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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1890)
WEST SHORE. scene at home, and he had angrily declared his inten tion of either taking Glen and leaving her, or else of putting her in an inebriate asylum. Never before had he talked like that to her, and flic realized that he was roused to declaration. Leaving her in maudlin team, he strode gloomily down the street, his hat drawn ("lonely over his eyes. " I will do it! " ho was saying to himself. " She shall not drag me and my child any lower. She is ru ining my every prospect even as she has my happiness. Endurance " " Say, there, Clayton! " It was the voire of an ac quaintance. " Going to the lecture to-night? " " lecture? 'No, not as I know of; had forgotten it, in fact." " Well, you must go; 'tis a tcniicrance address by Flora Forrester, the authoress, you know. She spoke several times hero a couple of years since at a tem iter ance campmeeting, and the city went wild over her, Temperance was popular for once. It will bo u treat. IMter go." " Maybe I will." Clayton gave the half promise indifferently, with little intention of keeping it, but chancing to pass the opera house as it was rapidly filling up, he allowed himself to drift in with the rest. His wife's habits were not generally understood among their acquaintances in Carson yet, or his sensi tiveness would have forbade him attending such a meeting. Absently he watched tho house fill and listened to the oiening chorus and prayer. Then the chairman rose, saying " It will hardly lie necessary for mo to introduce to this audience tho well known sjeakcr, Flora Forres ter," turning, as he sjtoke, to the woman who had just mounted the stejm fro'M a rear dressing room. A burst of applause greeted her as she came forward, bowing with simple dignity. " Illanche Iiird! Great heavens! " were tho smoth ered exclamations that burst from Clayton's lips, and then he sat like one stunned, gaiing fixedly at the graceful, womanly figure before him. She did not seemed changed, only riper and more lovely, and her soft, white dress reminded him of the one she had worn on that last morning. A bunch of purple pansies, nestling in the lace at her throat, wa her only ornament He rcmemUred that she always wore them of old, and that he used often to call her " Heartsease.'' breathlessly he listened for the first sound of her voire. It fell low, but sweet and char, tarrying hirn back to the time when it had Urn the awertnt music on earth to him; and then God pity him! lyoking at the fxrrfcct woman, he thought of his wife. She was shaking in an earnest tone, but he lis tened without knowing what she said. It was enough to hear her voice and see her. Strange that this one hour of heaven had Ucn forced ujntn him to make tho hell of his daily life more unendurable! Hut hark! What waa she say ing? " One word to husbands, if there I any lure who have wives addicted to the fatal cup. Mt of you start in horror at such a suggestion as you think of the pure woman who makes your fireside bright, your home a haven of rest and safety; but let Ine te you there an, in this fair laud, wives and mothers dew-ending to the inebriate's grave. Not many, comparatively shaking, thank God, but some, and to the husbands of such I would say, stand by that sin-stricken woman until the collin lid close over her ruined life. " As a rule women are more faithful to w reeked partners than are men, but there should be no differ ence. If I were the wife of a drunkard, I would stand by him until death's grasp was upm him, ami then follow him down, as it were, into the Very gate of hell, pleading a merciful father to fulfill the promise, ' Ask and ye shall receive.' His soul should at bast be wafted out on tho wing of prayer, and then I could but leave the rest with God. " I knew a woman who left audi a husband he cause the climate where they lived did not agree with their child. How much Utter to have l t the little lamb go, to lie carried in the Savior's boin, than to let her husband die, a he did, alone, with no wife's prayers to rise like incense I fire Jehovah. " What I have already soid to wive, I now rrj-rat to husband, 'What God hath joined together hi no man or anything put asunder' Von tok thrm fr U tter or worse, che tlif-in from among all others, now stand to your vow. Vou have no right to shirk be cause your tak i an unprant one, h- au it hat turned out fr 'worse' Instead of ' lttr.' " If it be your life work to bury ambition and pride and fill up the time by counsel, entreaty and prajrr over an inebriate wife, do it, leaving the rrmilu with Him who 'knoweth the end from th h ginning Frank Clayton was weeping silrnlly when she fin ished, but there had arisen In his ul a mighty pur I, a determination to follow her advice, though it led through sorrow and digrare. Nor did h regret this resolve or hi firm adherame to it, when, ayrar and a half later, he td IU the earthly remain of hi onre U-auliful wife There was no frmor; h had Urn true to hi marrU;" vow. Twice had winter's snow and summer's flower al ternated above the grave of Ut, frail Olivv Ctaytfi, when the flivw in g jnfijraph if -el thqeyvcf Uycr Clayton-