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


QuiXotic notion Of elevating a class of
people, of whose existence she was
hardly awale?
Probably their dirt, and vice, and de-
gradation, was as dear to them rs her
pride of birth and refinement was to
her, and they were far from relishing
the efforts of the philanthropic labor
ers who sought to lift them out of their
natural element. "At least" falling
back into her first attitude of mind,
"they have never interfered with rue,
and why should l. meddIe with their
livcsm
With this thought in her mind she
closed the door OH her visitors, who
went slowly down the marble steps,
and passed out into the street.
Silently they walked down the wide,
sunny avenue, which as they neared
the busy part Of the town, grew noisy
and pOpulous. Alta corner far down q
crowd had gathered, and as the two
ladies drew near they saw Il man
emerge from it's midst bearing q child
i'm his arms, and enter an adjacent
drug store.
The crowd followed and closed up
the entrance; but ust as the two wo-
men reached the place DR.. Seabright
elbowed his way out of the drug store
and came to them.
"You have heard about it ?" he ask
ed his wife in low tone.
"No," she answered. "Was the
child hurt ?"
Hurt! She was killed outright.
The loveliest little child / ever saw.
Oh it was awful ~ and the kind,
young doctors usually ruddy face was
pale with pity. =,
"Wbose child was it, and how did it
happen ?" asked the women breath-
leSsly.
"Why, it was Judge Ralston's only
daughter, and she was run over by a
beer wagon driven by 4 drunken team
ster. God only knows how it happen
ed! A sober man would have seen
the child; but probably the man was
half insane from drink, and driving
recklessly."
After Mortified silence Mrs. Twom-
bly said pityingly, under her breath,
now."
.'Amcn ~ echoed the doctor and his
wife, and the trio passed Oh down the
street rejecting their serious thoughts.
Two or three months later, at q
meeting of the w. &. II. u, held in
the parlor of the little Congregational
church, a tall and stately woman,
dressed in deepest mourning, rose to
her feet, and steadying herself, by plac-
ing one white hanl-stripped OF its
rings-on the back of clair, she
spoke slowly, and in tone which had
lost its old self-confident power:
81 said months ago befOrc-before-
everything changed so, that | did not
see how the liquor traffic could injure
me.n
She paused, and in the eloquent 81
lence that followed, every woman
present thought of the beautiful,
bright little head as it lay in the
snowy casket, with a wreath of white
flowers concealing the CHASTITY wound ],
made by the heavy wheel of the load
ed beer wagon.
II said also," she continued, "that
if l eyer had reason to change my
views l would give my hand to the
w. G.. n. U. You know how it hap
pened-if things do happen-I, who
was so proud, am brought low. L,
who believed myself so hedged about
by fortune, am left desolate and brok-
en-hearted. In the name Of one little
martyr, whose life has been offered up
OH this bloody altar, want to be one
with you; to work, and pray and
plan, for the overthrow of this cursed
traffic that is costing US our husbands,
our sons, and our-daughters, and
drawing her heavy veil over her f.ice
again, She sat down, while the sweet
faced president of the meeting, with a
voice tender with emotions said, Sis
ters, let us pray."-Wesleyan Advo-
cate,