Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-07-03
TO A DRUNKARD

She rose suddenly in the meeting
and spoke as follows: "Married to
drunkard. Yes, / was married to
a drunkard. Look at me! am
talking to the girls" We all turned
and looked at her. She was wan
woman, with dark, sad eyes, and
white hair, placed smoothly over
brow that denoted intellect. "When
| married q drunkard, / reached the
acme of misery. i married the man
4 loved, and who professed to love
me. He was drunkard and knew
it-knew it but did not understand
it. There is not girl in this room
that does understand it, unless she
has drunkard in her family then
perhaps she knows how deeply the
iron enters the soul of woman when
she loves, and if allied to a drunk
ard whether father, husband, brother
or son. Girls. believe me when tell
you that to marry drunkard, to
love a drunkard is a crown of misery.
i have gone through the deep waters
and know. / have gained the fear
full knowledge at the expense of hap
pinness, almost life itself. Do you
wonder why my hair is white? 1t
turned white in a night-'bleached
by SORROW as Marie Antionette said
of her hair. | am not forty years
old, yet the SHOWS of seventy rest on
my head; and upon my heart-ah !
l cannot begin TO count the winters
resting there" she said with unutter-
able pathos in her voice.
"My husband was a professional
man. His calling took him from
home frequently at night, and when
he returned, was often drunk. Grad
ually he gave away to temptations in
the day, until he was rarely sober.
We had two lovely little girls and a
boy" Her voice faltered, and we
sat in deep silence listening to her
story. "My husband had been
drinking deeply, / had not seen him
for two days. He had kept from his
home. One night ] was seated be-
side my sick boy; the two little girls
were in bed in the next room while
beyond was another into which
heard my husband goas he entered the
house. That room communicated
with the one in which my little girls
were sleeping. l do not know why
but feeling of terror suddenly took
possession of me, aud / felt that nv
little girls were in danger. l arose
and went to the room. The door
was locked. / knocked on it franti.
cally but no answer came. i seemed
to be endowed with superhumar
strength, and throwing myself with
all my force against the door, the
lock gave away, and the door flew
open. Oh, the sightl the terribl,
sight!" she walled out in voice tha
haunts me now, and she covered hel
face with her hands and when she
removed them it was whittier thar
ever.
"Delirium tremens! You hav,
never seen it, girls God grant 20,
never may. My husband stood be
side the bed, his eyes glaring will
insanity, and in his hand larg
knife. Take them away he scream
ed. The horrible things they ar
crawling all over me. Take then
away i sayv and he fiourished tn
knife in the air. Regardless of dan
ger / rushed to the bed, and m
heart seemed suddenly to stop, beat
ing. There lay my children covere,
with their life blood, slain by thei
own father! For a moment | coul,
not utter a sound. / was literall
dumb in the presence of this grea
sorrow. | scarcely needed the mania
at my side, the man who had wrough
me all this woe. Then / uttered
loud scream, and my wailings file,
the air. The servants heard me an,
FASTENED to the room, and when m
husband saw them, he suddenly Dire,
the knife across his own throat.
knew nothing more. / was born
senseless from the room that con tain
ed my slaughtered children and tn
body of my husband. the next da