San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-11-03

railways not being as pcnetrative then
as now, We had TO drive to W in a
carriage. There we're three Of us in
the carryall, for On old crony OF Jndd's
named Graybuck had come to S.
the day before, and ho must needs go
along to witness3tho success.
The lecture being set z, we set OF at
4 in the afternoon. 1t was bitter
December night, with tue mercury be-
low cipher, and the ground frozen hard,
drove, and from tho front seat, after
the first five miles nnd thence forward,
began to hear something "swash' be-
hind me at regular intervals, and mis-
trusted what was going on. And al
though some might have felt scandal
lied at such procedure on the part of
an eminent temperance preacher, it
was nothing particularly new to me.
did feel little chagrined that they
didn't offer to share with me, cold as it
was; but the idea of two such wellsea-
soned fellows MS Judd and Graybuck
taking too much Especially Judd, ua-
der the circumstances never once
GRO .sed my mind And to this day I
haven't got over my Amusement at the
result. ~
Whether it was from error in count
ing the "swigs." extra vim on the part
of the brandy, or the low state of the
thermometer, or one or all of these, I
never could fairly make out. But on
getting out at the rear Of the church,
discovered, to my utter discontinue,
that both Judd and his c0mfrers were
very seriously drunk; and going into
the little warm ante.room which opened
into the pulpit didn't improve them in
the least. t
Here was pretty go! For it now
lacked but few minutes of q; and
peering through crack at the door, |
saw that the house was already packed,
and the platform, which had been
cleared of the pulpit to give scope to
Judd's W, ,l-known theatrical powers,
was occupied by a seated chairman and
several other dignitaries. And here
we're Judd and Graybuck, now barely
able to keep their legs, making abor-
tive efforts to get off their great-coats,
and growing drunken ever moment.
The spectacle, together with the as
tonished face of black waiter at the
outer door, nearly drove the only sober
man in the room distracted. What to
do 1 knew not. But something must
be done, in a hurry, too. Springing at
Graybuck, who, by leaning on a hat
tree, had managed to get his coat about
half off, I, shook him violently. He
settled back and started in tipsy as
constituent.
"Graybuck, you beast!" I Kissed in
his ear. "Judd's drunk! What's to
be done? Can you keep him here and
keep him still while go out before the
people and say he's sick?"
For Judd was really the worse off
of the two). But Graybuck couldn't
believe anybody was drunk.
drunk" exclaimed he, thickly,
staggering at me. "Juddisnodrunk
Traw-traw- traw-im-ou
Pushing the tipsy wretch down into
a chair, went at Judd. who was now
trying to get from the wall of the room
to the stove. The Negroes eyes, by
this time, were fairly rolling.
"Judd!"I whispered, "Judd, you're
sick You'd better 60 out into the
carryall. You can't lecture!'
"Carn-lecture!" Keeling up toward
the door. "And-I- and l. can-too! limo
SICK! lm-aW-rl!
Icould hear the audience "clapping"
for the speaker, and the chairman, or
somebody else, was now tapping at the
door Of the ante room. A crisis was
at hand. r.tttf
Reckoning in the darby, whose grin
ming face showed that he had begun to
smell rat" told him to look at
those men. HE looked, and seemed
to comprehend.
"Now," said I holding up gold "ea-
gle" before his eyes, keep them in
here. Don't let them leave the room.
Keep them here, and keep them still,
and Won shall have the dellarsl"