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VOL. 3.
TltE OPEN DRAW-BRIDGE;
OR,
The Terrible Lesson of a Night.
By Bell Blossom.
“There’s no use in talking about
it any more, George!” said Lydia
Hawkes, her voice taking a strange
pathos as she spoke. “If yon won’t
give up this encroaching habit of
yours, I must givo you up!”
GeorgeTJeyison stood silent a mo
ment. lie was a fall, handsome
fellow,, with laughing hazel eyes, a
luxurious brown beard, and a fore-
hend bronzed bv frequent exposure
to sun and air.
But as- Lydia, spoke an ominous
shadow passed over his face.
"You arc very ready to give,me
up/” lie said, in a tone of pique,
“George!”
“I thought you loved me.”
“So I did—so I do! Oh, George,
how can von speak so? But—I may
as well toll you all—my father will
never allow me to marry no habitual
drinker.”
"That’s all nonsense, Lydia!”
“No, it is not nonsense. Just
stop and think, George. Where is
all this leading you to? What is to
be the end of it?’
•She laid her liaiid pleadingly on
the young man’s arm. as she spoke.
But he drew it coldly away/ evi
dently lie was in no humor foi
counsel or advice.
“Of course,said he. “if you want
to be released from your troth—”
“Have I said so, George?”
->~J^ T ‘»t in so many words, but
amounts to llitt/^ttme thing. And
am till, a man to hold any woman to
her promise against her will.”
«>!T. ■ •
Lydia JIawkes stood still, looking
after him, a mist of-tears before her
eyes, a tumultuous throbbing at her
heart.
What shall T do? she asked liereclf
—oh, what shall I do*
“Well, child,” old Mr. Hawkes
asked his danglirer, when, an hour
or so later, she came slowly up to
the back doo , garlanded with hop
vines and ivy, where- the old gentle
man sat smoking his evening pipe,
“what did he say?”
“He wouldn’t yield, papa.”
Hawkes looked pityingly at his
daughter.
"My darling,” said ho, “it’s hard
on you, isn’t it? But don’t give up.
If a man loves liquor better than he
loves his promised wife—”
A slight spasm swept across Lydia’s
fair face.
“Don’t papa!” she cried out,
quickly, as if something had stung
her,, and then she went into the
house.
Meanwhile, George Levi son, walk
ing with his hands behind 1 is back,
strode along Lhe road, his eyes fixe!
on the grass and pebbles under foot,
in’s brow contracted into a frown.
“By Jove!” he muttered to him
self, “it’s getting a little too much.
No man likea ter be treated as if he
. , — •• ,,w o — pump
were a child in leading strings; a minute, and then
I for one won’t stand it! Why, if 1
were a confirmed drunkard, she
couldn’t treat me worse.”
“Hello, Lavison,” culled out a
loud, cheery voice, as lie passed a
knot of little houses, just out of the.
village, “aren’t you going to stop and
take a social glass to-night? The
fellows are all here.”
“Not to-night,” said Lcvjson,
absently.
The man laughed and shrugged
his shoulders.
“I thonghtyou would backdown to
night. Miss Hawes has been reading
you a caudle lecture in udvanee, bus
she?”
Lcvison turned abruptly around.
“No woman does that to-me!”
said he. “No, I’ve no objection to
just one glass. But I haven’t a
great deal of time to spare to-night.
Graves goes off the draw bridge at
seven, and it’s a little past six
already.”
“Oh, there’s time enough and
plenty!” said the man with cheery
voice; ‘-and they will all be glad to
see you at tho Half-Way House.
So, George Levison, unstable as
water. *weak as the drifting sand
allowed himself with Lydia Hawkes
plaintive warning yet ringing in his
ears, to be lured into the open tfooi
of the little tavern, which stood
always ready, likea mammoth spider
web, to entruplhc weak and unwary.
And it .was on the stroke of seven
as lie issued forth again, with not a
very steady step and gait, toward
the railroad draw-bridge, where he
kept watch and ward from seven at
bight until seven in the morning.
Herman Graves, the other em
ployee, stood in the door as lie
advanced.
