The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-26
poor girl said, when found my lover

husband q slave to the vile habit of Sc
cret drinking. Urbane, perfect in cour-
tesy to all, gifted and cultured, each
nightfall saw his transformation into
a besotted beast-a beast to whose I'M
clean embraces l must submit, whose
foul kisses must pollute my lips, or ex-
posture would follow. For, when under
the influence of liquor, he seemed lost
to all sense of shame or propriety, and
would threaten to publish me to the
world as a wife who did nothing that
wife's duty called for. Frightened,
bewildered, lost in a sense of my
misery, for time l submitted. But, to
see my beautiful, lordly lover thus be-
sotted, his face swollen beyond recogDi-
ton, on his lips the fetid odor of the
stuff that had cost US our happiness,
his beautiful eyes glazing with strange,
threatening glances; or TO lie beside
him after he had fallen iato a british
slumber, and tremble for fear he should
awake! OH only God knows what L
have suffered! He is so restless, travel
ing from place to place; and L? what
could l do but follow him and pray for
strength to endure!
Last night the climax came. de-
termined to leave him, to return to my
life of drudgery, forsalling forever any
hope of happiness. 1 seized the oppor.
tunity before his evening carouse to an
nounce to him my unalterable decision;
and-ah, mel Here the poor child
;.+o n ,oeS;Ar nf nj aOr,a
memory that smote her tender heart
and continued her pitiful story, inter
rupted by long-drawn signs: What
made it harder for me was the fact that
his excuses had not robbed me of his
love. His desecration of the vigorous
body, the splendid mind, had not caused
the spirit of love to fly from him. II
shone from his eyes, it trembled in his
voice, it smote him with dismay as
spoke solemnly to him of his course
toward me, of my friendless depend
ence on him; and he besought me to
try him once more. But hardened my
heart and would not; until finally, in a
paroXysm of rage and sorrow, he fled
from the room, threatening his life, and
have not seen him since. If he does de-
stroy himself (she rose and began to
pace up and down the room, wringinG
her hands)-'I, l, the woman who swore
to love him, to honor him-but how
could I? How could L? 1 shall have
caused his death! l cannot endure it!
You must find him, dear, good doctor
and bring him to me-
II will not weary you" the doctor un
necessarily said, "by detailed account
of how and where found him; it is sui.
ficient to say that l did find him, did
take him back to the hotel with me
but, alas! when we reached the room
the poor wife had gone into violent con
WILSON'S, and from them passed into q
protracted spell of brain fever.
NOW comes the gist of my story
Through all those long, dreary days
during which l fought a hand-to-hand
battle with death, his devotion never
once tagged. Not one drop of any in.
toxicant passed his lips, nor did he
ever evince the slightest desire for it
All through her illness the touch OF
his hand, the sound of his voice would
quiet her most raging delirium. But
when the turn came and she began to
improve day by day, then it was that
felt powerless. She actually seemed to
draw back from recovery, to dread the
return of her strength. Full well did ]
know the cause. Nature, however, as.
serted herself, and pale roses began to
bloom on her wan cheeks and her eyes
to look less hollow So a day came
when, by means of great persuasion,
induced her to sit up, and, going to her
side, said: 'Dearie, 1 am going to take
Harry out for walk, and when we re.
turn you must be prepared for pleas.
ant-nay, happy-surprise.' Then
left her, taking her husband (who was
in my secret) with me, and-when we
returned, there on his breast, appear
ing as fair to the poor child as did the
star of Bethlehem to the shepherds
fiuttered a tiny white ribbon, the badge
Of her husbands freedom.
THAT" concluded the dear old doc
tor, was one of the proudest moments
of my life, for l had persuaded him tc
take the pledge which would help him
to be the man that God meant him tc
he."-Julia Nicely Finch, in Union Sig
nal.