Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-12-27
HIS FIRST DRUNK.
An Influence that the Governors of
North and South Carolina Had.
Little Rock tArk.l Ganette.l

Little Rock (Ark.) Gazette.l
81 am sixty years old, and never got
drunk till day before yesterday" re-
marked old Uncle Jesse White, as he
sat on a salt barrel in frontOf grocery
store. II have lived in Arkansas for
forty year-cum here from East Ten
nossy-and the thought that | got
drunk in the evening of my life, when
| can just see my gray hairs shining
in the twilight, is enough to make
me throw myself into the river"
TELL US how it occurred, Uncle
Jesse" asked a bystander.
well, some time ago, up in my
neighborhood, " and he stopped talk
ing and drew his pipe vigorously to
see if the fire was out, "a Good Tenn
plar's lodge was organized. All the
young people in the community jined,
and pretty soon they came after
me. My son Ike was the
leadin' man, and he says to me.
Pap, | want you to jine this thing.
Ike says !, ! don't know the taste
of liquor, and | don't see the use of
jinin,' Pap, says he, we want your
influence. We are gwine to vote on
the local option law pretty soon, and
we want you publicly identified with
the work. Then my daughter Susan,
she come around and begged me to
jine. Susan, says |, you never seed
your father take a drink. No pap
says she, but we want you to help us
frown down the curse of intemper.
ance. Next our parson come around
and sot my wife on me, and when they
all got to drummin' / had to jine. |
jined on a Friday night, and on the
following Saturday | got on the boat
to come down here. Something allied
Somethin' kept sayin', Jesse
White, you amt a free man. 1t both
cred me, and when | saw one of the
deckhands turn up a jug | wondered
if he had ever taken the pledge, and
when he set it down l walked around
and looked at it, took hold of the
cob stopper, walked away and
smelt my fingers. / went up on deck
and sal down in front. After q while
one of them remarked The Gov
ernor of North Carolina said to the
Governor of South Carolina, and
without finishing the sentence, both
men laughed and drank out ofa big
black bottle. Thar was somethin' in
that Governor business that took me.
l had heard my father talk about it
and laugh. | had often heard it, but
no one had ever been positive what it
was that the Governor said, only that
the time between drinks had been
long. Pretty soon, one of the
men reached down, took upthe bottle,
took out the cork, and said The
Of North Carolina said to
Then both men laughed and
never felt so curious in my
life. L looked around at the trees on
the bank, and at women who waved
their handkerchief atus as we passed.
Those Governors had a ring about
them that tingled through my
old blood. just then one of the
men turned, held tho bottle toward
me, and said: The governor Of North
- Before | knew it | had hold of
the bottle. | turned it up and drank.
All thought about was the COVER
nors, and when the shadows Of Ike.
Susan, the parson and my wife fitted
through my brain, the two governors.
tall and grand, stalked right up and
ran !ogeF them, The governor of
North Carolina and ] had taken an.
other pull, and a long one. / began
to see the governors in their true
light. thought that they we're the
best fellows in the world. The boat
seemed to be runnin' a mile a minute,
and didn't care what she did SO long