The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-10-28
Married to a Dru1kar6.
"a True StCry)

a True Stcry)
l viii .ell YOU all another true story
that happened some time ago;
IN Oh: lady arose suddenly IN the
meeting and spoke as follows:
"AIarried 10 Grunkard. Yes, | was
married 10 a druukard. Look at me. [
am 5alliao 10 the girls" All the au-
dience turned and looked at her. She
was = w2a woman with dark. SAD eyes,
and Whit hair. placed smoothly over a
brow THAI denoted intellect ''Nhen |
married 4 drunkard, Preached the acme
of messry." she continued. Il was
Young :,n:; Oh. so happy, I married the
man | !.>:y ed. and who proteSsed TO love
me. He was a drunkard, and | knew
ir-knew 1t, but did not understand 1t.
.There lis not q girl in this building
that does understand it. unless she mas
a drura&rd in her family: then, per
haps, she knows how deeyly he IRON
enters me soul OF 4 woman, wnen sne
loves, ena is allied to a drunkaro:
whethe~ tather, husband orotner or son.
siGir?s. believe me. When tell YOU
that C larry drunkard, tc love q
drunSar5 is the crown Of all misery. |
have cc3l through the deep waters and
know n,.ve gained the fearful knowl-
edge a tie expense OF hepplness, sanl-
", aims. lie its self.
isDo 2ou wonder my hair is white: 1t
turned vnite in night, oleacneo oy
sorrow. as Marie -Antoiaette Saio OF ner
hair.l :. am forty years o!o yeS the
SHOWS !: seventy rests upon my head;
and up,a nv heart. Ah. cannot begin
TO coul.,.ae winters resting there, she
said. vita unutterable pathos in her
voice.
His caii1g took him from nome ire
ouently a. night, and when he returned,
be returre6 drunk. Gradually ne gave
way tc temptation in the day, until he
was raselv sober. I had two lovely lit
tie ei,,s and a boy" Here her voice
fa,eere::, hey sat in deep silence listen
ing to :2e: story.
S:NLv "osband had been drinking deep
II. I h,.5 not seen him for two days. lie
had kest away from MS home.
sEOre night l was seated beside my
sick boz: the TWO little girls were IN bed
in the uext room, while beyond was an
other room, into which heard my nus
band * IS he entered the house.
s'The room communicated with the
one in which my little girls We're sleep
ing. Go not know why, but a feeling
of terror took possession Of me, and L
felt that my little girls were IN danger.
81 a. Sc and went in the room.
9Th. door was locked. knocked on
it fran cally. / seemed TO be endowed
with S" oerhuman strength, and, throw
inc m. ,elf with all my force against the
door, .,le lock gave way and the door
fell opS;. -,
sOh. ne sight! the terrible sisht!,'
She lied out in voice that haunts
me: a sne covered her face with her
hands. nd when she removed them 1t
was q. sr and sadder than ever.
.sDe ur tremens! you have never
seen i. iris: God grant that you never
NAV. husband stood besides the bed,
his ey slaring with insanity, and IN
his he's large knife. Take them
away ae screame1. THE horrible
things, shey are crawling ali over me.
Take ilem away, say! Aud he Hour
ished Cae knife in the air. Regardless
Of the danger, I rushed up to the bed,
and ny heart seemed suddenly to cease
beating
There lay my children, covered IN
their life blood, slain by their own 1atn-
er, Fer q moment could not utter a
sound. | was literally drunk in the
presence OF this terrible sorrow, |
Scarcely needed the maniac az my side.
the man who had wrought me all this
woe. Then I uttered a loud scream, and
nv waiiings filed the air. The servants
heard ne and hastened to the room, and
when nv husband saw them, he sud-
denly drew the knife across his own
throat.
Il knew nothing more. I was borne
senseless from the room that contained
the bodies of my children, and the body
of my husband:
THE next DAY my hair was white,
any my mind so shattered that knew
no more" She ceased.
Then eyes of all were rivesed upon
her wan face, some Of the women pres
ent scboeG aloud, while there was
scarcely a dry eye in that temperance
meeting. They saw she was not done
speek;ag. and was Only waiting TO SUB
due he, emotion to resume her story.
''Tv ) years. she continued. i was
mep;a wreck: then recove red from
the s:r:t <, and absorbed myself in the
care oS ,ly boy. But the sin was visit
ed urcl the child, and six months ago
my by Of eighteen was placed IN a
drunk 2:';l's grave; and as l, his loving
uother, stood and saw the sod heaped
over lin, said, Thank God! I'd rath-
er she /; m there than live drunkard:'
and I earned unto my desolate home a
childlsss woman-oue on whom the
hand c; God has rested heavily.
''Gir,s, it is you l wish to rescue from
the fate that overlook me. Do not blast
your lie as blasted mine; do not be
drawn into the madness of marrying a
drunkarj. You love him! SO much the
worse for you. for married to him, the
create, will be your misery because of
your ;o~e. You viii marry and then
reforr- him, so you say. All. woman
sadly ,varrates her strength when she
under; axes to DO this. You are no match
FOR Il, : giant demon drink, when be
possesses a mans soul and body. You
are no match for him, l say. What is
your yuoy strength beside: his gigantic
force: He will crush you too. It. is to
save you. girls, from the sorrows that
wrecked my happiness, that have un-
folded my history to you. am strang
er in ohis city. I am merely passing
through It: and have a message to bear
to every girl in America
';Never marry a drunkard"' II can
almos5 see her now, just as she stood
there amid the hushed audience, her
dark ewes glowing, and her frame Quiv-
eriDg with emotion, as she uttered her
lmpass ;onate appeal. Then she hurried
out, q they never saw her again.
Her words ''ftly spoken" were not
witho effect however, and because OF
them .hare is one girl single now.
MACDE ESTES,
Chesterfield, Ala.
Are You Only Half Alive?