The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1908-09-24

kindness to Vacate at once. 1 neTe-
with send man to take charge OF
the premises, the keys, etc., and rep
resent me in all things.
"Signed,
The following is the answer to
this note:
"Sir, you demand the keys. send
them herewith. The one with a red
string unlocks my wardrobe. In the
right side you will find my wedding
dress. never wore it but once. 1t
is yours now, by action of my hus-
band, whom I never disobeyed. In
the folds of that dress, you will find
a small phial, with few tears in 1t,
the last I had to shed, but they are
historical. They stand for the birth
of a little birl born under a happy
roof-of fifteen joyous, girlhood,
schoolday years, Of a short sweet
courtship and marriage, to the brav-
est, best man I ever knew, but for
whiskey, of the day we moved into
this palatial and well-kept home, of
the-alas! 80 short honeymoon spent
here. You will find all Of these sweet
sacred pleasures in the bottle of tears.
A change, sharp and sudden, came.
You may read it, sir in the tears l
bequeath to you. They will tell you
of the first time r1y husband crossed
your villainous threshold; of the first
time I detected liquor on his breath,
and Of how he put me gently aside
with a shower of assuring kisses, say
ing that for my sake, he would never
be brought under the hateful effect of
strong drink; of how he became a
constant tippler; of the first time his
step was unsteady; of his rapid de-
cline in housekeeping and home love;
of the ease with which he would mis-
understand me; of the first time he
spoke a cross word to me; of the first
oath in my presence. You will find
it all in the bottle of tears, sir. You
will find there, too, one rainy, wind
shaken, thunder-boomed, lightning
torched night, in which it looked as If
the building would be demolished. 1t
was that storm-shocked night that
our frst-born, little Mary, came into
this old whiskey-soaked world. You
will also find in the bottle of tears,
the greedgored part you played in my
house that night-for while one ply
sician was attending me-. in an ad-
joining room, one stood over my poor
drunken husband, who was the vic
tim of imaginary serpents, gorillas
and devils. In reality, he was only
your victim. But you will find 1t, sir,
in the bottle Of tears. I saw in the
lightning's glare the storm as it toyed
with the shade trees. I heard the
rain dashing in fury, against the win
dows; the room was Jared by angry
thunder. But louder than thunder,
to me, were the groans and screams
and oaths of my erstwhile noble and
manly, but now fallen and cowardly,
husband.
You will find it all, sir, in the bot
tie OF tears. heard the low strange
cry-the advent cry of the baby-a
cry which ordinarily fills mother
with joy, but which filled me with a
new anguish, as thought of such a
fit beginning to a career destined to
be one Of piercing shame. 1 at first
prayed that we all three might meet
death in the storm, which now seem
ed to be urged forward by all the
furies of Pandemonium. Then I ask
ed that the little one might live and
win papa back to the path Of So
briefly, from which you, for gain, had
led him.
''The next morning, he came and
stood uneasily upon his feet, looked
from bloated eyes upon us, stopped
and kissed me and baby, and vowed
he would never drink again. 1 be-
lieved him. The peach came back to
my cheek; a girlish lustre kindled in
my eye: a wife's and mothers pride
began to lay plans for life and