Year: 1875

Late in the evening As she was sit
ting in a crinson-backed easy-chair
languidly listening to the insipiC
! talk of Mr.. st. Cecil, one of her new
est admirers, the hostess came to her
saying that there was q boy below
asking for Mrs. Drew. Wonderin,
what it could mean, Alice excused
herself, and following Mrs Hildreth
found a little colored boy who wen
on errands for them sometimes.


"What is the matter, Theo?" ask
ed, she in alarm.


Bridget sent me to form you dat
massa Drew Is sick, and she wished
you'd come home 'mediately," said
the boy with alacrity.


The hostess ordered a servant Il
bring out the carriage; and Alice
without waiting to bid her friends
adieu hurried on her outer wrap
pings, and was soon whirling swiftly
away from the scene of gayety.


Gilbert i'll, perhaps dying! The
thought struck terror to her heart
and in an agony Of self.reproach she
remembered the unkind words she
had spoken to him at parting. Witt
whitening lips she sent up to Heaven
a silent PRAYER that he would live,
that she might have space to ask his
forgivness and atone for her heartless
conduct. When she reached home
the door was opened for her by ser
want girl, who said, in answer to heI
anxious inquiries, that her master
was better and was sleeping then.
He went out, she said, Immediately
after her mistress and came home
about an hour before. looking very
strange. and not appearing IN the
least like himself. Two men came
with him, but when she asked them
to 90 for the doctor they said "it wa,
nothing, he would be all right in the
morning. But she was frightened
and 90 sent for her mistress.


Alice went to the room where her
husband was, and found him lying
on the sofa, apparently asleep. Go.
ing up to him she laid her hand upon
his face and tried to rouse him. He
looked up at her with a stupid stare,
and for the first time in his life an
swercd her harshly and uukindly.
She had not the least suspicion of the
truth, and thinking that his mind
must be wandering, talked TO him
tenderly and soothingly, but he an.
swered only with bitter, taunting
words, and by and-by his breath came
10 her tainted with the fumes OF
strong drink Then, suddenly, the
truth flashed to her mind. Her
husband was drunk Drunk! he
whose life had always been q model
of uprightness, and upon whose puri.
ty she would have staked her soul
What an ending for her night Of
pleasure She was not a heartless
woman, and in spite of all her way
wardness she truly loved her hus.
band. For months she had been be
side herself with vanity and excite
ment, and the desire for admiration
and homage had overcome every
other consideration. But that night,
as she saw her husband lying there
in his degradation, and realized that
this was the harvest of her own SOW.
ing, her eyes were completely opened
and she saw the folly of her course
in its true light. She never once
thought of blaming her husband.
Free from the evil influences that
had held her in thrall, she was gener'
Gus and ready to see her own faults,
and shudderingly she admitted to
herself that her own discomfort and
wrong>doing, and that alone had
been the cause of her husbands down
fall. Back and forth across her
chamber she paced, sick at heart with
the destiny she had brought upon
herself.


After that night Gilbert Drew's
course was downward. There wa. q
set of dissipated fellows who had been
trying to induce him to join their
numbers, and, having once got him
under their influence, they did moi
give him up. Whenever he appear.
ed in the street they were constantly
meeting him and inviting him into
drinking saloons and holding thctemp
ting cup to his lips. And he Needed
them and in few short months fell
from high position down, down to the
level of common drunkard. 1t wa'
Alice's turn to watch and wait now
and what long, lonely vigils she kept
She went no more into society, and
the calls of her fashionable friend.
were unreturned and the invitation,
they sent her declined, till in shor'
time they left her to herself. She
grew wan and hollow-eyed, and none
can know how much of agony anC
remorse she suffered. Still she never
complained, but, feeling that her suf
ferings were merited, she grew pa
tient in her grief and loneliness.


Finally, for two whole days Gilber
was absent from home; then ther,
came to Alice a letter directed in hi
handwriting. With trembling handl
she broke the seal and read;


"ALIcE:-I have left the city ant
you will probably never see me again
We are beggars, and the home il
which we have lived will be sold in {
week. Two years ago we had quit'
a nice little fortune of our own, bu
we have wasted it-you by your ex
travagance, and l by dissipation
IT.J 80, Loo, co,fopfoI N srou from