An entire week was this family in suspense, when at last, by request
of the father, dear Mr. Goodnews, the minister, was at the office, and
got the letter and opened it, and read the account as before given. He
immediately went to Mr. Griffith's, and found both the parents in bed
with a high fever, and their countenances covered with wan despair. As
he entered the door he tried to look cheerfully. "Grayson is dead,"
said the almost frantic mother. "No, he is'nt," said the minister.
"Then he is mortally wounded," said she. "No, he is not," said he.
"Then he is a murderer; he has killed a man! O, my first-born
Grayson!" "My dear Mrs. Griffith," said the good minister, "the Lord
is better than all your fears. Grayson and his antagonist are both
wounded indeed, but neither mortally." "O bless the Lord, bless the
Lord," said Mrs. Griffith, and swooned away. On using proper means she
was restored, and became calm and quiet; but it was an hour before Mr.
Goodnews could read the whole letter to her. Mr. Griffith suffered
greatly, but was much occupied with the care of his wife. He really
feared that things would have terminated fatally. In a few days the
parents rallied, and wrote Grayson a most affectionate and solemn
letter, which he never answered.
The next news of importance which these parents received respecting
their son was, that he was married to an amiable, though a thoughtless
and giddy girl. In a year they heard that he was the father of a sweet
boy. In eighteen months more they heard that he had a sweet daughter.
Not long after, they heard that he made frequent and unaccountable
excursions from home, and presently they heard, that on a steam boat
that ran between the town of Badblood and the Bay of Dissipation, he
had by gambling, lost all his money. What they had heard was true.
Losing his money, he hastened home--made some arrangements for his
family--disposed of as much property as was left--received five
hundred dollars in hand--left two hundred with his wife--and with the
other three hundred set out professedly to visit his parents at the
village of Goodcheer. But the demon of gambling had possessed him--and
Griffith in a few weeks found himself with but one hundred dollars,
remaining at Spendthrift Hotel, in Blockley Row, in the city of
Allvice in the Old Dominion. Here Griffith resolved to retrieve his
fortunes. He sought the faro bank, and in an hour was pennyless. Poor
Griffith was not far from perfect ruin. He spent the night in dreadful
tossings, and in the very room where he had lodged years before. He
fancied that he saw "$3,600" in flaming figures before him. In the
morning he walked the streets. He watched to see whether he could
recognize any old friend among the hundreds he met. He read the names
on the sign-boards; he searched the morning papers; yet no bright
prospect opened before him. In the afternoon he wandered into Purity
Lane, and had hardly entered that street, when he saw on the knocker
at the door, "Amos Kindheart." He asked a servant who was washing down
the white marble steps, whether the "_Reverend_" Mr. Kindheart lived
there, and was answered in the affirmative. Asking to be introduced
into his presence, he was soon shown into the study. "Is this the Rev.
Mr. Kindheart?" said he. "It is," replied the good man, "please to be
seated." "Are you not acquainted with Rev. Mr. Goodnews?" "Yes sir."
"Do you not also know Gregory Griffith?" "Yes sir; I stayed at his
house more than a week some years ago; and if I am not deceived, this
is his son Grayson, who used to exercise my horse night and morning
when I was there." Mr. Kindheart expressed much pleasure at seeing
him, and learned that he had a wife and two children in the town of
Badblood, in the State of Misery; he also learned that he had been a
merchant. Mr. Kindheart treated him very affectionately, gave him a
handsome little present, invited him to dinner next day, and excused
himself for that evening, as he had in a remote part of the city an
engagement that could not be broken. Early next morning a little
ragged servant handed Mr. Kindheart a sealed note from Griffith,
stating that he had been imprudent, and requesting him to send by the
bearer a sum sufficient to meet the expenses of a passage to the
pleasant village of Goodcheer, from which place the amount should be
returned at an early date. Mr. Kindheart replied in a note that he had
not the money then, but would get it before the next evening, when the
first stage would leave, and renewed the invitation to dinner that
day. Dinner came, but no Griffith was there. Several hours before it
was time for the stage to start, Mr. Kindheart called with the money
at Griffith's lodgings, but he was not to be seen. In a short time he
called again, and then again. Still he could not be seen. The truth
was, Griffith's conscience would not let him face a man from whom he
knew he desired money only that he might have the means of gambling.
He had no serious purpose of visiting Goodcheer.
For many days Griffith loitered about the city in perfect
wretchedness, and without one cent of money. At length he went to the
proper city police officer, and told him that there were several
gambling establishments in town, that many persons visited them, and
that he could give important testimony in the case. Then going to
Hardface and Takeall, two gamblers, he told them that unless they
would give him $600, so that he might fairly and speedily escape, he
would be retained as a witness against them at the next sessions. The
gamblers agreed to give him $500, hastened his departure in a private
conveyance, but started after him a man, who overtaking him in the
next post town, horsewhipped him very severely. Griffith bore this
rough treatment like a dog. He squealed, he cried, he howled, he
danced--but he did not resist.