"Late again!”said he, impatiently
“Now, Levison, look here—
“It slum t happen again—I give
yon my word it shan’t!” said Levison,
a little huskily. “I was unavoidably
detained to-njght.”
G raves glanced sharply at hub.
“Have you been drinking?” he
demanded.
“Drinking? No!” briefly retorted
Levison. "Do ihey pay you anything
extra for asking questions, eh? Come,
clear out!”
He laughed good-humoredly as he
took the other by the shoulders and
turned him out into the purple dusk
of the night.
4 • We’re going to have a shower, I
guess, - added lie, looking out. upon
the lurid clouds which were piled up
in the west. “Well, it will cool the
air.”
He lighted the lamp and sat down
to his newspaper, glancing first up at
the clock, directly opposite
Ooly tfcvetr! Tho boat for which
it was his business to open the draw
would not be along for some ten
fumutes yet. Plenty of time!
But George Lovison Inid drmil
more than * lie was accustomed to,
and the printed lines of the paper
swam before his uncertain eyesight,
as lie tried to fix his attention on
them.
"Pshaw! how poor the light is!
And then, throwing down the
paper, lie sank iu‘6 a sort of stupor,
from which lie was only aroused bv
voices shouting at him; and by some
lim effort of comprehension lie be
gan to understand that the boat was
coming down the river, a brilliant
mass of moving lights/
How lie contrived to open tho
bridge be never knew; but he did.
And standing by he watched the
majestic craft glide through—a thing
of life and beauty, all instinct with
the freight of humanity t)iat she
bore. They shouted something at
him front the pilot-house—he did
not. know what.
“Aye, aye!” he called out. ‘‘All
right.”
And then lie reeled back
into the drow-house.
“Just five minutes,” he said to
himself. ‘-There isadropof brandy
there somewhere. And all the
strong! h is going out of me somehow.
DUBLIN, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18,1881.
}
NO. 28.
He dare not look out of tli9 win
dow, lest in the valley below lie
should see the shuttered cars, the
bloody debris of human life!
He dropped his head on his hands
with ashuddoring groan. Murder, u
thousand fold, and all through him!
“George!”
I lie rustle of a woman’s dress—
the soft fragrance of violets that
i . , , - immenm aavantaae o.
with her—and he felt the gentle,
warm touch of her hand bn his wrist.
“lhe—the draw-UricIgo!” he gasp
ed, wildly staring her in the fuco.
“It’s all right, George,” she said,
softly. “Don’t, bo afraid. Father
attended to it while yon were asleep.”
He drew a shuddering sigh of
•elief.
“How came he hero?” lie asked,
his face-still as pale as marble.
Mr. Graves carno down to oui
house. Ho told father he thought
ou had boon drinking, lie said
you weren’t fit to leave alone; so we
came down—father and I—and we
had just time to close the draw be
fore the train came thundering
down. Oh, George, if we had been
ten minutes later
Her voice died away in a choking
sob
“Lydia,” said George speaking in
short, disconnected jerks, “you are
my guardian angel! Will you for
give me, dear? And please God,
I’ll never touch another drop of
drink so long as I live?”
And he kept his word—the terrible
lesson was not thrown away.
•rf*
'tAHlw Wluit You Read.
r i. <5l Hjcct of Thorne-reading has
beeiv. : >er discusswiyin the Chris-
tian bition, A corVespondent makes
an exQuhent suggestion: “After read
ing that has appeared in your
columns either editorially or from
correspKmdents, allow me to add one
hint that; 1 do not think has been
given, 'the immense advantage of
Mrss.—A woman who opened a
small millinery store in the xycstoni
part of Detroit engaged a painter to
paint her sign. When it came home
the other day, slip saw tluiL it read,
'Mrss. J. Blank, etc., und she culled
out, ‘•You have an extra s in Mrs.,
and you must paint tho sign over
again.’ The painter saw the error,
but lie didn’t want the job uf cor
recting it mid he replied, ‘Madam,
haven’t you had two husbands?'
