The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1901-06-20
NO. II.

his little girl of eight years and en-
! brace her convulsively and cover her
with adornments and strew around her
pictures and toys and everything that
could make her happy, and then, as
though bounded by an evil spirit, he
would go out to the infiaming cup, and
the house of shame, like fool to the
correction of the stocks.
L was summoned to his deathbed. I
hastened. | entered the room. found
him, to my surprise, lying in full every
day dress on the top of the couch. I
put out my hand. He grasped it ex-
cltedly and said: "Sit down, Mr.. Tai
mage, right there" I sat down He
said: Last night l saw my mother,
who has been dead for 20 years, and she
sat just where you sit now. 1t was no
dream. / was wide awake. There was
no delusion IN the matter. saw her
just as plainly as see you. Wife, I
wish you would take these strings off
me. There are strings spun all around
my body. wish you would take them
OFT me- l saw it was delirium. "Oh,"
replied the wife, my dear. there is
nothing there, there is nothing there"
He went on and said: "Just where you
sit, Mr.. Talmage, my mother sat- She
said to me: Henry, 1 do wish you
would do better got out of bed, put
my arms around her and said: Moth
er, want to do better. Won't you help
me to do better. Won't you help me-
No mistake about it, no delusion.
saw her-the cap and apron and the
spectacles, just as she used to look 20
years ago. But do wish you would
take these strings away. They annoy
me SO! l can hardly talk. Won't you
take them away?" I knelt down and
prayed, conscious of the fact that he
did not realize what l was saving.
got up. said: "Good-by. Ihope you
will be better soon." He said: Good
by, good-by."
That night his soul went up to the
God who gave it. Arrangements were
made for the obsequies. Some said:
Don't bring him in the church; he is
too dissolute. "Oh," / said, "bring
him. He was good friend of mine
while he was alive, and / shall stand
by him now that he is dead. Bring him
to the church" /.
As l sat in the pulpit and saw his
body coming up through the aisle I
felt as if l could weep tears of blood.
| told the people that day: This man
had his virtues, and good many Of
them. He had his faults, and a good
many of them. But if there is man
in this audience who is without sin,
let him cast the first stone at this cof-
fin lid" On one side the pulpit sat
that little child, rosy, sweet faced, as
beautiful as any 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 to-
day, like some sweet face looking up
on 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 exhausting disease, some Of them
flushed until It seemed as if the fires
of iniquity famed through the cheek
and crackled the lips. They were the
men who had bound him hand and foot.
They had kindled the fires. They had
poured the wormwood and gall into
that orphans cup. Did they weep?
No. Did they sigh repentingly? No.
Did they say: "What pity that such
a brave man should be slain?" No, no;
not one bloated hand was lifted to
xx,sv n f,.o L
They sat and looked at the coffin like
vultures gazing at the carcass of a
lamb whose heart they had ripped out.
| cried in their ears as plainly as /
could: There are a God and judg-
ment day." Did they tremble? Oh,
no, no. They went back from the
house of God, and that night, though
their victim lay In Oakwood cemetery,
l was told that they blasphemed, and
they drank, and they gambled, and
there was not one less customer in all
the houses of iniquity. This destroyed
man was Samson in physical
strength, but Delilah sheared him, and
the Philistines of evil companionship
dug his eyes out and threw him into the
prison of evil habits. But in the hour
of his death he rose up and took hold
of the two pillared curses of God
against drunkenness and uncleanli-
ness and threw himself forward until
down upon him and his companions
there came the thunders of an eternal
catastrophe.
Again, any amusement that gives
you a distaste for domestic life is
bad. How many bright domestic cir
cles have been broken up by sinful
amusements! The father went off.
the mother went off, the child went
off. There are to-day the fragments
before me 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 well
fare? Do you not see, father, that
your children are soon to go out into
the world, and all the influence for
good you are to have over them you
must have now? Death will break in
on your conjugal relations, and alas
ly i II.