Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-03-04
Why My Wife Left Me

, spoke to mo about this. but I assured
her with fatuous self-confldence that
knew Just when to stop. and that could
break Off whenever I wanted to. and that
20 drink a certain amount and be good
fellow helped mo along with my business.
because It brought me In close contact
with certain men who controlled big in
terests She looked the doubt she felt
but said nothing more
When our first baby came my wife
went down into the Valley OF the Shadow.
and when she came back she brought
with hcr a tiny. frail little creature, IN
whose frame the spark OF lifo glimmercd
so feebiy that only n mothers incessant
devotion could keep Il slight
81 was passions,ely in love with my
wife and frantic with anxiety about her,
and. like many another man, under such
circumstances. I tried TO drown my fears
and aurgish IN drink. The night that my
wife was fighting with death was pour
ing drink after drink down my throat
and when with her first conscious breath
she asked for me I. who shoufd have
been standing by her side. was lying IN a
drunken stupnr in the back room of q
saloon. ! had failed her at the great
crisis % our lives.
~ don't know what they told her.
don't know what she thought 1 suppose
she suspected the truth. and in her
woman-wise way made allowances for
mo- but her face. when / was sober
enough to he admitted TO her presence
wore for tho first time the look of sor-
ROW that was never TO sec out of her
eyes again, II was the look that every
drunkard's wife wears.
"Afy wife hal to give most OF her time
and attention to the care OF our sickly
little baby and | got into the way of
spending my evenings at the club and in
saloons and before / realized Il had
passed from being moderate drinker
into being hard drlnker, and the habit
that lad boosted that could control
controlled me.
What followed is the old story. be-
came a drunkard. lost my practice. I
lest all Of my friends who were worth
while, The money that should have gone
to the support OF my family went over
the bar. We moved and moved and
moved. each time TO = cheaper and poorer
place. our furniture and clothes became
shabbler and shabbier. We became the
typical drunkards family.
AT first was ashamed to come home
drunk and would sleep Off my carousc
In my office or at some hotel. Then I
lost all shame. and my wife saw me
Keeling, lettering. maudlIn. my eyes
bleary my mouth dribbling. my clothes
! filthy, surely the most disgusting sight
on earth TO a woman OF delicacy and re-
| finement.
"She knew what It was TO watch and
wait through long nights for the CONS
ing OF a stumbling step. She knew what
| II was to open the door for n man whose
fumbling hand could not even find the
| latch, She knew what II was TO help
big. strong thing IN the shape OF a man
who had lost all inanhood-to bed, there
TO .slumber in a toped aleep. with open
mouth and stentorous breathing until his
alcoholized brain awoke TO life again.
MY wife stood all OF this Sith the
patience of AN angel for few years
She stood Il until her every effort TO re-
form me had failed, and her every hope
was dead. and then she left me. The
shock OF her going sobered me so that
l have never taken drink sInce, but
my reformation came too late. had
killed her respect and her love for me-
and / could no more bring them back
to life than you can breathe lite into
corpse.
I II had had home ana happiness. wife
and child. andf lost them all through
drink"