Yes, sir.’ *i T ou were a Mrs. when
you lost, the first?’ ‘I was.’ ‘And
do you think a woman can go on
marrying forever and not lengthen
out, her name? Mrs. means a mar-
.cd woman or a'widow. Mrss. means
woman who Inis been married
twice, and is young enough to marry
again; and only yesterday a rich old
coon was in our shop and said if he
hud any idea that you were heart-
free, he’d come up ’ ‘Oh, well,
you can nail up the sign!’ she iuter-
upted; and it is there yet.—Fireside
Monthly. _
A Bad Sox Ki/jxs His Father.
again
I’ll
the bridge
come back and draw
around all right.”
lie felt vaguely in the table drawer
und on the shelves; but the flat flask
was not there.
“Confound it!” he muttered. “I
thought—I thought—”
And then lie sank heavily down
into a chair, his face on his folded
arms, while a fatal drowsiness crept
over him liko the poppied draught
of Lethe.
“i'he express train isn’t due until
nearly nine,” lie thought “There’s
time—oh, there's plenty of time!”
******
Morning! The flush of rosy gold
uloug the east—tlie birds singing in
the thickets that skirted the river—
and Goorge Levisan started from his
drunken doze, with a vague sensa
tion that something was wrong.
Morning! and the draw-bridge that
he was to have closed at eight!
It came on lijm Jjke a blow.
—J. W. Blaxendale, son of the lead
ing shoe manufacturer of Brockton,
Muss., and who had control of the
financial department of the busi
ness, lias absconded with from $8,-
OftO to 10, 000. He had been keeping
company with a notorious woman
of Boston for t)ie past three months
and it is surmised that she went
with him. His father was in financial
straits at the time of his disappear
ing. and it is thought that this loss
will ruin him,
A police,captain of Bath, Me., is
a great believer in enforcing city
ordinances against fast driving and
running of fast trains within the city
limits. As he stood by a railroad
crossing the other day a train came
tearing by at what scorned to him an
unlawful speed. He asked a small
boy who lived right there. “Does the*
train always go that way?” “No, it
sometimes goes the other way.” the
guardiuu of the peace walked away
in a spirit of reflection, as it were.
Nearly forty years’, experience as a
teacher, has shown me how little
truly khoYv of a subject until 1 begin
to explain it or teach it. Lot any
young' porson try the experiment of
giving in conversation briefly and
connectedly, and in the simplest
language, the chief points of any
book or article lie has read, und lie
w-'ll see at onco what I mean. The
gaps that are likely to .appear in the
knowledge that he thought was his
own, will, no doubt, appeal- surpris
ing. I know of no training superior
to tills in utilizing one’s reading, in
strengthening the memory, and in
forming habits of clear and connect
ed statement. It will doubtless
teach other things than thoso I have
mentioned, which the persons who
honestly make tho experiment will
find out for themselves. Children
who can read can bo encouraged to
give, in u familiar way, the interest
ing parts of the books they have
read, with advantage to all concern
ed. More than one youth I know
Ims laid the foundation of intellect
ual taste in a New Fngland family
where hearty encouragement whs
given to children and adults to their
attempts to sketch the lectures they
nave heard tho evening previous
The Himio thing was done with
hooks.”
Sins Against Children.
There are many other sins against
childhood besides brutal blows or tho
slow starvation which drunknoss oc
cusions. Nor dp they spring from
wanton cruelty. Many of them grow
out of carelessness, or ignorance, or
utterly false views of parental duty.
Fully one-half of all the parents in
the land need to have the solemn
caution whispered in their ears: Be
ware how you sin against your
child!
Parentage involves a tremendous
trust. God puts into our hands the
most susceptible and receptive crea
ture on the globo when he entrusts to
our care a human soul. No photo
graphic plate takes impressions so
readily or retains them so surely. Ti
geologican museums you may sou
stone slabs which show the prints of
birds’ foot or of leaves, which were
made in the stone when it wus liquid
pumice, centuries ago. in like man
ncr wp detect the fingermarks and
footprints of paternal influence upon
the character of theiradult children
Very ugly are some of these foot
prints too.—Then. Cuyler.
Goodwill, December 16—Was
burned to death on T. B. Harrison’s
place a little negro child about eight
years old of Henry Ruders on the
13th of this month. It und another
child were left in the house ulouc.
Its clothing caught on fire. It ran
out in a bunch of grass and was
burned to death in a few minutes.
