The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1902-04-12
Written by request
SDR Is HARD.

IT WIS very happy l6lllllN
from which | am about to draw my four
leading characters. The children CON
sisted of three brothers and one sister,
beautiful Mary. Papa'S pet and Nam.
mas darling. At the opening Of this mar
rativc this then happy family resided
just short distance east of Elkton. on
the old Turnpike. The brothers ranged
in age at the time from twenty 10
twcnty-siN. lovely Mary being still in her
teens Jesse was the eldest William
next. and Edward was the youngest.
Now these three hamdSom" youths were
known rs Jess. Bill and Ned. And thus
we shall know them. All hearty. sober
industrious young men. But tn" terrible
curse Of the nineteenth century rot into
these noble boys. and the awful demon
got in its work to the death of both soul
and body. which fact the sequel will
prove.
At about this time a very handsome
and the young people were all agoG be-
cause he, the young man was rcputrd t"
be very wealthy. But the real act was
that thi. upStart was Il hlack-lrg. and rs
vile and corrupt at heart rs Satan him
self. For obvious reasons "" will handle
near all Of our characters hy their first
names only. and this new one is simply
John.
They had met. and /" Jess. Bill and
Ned. this handsome John. WAS the great
est pcrSonablc ON earth. He taught them
their lessons of evil in rum. cards and
all other cussidncss to perfection. But
soon. all. too soon, pretty Mary. met this
great friend Of her captivatcd brothers.
ana on her part it was Il case of love At
first sight \ very short courtShip fol
lowed. then Il secret wed. and the after
clap was pathetic in the extreme Six
little ones had come to pretty Mary. in
about that many years tn" last two be
ing twins. The father John, had gone
from bad TO worse. and he being the
great magnet to MaryS three brothers,
as well rs 10 several other young men of
the ncighborhood. he had dragged them
with him. This great man had set up -
rum shop on the Pike, and now reader
you know. that the frcqucntcrs thereto
were all going head long to Satan.
| will take on three more characters
Just here, but mind YOU. they are not Il
wild creation of the brain. but We're liv-
ing moving creatures. all of whom died
with their boots on, and the last of this
Inflated trio was pulled out of the Big
Elk Creek here at Elkton. only last sum
NOR where the poor old soul had tossed
himself while demcntcd from the free
use of the ardent that kills both soul and
body.
The first name of these three char
actcrS were Tom. Gale and Bill But To
distinguish this Bill from Marys brother
we will give his last name which was
on the other side of Bill. it was Badger.
Bill Rndgcr was only half white, and Il
greater villain than This mulatto never
existed. Gale. Tom and Badger were
bosom cronicS of til" three brothers. and
their brothcr-in-law John And they
were invariably together at the rum
shop. One bitter cold day, the chum-
mics kicked up frcr-for-all fight in the
ranch and Tom was thrown out. and he
being very drunk he only staggered part
way to his home and collapsed in the
bushes above
1t was II bleak December day. \ pal
lid Sickly sun looked down ON the hard.
dark, frozen pike. IL raw nor wcstcr -
that was ten times colder than charity.
worried the lcaflCSS trees. and twcakrh
your nose. and nippcd your ears, until
they were blue and mumcd. ana there
wasn't Il warm spot about YOU from the
brim of your hat to the sole of your
shoes.
Frost and ice were in the low lands.
and ice and frost were in the hill tops.
The sun itself appeared to Shivcr in cir
clcS Of thick, immovablc clouds, as
though it had been frozen in trying to
rise. and was doing its best to thaw itself
out from situation where ii could be
likcncd only To lamp burning behind Il
wet shetland there wasn't an atom ri
heat nor II moments cessation in til"
roaring blast. 1t blew, as though oil
Boreas had cut loose his wind-hagS.
and given their contents II holiday. and
the carnival wouldn't cease until the
earth rocked on its Foundation. Just
when the chilled sun had dropped off
yOndcr at the west, and the frozen moon
was lifting up in the east, then it was
that frightened darky with hat in hand
rushed into the grog-shop, and between
gasps said:-"I guess Tom dead up dar
in dc bushes by de Pike And such was
the case. And now see, already cruel
rum had taken one of our characters, had
hurried him off with his boots on. Poor
Tom in the course of the bitter cold after
noon and while the ardent was slowly
loOsng its power to warm, the elements
increased in fury and his lifclcss form
was lying by the way-side stark in death.
Now wont the readers of the Wing"
especially the young ones, pause with me
just here. that | may make Il true state
mcnt
There is no place in this particular
narrative. from end to end, where the
historian sets up any wild creation Of the
brain, but he gives the plain unvanished
truth. in IL word history in its purity.
Notwithstanding the terrible warning
which God had sent to this band of his;
Il