Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-10-14
y TIE sPECTER FACE, &.
tje.f} stls i----. s,ijsHr5 3Gd 1
How Young Man was Dared q
Drinking.

From the Cincinnati Times 21st.
Reformations through means Of a
healthy scare are not unfrequent. A
touch of delirium tremcns has some
times been more successful, in ar
resting the downward feet Of the
drunkard than all the temperance
lectures in the world. A young
man of this city, who shall be name
less, got a fright the other night
that may have a salutary effect up
on him, although there was really
nothing in it. He has a basement
Office on Third street, somewhere
between Broadway and Elm, We
won't be particular just HERE, He
has, been. quite dissipated q. late,
and generally resortsto his office
torIthe purpose, Of sleeping Oft his
dcbauch. The other night, rather
late, he stumbled in there with a
heavy load aboard.s7o,i2 ro'fGioos I
|, "A watchnian on the street, know
ing him land observing. his NOV G.
mentS, followed him and looked in
upon him over the door, the gas be-
ing turned on within. The young
man was walking, or more properly
staggering up and down the office,
muttering to himself in apparent re-
pentance, "This won't do, old boy;
got to stop it; first thing you know
you'll have EN-"
Just at that moment he chanccd
to turn his head, and caught sight
of the watchman's face over the
door. He started. turned pale, then
gave a little forced laugh, as much
as to say, "Pshaw, it's nothing-on-
ly a shadow" and turned and walk
ed on. But he came back, looked
again, and there was the face. He
twisted his head one way to look at
it, and then he twisted it another,
vet still it was there. He viewed it
from one side Of the door and then
walked over and took look at it
from the other-yet still there was
the same pale, steady and silent face
watching him. With nervous and
trembling hand he then unlocked
the door, opened it with shifting
knees, and looked timidly out. But
nothing was to be seen, the watch
man to whom the face belonged hav
ing quietly retreated.
The Young man then closed and
locked the door, and continued his
promenade, saving: II was afraid
it would come to this-carried this
thing too far-got to seeing things"
and with his pocket-handkerchief
he wiped perspiration that was start
ing from his brow. Approaching
the door again, there was that ha-
ted face, its wild eyes staring in up
on him through the transom. Again
he viewed it from all possible stand
points, and endeavored to convince
himself that it was but the ''base-
less fabric of a vision" But no 60.
He unlocked the door more trem
blingly than before, but as before
nothing was to be seen but the op-
positc building and the bit OF star
lit sky above.ai-
This was repeated for the third
time, when, unable to endure the
spccter any longer, he sailed out
upon the street. He came upon 4
trio Of watchmen tone of them his
persccutor) and inquired whether
or not they had seen any one hover
ing around the office? None of
them had, although they had been
there for ten or fifteen minutes past.
He told them Of the face over his
door, and suggested that it might be
a burglar, hoping they would re-
lieve his mind by saving it proba-
bly, was, but no: they didn't leave
him that hope. They had been on
a particular lookout for burglars,
that night on Third street, and there
was nary ''burg." i..4 r
At length his tormcntors suggest
ed that as he had been drinking
heavily OF late he had probably got
a touch of '.jim..iims.' This settled
him. and he hurried away to a drug
store to get something to settle his
nerves. but didn't dare return to his
office, sleeping at hotel instead.
And Ire has slept there nights ever
since. lie escaped the ',lim:lims-
that time. but he hasn't touched II
drop of liquor since, and declares
he mover will, though. the spcctcr
face is mystery to. him still.
Counting in Iowa in Old Times.