From this time Griffith wandered about, until, in the course of a few
months, he found himself again with his family. At first he seemed
pleased to kiss his babes and embrace his wife; but the next day went
to a faro bank in Badblood, and lost all he had--even his wife's
wardrobe and toilet. At this time he resolved on destroying his own
life. He went to three different shops, and procured laudanum in a
quantity sufficient to take life. He went home, and as he ascended the
first flight of stairs, he emptied the contents of each vial into his
stomach. O woman, what an angel of mercy thou art! His wife met him at
the door, with unwonted demonstrations of love. His little boy
prattled most sweetly; his little girl breathed in her crib as gently
as a May zephyr. His wife told him of several pleasant and smart
things which the children had said and done that day. He began to
weep--then to tremble--then to dislodge the contents of his stomach.
"My dear Nancy," said Griffith, "I shall be dead in a few hours, but
never mind." His wife perceiving that laudanum was in his stomach,
instantly prepared a potent emetic, and mixing it with a large tumbler
of hot water, offered it to her husband, and he consented to drink it,
supposing it could not be improper. In a few minutes, through the
influence of nausea, from the effects of brandy, and from the dose
just given, the stomach was emptied. Poor Griffith suffered much, but
gradually recovered. None save his wife knew of the attempted violence
on his own life.
At length a few benevolent people proposed to him to leave Badblood,
and go into the interior. He consented, and they gave him the
necessary money, as he and his family entered the stage. Griffith was
much affected by their kindness, especially that of one old Baptist
gentleman, who said very tenderly, "God bless you all." They travelled
day and night, until they were two hundred miles from the place of
their recent miseries, when a violent fever and painful dysentery in
their little boy compelled them to stop. The house where they stopped,
though not promising much in outward appearance, was yet neat and
clean. Mr. Felix, the landlord, and his wife, were intelligent,
industrious and pious. They were strict temperance people, and no
liquor could be had for drink within fifteen miles. Griffith of course
became very cool. The first day he was very wretched; he had no
employment--he had no heart to assist in nursing the sick boy. Towards
evening he took a gun and walked into the field, and shot a partridge.
At first he seemed pleased that he might thus promote the comfort of
his little son, but then he remembered that animal food of any kind
would injure him. The next day he was more miserable than ever, until
about noon he saw fishing rods, and on inquiry found that there was a
fish-pond not very distant. He went and angled for hours, but the hot
sun had driven every fish under the banks and tussocks. He sat four
long hours, and had not even a nibble. He returned with a heavy heart;
yet it was pleasant to more than his wife, to observe a growing
earnestness and frequency of inquiry into the health of his child. The
next day, being Friday, a meeting commenced at a church not three
hundred yards distant from the house of their kind landlord, and by a
little persuasion, Griffith was prevailed on to attend. The first
sermon was very animated, and was on that text: Isaiah lii. 3: "Thus
saith the Lord; ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be
redeemed without money." Griffith sat on the back seat, and paid more
attention than one would have supposed from his appearance. The second
sermon was preached by an old gentleman, on the text, 1 Timothy, i.
15: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
Returning home, Griffith thought the preachers both affectionate and
able; but he really thought some things must be personal. Indeed, the
young man who had preached first, had a very dark and piercing eye,
which when animated in preaching, made almost every one think he was
looking all the while at him alone. When Griffith came home, he sat by
his sick child, and told his wife what he had seen and heard. That
night he was restless and wakeful. In the morning he took a long walk
before breakfast, and at the usual hour repaired to the church. A
sermon was then preached on the Cities of Refuge, and the preacher
earnestly exhorted his hearers to flee for refuge to the hope set
before them in the gospel. The exercises of Saturday afternoon, were
prayer and singing, accompanied by short and solemn exhortations. In
all these services Griffith manifested deep interest, though he said
nothing, except that he detailed to his wife what he had seen and
heard. He also said, that as their boy was now much improved in
health, and as Mr. Felix's oldest daughter would stay at home next
day, his wife must accompany him to church. Sabbath morning came, and
although there seemed to be many difficulties, yet they were all
surmounted, and Mrs. Griffith and her husband, for the first time in
several years, went in company to the house of God. The text was,
Isaiah liii. 5: "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed." During the delivery of this sermon,
Griffith was seen to weep. His wife, however, had two reasons for not
feeling easy. Her apparel was really poor; but she was soon relieved,
by seeing that all the people were plainly attired. She also suffered
much uneasiness about her son. But good Mrs. Felix had directed her
eldest son to return home in an hour after the service should begin,
and bring word whether all was right. Her son came with a message,
which she soon, in a whisper, communicated to Mrs. Griffith. The
message was, that the boy had fallen asleep--that his room had been
made dark--that he seemed to sleep very sweetly, and would perhaps not
wake for an hour or two. Mrs. Griffith got the message just in time to
be entirely composed during the administration of the Lord's Supper,
which service immediately succeeded the first sermon. It was a solemn
scene. There were few dry eyes in the house. At the close of the
communion service, the company of believers rose and sang that
favorite spiritual song--
"How happy are they
Who the Savior obey," &c.
