Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1891-03-21
80

cifedly and said, "Sits down, hlr. TAI
mage, right there" I sat down. He
said: Last night saw my mother,
who has been dead twenty years, and
she sat just where You sit now. 1t was
no dream 1 was wide awake. There
was no delusion in the matter. saw
her just as plainly as see you. Wife.
l wish you would take these strings of
of Inc. There are strings spun all
around my body. I wish you would
take them off of me-" I saw it was
dclirium. "Oh," replied his wife,
my dear. there is nothing there, there
is nothing there" He went on and
said: Just where you sit, Mr..
Talnagc, my mother sat. She said to
me, Henry, I do wish you would do
better got out of bed, put my arms
around her and said: Mother, I want to
do better. l have been trying to do
better. Won't you help me to do bet
ter? You used to help me-. No mis-
take about it, no delusion. | saw her
the: cap and the apron end the;spec-s
tacles, Just as she used to look twenty
years ago.. but / dosswish you would
take these strings away; they annoy
me SO. T can hardly talk. Won't you
take them away% I knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fact that lie
did not realize what I was saying.
got up. I said, "Good-by; hope you
will be better SOON" He said. Good
by, good-by."
That night his soul went to the God
who gave it. Arrangements were made
for the obsequies. Some said, Don't
bring HMM the church, he was too dis
solute Oh" said, bring him. lie
was a good friend of lnino while he was
alive, and I shall stand by him now
that he is dead. Bring him to tho
church"
Az AWFUL RUIc.
As I sat in the pulpit and sow his
body coming Up through the aisle felt
rs if I could weep tears Of blood.
told the pcopl. that day: This man
had his virtues, and good many of
them. lie had his faults, and q good
many of them. But if there is any
man in this audience who is without
sin let him cast the first stone at this
coffin lid" On one side of the pulpit
sat that little child, rosy, sweet faced,
as beautiful as any little child that sat
at your table this morning, warrant
you. She looked up wistfully, not
knowing the full sorrows of an orphan
child. Oh, her countenance haunts me
today, like some sweet face looking
upon us through horrid dream. On
the other side of the pulpit were the
men who had destroyed him. There
they sat, hard visaged, some of them
pale from oxhaustins disease, some of
them flushed until it seemed as if the
fires of iniquity famed through the
check and cracked the lips. They
were the men who had done the work.
They were the men who lad bound
him hand and foot They had kindled
the fires Tlloy had poured the worm
wood and gall into that orphans cup.
Did they weop7 No. Did they sigh re-
pentingly9 No. Did they say, What
4 pity that such a brave man sslioufds s.
be slain?" No, no; not one bloated
hand was lifted to wipe tear from a
bloated cheek. They sat and looked
at the coffin like vutures gazing ut the
carcass Of lamb whose heart they had
ripped out! l cried in their ears as
plainly rs could, '@Thcrc is God and
a judgment day." Did they tremblc7
Oh, no. no. They went back from tho
house of God, and that night, though
their victim lay in lakewood cemetery.
was told that they blaspherned, and
they drank, and they g;lmbled, and
there was not one less customer in all
the houses of iniquity. This destroyed
man was Samson in physical strength,
but Dclilah shearcd him, and the
Pliilistines of evil companionship dug
his eyes out and threw him into the
prison of evil habits. But in the hour
of his death hc rose up and took hold
of the two pillarcd curses of God
against drunkenness and uncleanness,
and threw himself forward, until down
upon lin and his companions there
came the tllundcrs of an eternal catas-
trophe.
Again: Any amusement that gives
you distaste for domestic life is bad.
How many bright domestic circles have
been broken up by sinful alnuseinents!
Tie father went off, the mother went
OF, the child went OF. There are
today tho fragments before mo OF
blasted households. Oh, if you have
wandered away, would like to charm
you back by the sound of that one
word "home." Do you not know that
you have but little more time to give
to domestic welfare? DO you not see,
father, that your children orc soon to
60 out into the world, and all tho in
flucaco for good you are to have over
them you must have HOWE Death will
break in on your conjugal relations,
and alas, if you have to stand over tho
grave of one who persisted from your
neglect!
UNBEb1EvNa HUSBAND; BELIEVING
WIFE.
saw Maynard husband standing
at the dcathbed Of his Christian wife,
and saw her point to ring On her
finger, and heard her say to her hus-
band, "Do you see that ringT He re-
piled, Eyes, I see it." "Well," said
she, do you remember who put it
there's" Eyes. said he, II put it there"
and all the past seemed to rush upon