The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-10
The story About the Governor of the
CarOlihas.

little Rock Gazette.l

CarOlinas.
Little Rock Gazette.l
"I 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 front of grocery
store. 81 have lived in Arkansas Is for
forty year-cum here from East Ten
nessy-and the thought that I got drunk
in the evening of my life, when l 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 by
stander. "Well, some time ago,
up in my neighborhood," and he
stopped talking and drew his pipe vigor-
ously to see if the fire was out, "a Good
Templars' Lodge was organized. All the
young people in the community jined,
and pretty soon they come after me. My
son Ike was the leadin' man, and he says
to me, Pap, / want you to jine this
thing Ike says I, Il don't know the
taste of liquor, and / don't see the use of
my jinen.' Pap, 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
came around and begged me to jine.
Susan, says I, you never seed your old
father take drink No, pap says she,
but we want you to help us frown down
the curse of intemperance.' Next our
parson came around and sot my
wife on me, and when they
all got to drummin' I had to
jine. I jined on Friday night, and on
the following Saturday [ got on the boat
to come down here. 1t bothered me,
and, when saw one of the deckhands
turn up jug, down 1 walked around
and looked at it, took hold of the corn
cob stopper, walked away and smelt my
fingers. I went up on deck and sat down
in front. Pretty soon two men come out
and sit down. After while one of them
remarked: The Governor of North Car
DINA said to the Governor of South Car
olina,' and, without finishing the SEN
tence, both men laughed and drank out
of big black bottle. Thar was some
thin in that Governor business that took
me. I 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 Gov
ernor said, only that the time
between drinks had been rather long.
Pretty soon oneof the men reached down,
took up the bottle, took out the cork and
SAID: The Governor of North Carolina
said to the Then both men laughed
and drank. Inever felt SO curious in my
life. I looked around on the trees on
the bank and at women who waved their
handkerchiefs at us as we passed. These
Governors had ring about them that
tingled through my old blood. Just
then one of the men turned, held the
bottle toward me and said: The Gov
ernor of NORTH Before I knew it l
had hold of the bottle. / turned it up
and drank. All 1 thought about was
the Governor, and when the
the shadows of Ike, Susan, the par
son and my wife fitted through
my brain, the two Governors, tall and
grand, stalked right up and ran over
them. The Governor of Carolina and l
had taken another pull and long one.
/ begun to see the Governors. l thought
that they were the best fellows in the
world. The boat seemed to be runnin'
mile minute, and / didn't care what
she done SO long as the Governors were
with us. Well, boys, the Governors
kept remarkin' and l kept pullin', and
by the time 1 got to Little Rock l was
drunk as an owl. Oh, was drunk as a
mule--a mink. / got off the boat and
yelled: 'Hoorah for the Governor of
North Carolina, and the first thing l
knowed / found myself in sort Of prison.
Fust time ever was locked up, boys.
Fust time I was ever drunk, and l am
sixty-odd year old" ..