Griffith and his wife both thought "how happy are they." They both
hastened home, as did Mrs. Felix also. Finding their boy much better,
and their kind hostess herself determining to remain at home in the
afternoon, both Mr. and Mrs. Griffith returned to the church. When
they came near the church they heard singing, and just as they entered
the door, the congregation sung, and repeated the closing lines of a
hymn as follows:
"Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do."
Griffith sighed, and said to himself--"O that I could give myself
away, and the gift be accepted." They had just taken their seats, when
the preacher announced his text in Revelation xxii. 17: "And the
spirit and the bride say, come: and let him that heareth say, come:
and let him that is athirst, come: and whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely." The sermon did not exceed forty minutes in
length, yet it was a faithful, tender and solemn entreaty to all
sinners, the least and the most vile, to come to Christ and live.
After service, one of the ministers went home with Mr. Felix, and
having observed Griffith's behavior at church, he said many good
things in his presence and for his benefit. Griffith and his wife
spent most of that night in solemn reflection and silent prayer. On
Monday morning a neighbor called to complete some arrangements with
Mr. Felix, in reference to supplying the place of their teacher, who
had recently died. In an unexpected train of conversation, they were
led to speak of Griffith as perhaps a suitable man. In a few days it
was mutually agreed that Griffith should teach the school for the rest
of that session, which was but three months. His family being provided
for, he commenced his school. Yet for days and weeks, both he and his
wife suffered much pain and darkness of mind. At length they both,
about the same time, hoped that they had found him, of whom Moses in
the law and the prophets did write. After trial of some weeks, they
were admitted to the communion. The day after this event, Griffith
wrote an affecting letter to his venerable parents. This letter was
evidently blessed, not only to the comfort of their hearts, but also
many of the pious people in Goodcheer were much affected by it.
"Great is the grace, the neighbors cried,
And owned the power Divine."
Griffith immediately established the worship of God in his family, and
rejoiced in God with all his heart. Nor was his wife a whit behind in
holy delight at the change. Griffith's conversion led him to inquire
into the lawfulness of gambling. He had three questions to decide. The
first was, whether he should pay a debt of $60 incurred in gambling?
He soon resolved to pay it, as it was the manner of contracting, and
not the payment of the debt, that was the sin. The next question was,
what should he do respecting the $9,000, which he found by estimate he
had lost at different times? To this he could only say, that most of
it was won by strangers, and by men who had long since died in
wretchedness and poverty. He could not get it. By a careful estimate
of what he had won from men whose names and residence he knew, over
and above what they had won from him, and including the $500 extorted
from the gamblers, by threatening to volunteer as witness against
them, he found that he owed in all, rather more than $1,500. Resolving
to pay the whole sum, if spared and prospered, he engaged to teach
school another session of ten months; and although he could not save
much of his earnings, he resolved to save what he could.
How astonished was he, when a few days after he formed this purpose,
as he was going to school in the morning, a gentleman hailed him as
Mr. Griffith, and said: "Sir, I won from you several years ago nearly
$700; there is the money, with some interest. I am a christian. I
cannot keep it; there it is." With these few words, the traveller
proceeded. Griffith was so amazed, that he even forgot to ask his
name, or residence, or the course of his journey. Of the $700,
Griffith sent $200 to the widow of a poor silly drunken man, from whom
he had, not long before his complete downfall, won that amount. He
sent $200 more to a young clerk, whom he had well nigh ruined as to
morals and character, and from whom he had won $180 two years before.
He sent $300 to the father of a little blind girl, from whose deceased
brother he had won that amount, saving the interest, and requesting
that it might be employed to send the blind child to the Asylum for
the blind. By the kindness of Providence, other sums were restored to
him, amounting in all to a few hundreds. His economy and industry, and
good capacity as a teacher, also secured to him a growing income from
his school--so that in a few years he had paid every debt, and
restored all money obtained by gambling. He has since bought a small
tract of land, and built a very neat cabin, with two apartments, upon
it. He calls it the Retreat. He is now forty-three years old--still
keeps a school--has a good income from his own industry--enjoys
tolerable health, and has around him many of the comforts of life. His
wife and children still live, and help to make him happy. His
penitence and humility are deep; yet is thankfulness the reigning
exercise of his heart. The goodness and grace of God, through Jesus
Christ, are themes on which he never tires.
Dryden's genius was of that sort which catches fire by its own motion;
his chariot wheels got hot by driving fast.--_Coleridge_.
For the Southern Literary Messenger.