"
"Oh, certainly, dear; I had forgot
ten your engagement. Have Sara fix
your hair, and come directly home af-
ter your lesson" and she bent forward
with sweet motherliness to press kiss
upon the round, rosy face upturned to
her own.
"Jessie goes to take her dancing-les-
son." she explained, as the child LETT
the room. II suppose you ultra ortho-
dox ladies are shocked, but you see we
can't all think alike about these
things. The class is composed of little
girls, and they meet in the afternoon.
| think the exercise is good for her,
and ! am not afraid that any harm
can come to my daughter" with a
proud emphasis upon the last two
words.
Mrs. Ralston may not have intend
ed to allow that little naughty tone to
creep into her speech, for she was Il
lady of birth and breeding, but gener-
ati0ns of blue blood and long line of
ancestry, whose escutcheon showed no
blot, had produced in Mrs. Judge Raj
ston q woman in whom family pride
was Il passion, and to intimate to her
that one of her kindred could by any
possibility he subject to the same temp
tations, or led away by the same influ-
ences that assail common humanity,
was to insult her unpardonably.
Neither of her visitors made any direct
reply to her remark, but the heighten-
ed color on little Mrs. SeabrightS face
showed that she felt keenly the tone
of implied superiority in tue manner
of the speaker.
Mrs. Seth Twombly, whose long eX-
perience in the Temperance work had
Injured her to many sorts of rebufls,
only answered, rising quietly and
drawing up around her her old-fash-
ioned black cashmere shawl, awe are
sorry both for your own sake and ours,
that you do not see fit to join us in our
work. However,, you will see this
matter in q different light by and by"
"Whcn I see it as you do," answer
ed Mrs. Ralston rising, and smiling il
little incredulously, II will give my
hand to the w. G. II. u. Until then !
must be excused from any active in
terest in the work.
Never from the minds of the two Ia
dies, who left Mrs. Judge RalstOn
standing in the doorway Of her bcauti-
full parlor, will the vivid picture fade
Such picture of proud, seli-reliant,
ambitious womanhood She stood
with one white hand holding back the
heavy porticrc, the delicate lace Of her
sleeve falling back from the fine wrist,
clasped by its costly bracelet. Rich
dress became her, for she was queen
ly woman, and she knew well and gio-
rird i'm the knowledge, that her fine
presence commanded universal adml-
ration. She had no need of other
strength than her own, or to pray
weakly us other women might for dl-
vine guidance. What could God give
to her more than she already had, and
IT had been honorably won. Hewould
not lake it away.
1t was well enough for these other