I met
the eyes of the man with whom I had talked during the afternoon,
and his knowing wink brought to mind his suggestion, that in one
of the upper rooms gambling went on nightly, and that some of the
most promising young men of the town had been drawn, through the
bar attraction, into this vortex of ruin. I felt a shudder
creeping along my nerves.
The conversation that now went on among the company was of such an
obscene and profane character that, in disgust, I went out. The
night was clear, the air soft, and the moon shining down brightly.
I walked for some time in the porch, musing on what I had seen and
heard; while a constant stream of visitors came pouring into the
bar-room. Only a few of these remained. The larger portion went in
quickly, took their glass, and then left, as if to avoid
observation as much as possible.
Soon after I commenced walking in the porch, I noticed an elderly
lady go slowly by, who, in passing, slightly paused, and evidently
tried to look through the bar-room door. The pause was but for an
instant. In less than ten minutes she came back, again stopped--
this time longer--and again moved off slowly, until she passed out
of sight. I was yet thinking about her, when, on lifting my eyes
from the ground, she was advancing along the road, but a few rods
distant. I almost started at seeing her, for there no longer
remained a doubt on my mind, that she was some trembling,
heartsick woman, in search of an erring son, whose feet were in
dangerous paths.
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