Year: 1866




give indulgence to his depraved and craving
appetite.


Edward, feebly lisps the voice Of her
whom Edward Allen had vowed to comfort
and support till death should part them.


Edward, I have saved twenty-five cents
for time of extremity, time like this I
must soon leave you. I can but last for
few hours. / want my last moments to be
free from this intense pain. Take this money,
our last pitanee-spend the half Of it at the
apothecary's for morphia to ease my pains,
and with the remainder purchase bread for
yourself and dear little Willie-'tis all the
supper l can offer you, and the last your
Mary, who has never forsakeH you, will ever
be instrumental in procuring for you Go
Edward, and hasten your return.


Edward Allen brushed away a tear that
had gathered upon his cheek while his wife
had been speaking, and, with the remark " I
will be back as soon as possible" extended
his hand to receive the long treasured piece
Of silver, and started as brisklv as his be-
sotted frame could move in the direction of
the apOtheeaTy s store Scarcely had he left
that wretched abode, when Mrs Allen re-
collecting that Brown store lay in his way
said to the pale watcher at her side "Willie
your father Will have to pass by Mr. Browns
store, and the temptation to stop there may
prove too strong for him-gO, my child, and
tell him my suferings are extreme, and, by
all means in your power, hasten his return
with the medicine"


Little Willie arose to obey, but his heart
fingered near his mother, and sad thoughts
filed his mind, as he stopped to kiss that
brow upon which the death-dew was already
gathering GOOD bye, ma, l will try to be
back in an hour" and away he ran across
the bleak, snow-clad fields, in the direction
!, =, {, III IL n IL
as he reached Browns store, Willie saw that
he hesitated, and tried to urge him on. " We
will stop moment and warm" said the
father, and then 60 on" In vain did VIII
lie plead for haste. The appetite that was
stronger than life or love prevailed, and the
two sat down by the glowing fire in Browns
store


Well Ned, it's a cold day" said Brown
" In weather like this, a man needs little
stimulus; got any money old felow?"


These remarks were fatal to poor Ned's
resolution-for he had honestly intended to
execute the commission from his suffering
wife-and rising he stammered: Yes,
Brown, it's hard getting along all day with
out single drink; give me five cents worth
and take it out Of that Throwing the silver
piece on the counter" and then must 90"
At this the tears gathered in Willie's eyes,
and he began to demonstrate, when the
clenched fist, glaring eyes and horrid curses
of Brown, awed him into silence and all
he dared to do was to stand near his father
and give an occasional gentle pull at his tat
tered sleeve in the direction Of the door.


The first five cents worth having been
disposed of, in less than two hours the ffth
FIVE cents worth was rushing ike a torrent
of fire through poor Aliens veins, and ca-
pering IN his dizzy brain when as the shades
of that cold, cheerless, wintry night began
to gather, he was rUdely pushed out of doors
by the gentlemanly proprietor, and cursed
for an int0lerable nuisance. Heaping curses
in turn upon the head of his seducer, and
staggering back and forth, he finally suffered
his little boy to lead him by the hand, as
best he might, in the direction of the hoyel
called "home"


The wintry winds howIed through the
naked branches and the binding snoW-drifts
came at intervals in ftful gusts, impeding
their labored progress until finally, stupefed
with liquor and benumbed with cold, the
husband and father sank upon a snow bank,
and all little WilEes efforts and entreaties
to urge him on were in vain.


Alas poor Mary Allen Thy pain may not
be alleviated by the wished for potion Thy
last moments may not be cheered by the
presence Of thy dear little Willie, sitting at
thy side and eating the sweet loaf of bread,
a dying mothers undying love had procured
him. But He who watches over thee and
him win send the same convoy that attended
the released spirit of Lazarus to be the
comfort and guide Of ye both, as ye enter
the dark river, and when ye are safely over
" There shall be no more pain, neither sOr-
row, nor crying, for the former things will
have passed away"


At length the morning dawns, still and
frosty, and the sun struggling above the hori-
8on reveals a scene that might we'll make
devils shudder while angels exclaim woe
unto him that putteth the bottle to his neigh
boris lips. %


passing neighbor discovers the still
bIOated body Of the once manly and pr0mi5-
ing Edward Allen half buried in the snow
drift, and sees the evidence of the sons
struggle TO arouse and urge the father home
ward. Poor little Willie is also found lean
ing against the fence near by, a stiffened
corpse, with his last tears Of sorrow frozen
on his checks. Sleep on, dear little one
when thou shalt awake the warm breath Of
ministering angels will have kissed away
those cold tears. They were wrung from
thee by the rdnseller's curse, but where
thou art gone there shall be no more curse,
and there shall be no night there.


The frozen bodies Of father and son were
conveyed IN a cart to their home; and as
those who carried them entered that cold,
cherries cabin and stood around the com
FORTRESS pallet they heard the lips of Mary
Allen pronounce feebly for the last time the
name Of " Willie" ere her pure spirit took
its departure to join his in heaven


The rumsellers poison flowing forth from
It's fountain-the love Of gain-bad borne
away upon its current every hope, and had
brought to that once happy home, poverty,
wretchedness, starvation and death; but
when the pure spirit Of Mary Allen and her
loved and loving little Willie reached their
destination, the angel who led the convoy
Showed them pure river Of water Of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding out Of the throne
of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of
the street of it, and On either side Of the
river, was there the tree Of life, which bare
twelve manner Of fruits and yielded her fruit
every month and the leaves Of the tree were
for the healing Of the nation"


The days Of specie paymentare approach
ing The bill providing for the coinage of
FIVE cent pieces to replace our present nuis-
aucps of that denomination has DaSsed both