The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1909-04-22

all the furies of pandemonlum. Then
| asked 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. | be-
! lieved him. The peach came back to
my cheek; a gllish lustre kindled in
my eye; wife's and mothers pride
began to lay plans for life end home
but they were soon dashed and
broken, for before was up from
that bed he came home drunk again.
"My sun went out in sudden, IL
retrievable midnight; my heavens,
If heavens they could be called, be.
came starless; | grew old; my heart
petrifed. But, sir, you will find 1t
all, and much more, ir the bottle of
tears. need not tell you of the
next few sorrow-l laden years, and the
coming of the second girl; of the
flight of luxury; of the desertion of
friends; of the absence of visitors; of
the curtailing of expenses and en-
forced economy, in order to meet
your liquor claims; of the loss of
nv health; of other efforts to keep
the wolf from the door; of the times
| have fled, by night, with fright
ened children. from a rum-crazed
husband and father; of Il cheerless
hearthstone; of bare table, and the
birth of the third child in the midst
of the squalor with which only a
drunkard's home is familiar; of my
vain efforts to keep the children
clothed and fed; of the deeper depths
into which you pulled my now help
less husband. One night there was
such pain in my heart that | cried
out. 1t awoke Mary, who came to me
and asked what the matter was. |
told her that | was IN so much pain
that | must be dying, that she would
have to take mammals place and care
for papa and little sisters, that papa
was hopeless drunkard, and that
she would soon he the only bread
winner. You will find in the bottle
of tears how We spent that night,
Mary and Lin praying and planning;
how little Mary took her seat at
dawn in the doorway and watched
for her papa's return; how, with the
rising of the n,he came staggering
up the once flower bordered, now
weed.infested, road; how Mary ran
down, threw her arms about her IA
ther and said, % my papa. Our
mamma came near death last night.
She said | would have to care for
YOU and little sister, too. o, my
sweet papa, you won't drink any
more, will you:' With an oath,
which might become demon, he
raised his strong arm and slapped the
child-a blow that sent her to the
graveled walk and left her bleeding
and weeping, while he came on to
curse and beat me. But you can read
it all, sir, in the bottle of tears, the
only thing | had left in my own
name and right, to leave you, as Il
reminder of what these possessions
have cost.
"Only three mornings ago four of
your obedient henchmen bore my
precious husband home to ME, at
break of day, and laid him. dead on
the floor, and hurried back, | sup
pose, to the gambling table, over
which your victim had just been shot.
| found some friendly negroes to dig
the grave in what ! thought was my
garden, and we laid him down under
his tavorite apple tree. | thought to
put flowers there in the summer and
shells in winter. and teach my girls