The child died before anyone could
get there.
A fish-preserving company has
been organized in Philadelphia with
a capital of $20,000, whose object is
to freeze and keep in a state of
preservation siian ana -other salt
water fish in tho United States and
market them at times when such
fish are not in season. The company
expects to procure enough shad du
ring the season from the Delaware
and Potomac rivers to enable it to
carry on the buisness successfully.
In the far West what may be
termed the religious traveller is
occasionally met with—the per
ambulating parson or the migratory
missionary. “Whereareyougoing?”
said a young gentleman loan elderly
one in a white cravut whom lie over
took a few miles from Little Rock.
“I am going to heaven, my son.
I have been on my way for eighteen
years.” “Well, good-by, old fellow!
If you have been traveling towards
heaven for eighteen yeurs and got no
nearer than Arkansas, I w ill take
another route.”
Mr. James B. Carson, of Griffin,
has invented a cotton chopper that
will chop forty acres of cotton a day.
An Afflicted Family.
They entered Vicksburg just at
dark. Tho two mules bororo the
covered wagon leaned against each
other for support, and a man having
uuy knowlcdgo of mules would have
said that a lunch of scrap iron would
have been u god-sond to thorn.
There was a big dog under lhe
wagon, und he looked around in a
suspicious, frightened way, as if ex
pcctuig an attack from some quarto)-.
Peering qt^irotn tlvo jvagon was a
woman and three cliiId ron. Her face
was as yellow as ocliro.und as sharp
ns a pluiitatm hoe, and if the child
ren had had a hit of bacon for
months past, their looks didn't
show it.
“Wo’ro a bud family,” replied tho
old man ns ho returned from tho
grocery with a pound of oruokors
and a bit of cheese.
“Anything bad happened?” asked
the reporter., **
You see that woman .thar in the
wagon! Well, she weighed one hun
dred and sixty pounds when we
struck Louisiana a your ago. Tlmr
she is now, gone down to a shnddof,
and you could" not hour her holler
across tho road!”
“Yes, sho does look bad.”
“And tlvar’s tho throe children—
fell away to bones and hide and hii’r.
Thar used to he seven. Tho rest ur’
planted over thar ucross the river.”
“Well, that is bad.”
“And tlmr’s them mules,” contin
ued tho stranger, his voice growing
husky. “Thai* wus a time when
they was jist ole lightning; had to
tie ’em out of doors for fear they’d
kick the stable all tor pieces. They
rlon’t look like it now, but them
mules was onco ublo to run a plow
into tho pile so deep that it took a
nigger a hull day to dig down to the
handle!*.”
“They scorn xvoyi out now.”
“And gaze on that dog—on poor
Timothy!” continued the man,
brushing a tear from his left o.yo;
“that’s wlmt takes the pluck out of
me! When I brought that dog from
old Ruin tuck the taller fried out o
him as he walked, and when ho sot
his teeth onto anything it had tci
come or die. And wliat is he now?
Whar’s his boundin'''Stop, his fat,
his grit?”
“You had bad luck, then?”
“Yes, things sot agin’ us from the
very start. The ruin drowned tho
crops out, the ager shook me up
stairs uml down, fox or took the
children away and the ole woman
and the mules and Timothy sot
right down and pined axvay to
shudders.”
“And yon are moving?”
“We’re a joggin’, stronger, kinder
joggin along and around, looking for
a place to squat. Tho ole xvoman
sighs for Kuintuck, and Timothy
he’d git up on his hind legs und howl
if xve were pin ted tlmt way, but I
thought we’d jog a little further.”
“And you will settle in Missis
sippi?”
“I’ll boo. They say tho silo hero
is goon aim crops sure, bnt I drnma,
If I can git a good bit o’ hind on
sheers xvo’ll stop and make tlie dirt
fly, but if I can’t we’ll make for ole
Kuintuck and keep joggin’us long us
tho mules hold out.”
“Well, I’m sorry for you,” said
the’reporter.
“’Bleoged to you, stronger. I’vo
tried to keep a stiff backbone, and I
guess I kin see this thing through;
but xvhen a feller remembers what
thorn mules xvas, and see ’em now,
it’s enough to break his heart, to say
nothin’ about Timothy under the
xvugon—a dog xvlio xvas brutig up on
the fat of the land, and who ain’t
used to sorrow and grief.”
And ho climbed into tho xvagon,
grasped the lines, and the mules
moved slowly on.—Saturday Night.
THE DEATH OF JEFFERSON,
An Interesting Incident Related
by the Hon. Alexander H. H.
Stuart.
An old lady recently directed th#
attention of her husband too,pair of
twins, remarking us she did' so,
“How much these cliiJAm do look
alike, especially the t-m tin’s xyny.”
The lion. Alexander II. H. Stuart,
of Virginia, has written an interest
ing lottor giving an account of tho
celebration in Staunton, Va., of the
fiftieth anniversary of tho Declaration
of Independence. He says:
“^Ymong the guests who assembled
at the celebration held at the
Tavern on tho Fourth of July, 1_ . ,
xvero most of the prominent men of
tho town and county. I xvoll remem
ber that Daniel Shelley, Chapman
Johnson, Briscoo G. Baldwin, Thos.
J. Mioliio, William Kinney aud
other citizens of the town wore
among the number, and, I think,
Genoral Robert Porterfield, James
Boll, Charles A. Stuart and others
of the sumo class from the countiy
wore present. Tho occasion was
marked by hilarity. Tho spoeches-
were brief, spiritod and appropriate.
Anecdotes wore told. There were
brilliant flashes of wit and fancy,
und ull wore in good humor and
all seemed to enjoy themselves. In
this way tho day xvas passed until
nearly sundown, and tho company
were preparing to sopiirato with
mutual felicitations on tho pleasure
they had enjoyed und tho expression
of hope that they might moot to
commemorate many returns of the
auspicious day. At this stage of tho
proceeding some one came into the
porch und in a loxv tone communi
cated to Mr. Chapman Johnson
something which seemed to make a
deep impression on him. I, xvlio
xvas then a jtiitli preparing myself to
enter the Utmorsity, sat, with a few
other young companions near the
foot of the table, and, being bn tho
opposite side from Mr. Johnson, had
a full vioxv of In’s face, and although
did not know tho nature of the
communication, could not fail to
observe the grave expression of his
countenance.
“Tho mystery was soon solved.
Mr. Johnson arose und in fitting
terms announced to the company
that nows had just reached him of
tl»« d«mth, noiir noon on tliat day, of
Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Johnson request
ed all present to fill their gluaaour ns
lio dosired to offer a sentiment. This
xvas done. He then desired that tho
company would; rise and remain
standing.. While we thus stood,
deeply impressed xvith tho solemnity
of the event which lmd boon thus
unexpectedly announced, Mr. John
son offered the following sentiment:
‘Tho memory of Thomas Jefferson,
author of tho Dcclution of Indoporvl-
otice! Though the mortal man may
never witness another oolebrution of
tho day which his pen has so mnch
illustrated, his immortal spirit will
bo present and inspire the last
an them which hulloxvs its memory.’
Tho sentiment xvas purely impromp- *
til.' He did nottuko time to commit
it to paper. Ho gave it to us as it
came, gushing up like living xvaters
from tho fountain of his great heart,
and it found a rosponso in the heart,
of evuryono xvlio xvas present. A*
for myself, ovory word that ho utter
ed hecamo, as it xvoro, engrossed on
tho tablets of my memory, and, after
the lapse of fifty-four yours, I feel •
that I am able to report Mr. John
son’s toast, not only with substan
tial, bnt with literal acouracy.”
In Savannah on tho 2Qth nit,, «
negro boy was shot in the foot with
a toy pistol. One has been killed andi
txva wounded with these dangerous,
things, and still thoro is no law in
Savannah to prevent tho sale.
Mr* Whittier writes that,ho hopes
tliut his readers will find that lie has
U-knl to rrmko the world a little
bettor; and that something may
bo found in his writings, “to uwukon
,11 Iwre of freedom, juslico, peace, and
good, will —something which sliull
“"ggeaL however faintly and imper
fectly, the Christian ideal of lbve to
God.and humanity..”