The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-07-01

with his known haDltS, SODr1cty, as lony
as he lived in the camp, was difficult.
To this Phillips agreed, and proposed
that the two occupy the cabin for the
future, the old man to act as cook and to
do what work around the claim he
could. ff9fta 11@.f
And SO it was settled, much to the
mingled establishment and amusement of
the men in the camp, who had so long
looked on old Pete Farley as a common
drunken sot. Old Pete and his "pard''
were standing subject for joke, and for
a long time any allusion to them resulted
always in setting the crowd ina roar.
1t must not be, supposed that the old
man gave up liquor at once, but he GER
tainly did try to refrain. He kept away
from the saloon and rarely went to the
camp at all, preferring to stay in the
cabin, which was about mile away.
One thing he did do, however. When
he took too much. he kept away from
Phillips. Nothing that could be said to
him would induce him to repeat his ex-
pertinent of visiting ''his pard'' on such
occasions.
One afternoon the old man went into
the camp to buy some groceries. With
the best intentions in the world, he
allowed Jack Hartop to delude him into
taking one drink, and after that he was
lost. Abont six o'clock Phillips stalked
into the saloon, and there he found old
Pete, drunk, standing on the table, try
ing to make speech with a grinning
crowd around him. To make his way
into the crowd, and pull the old man of
the table. was for young Phillips the
work of minute. N
Then putting his arm around him he
turned to the door to go out. Jake, in
spired by bad whisky, took it into his
head to bar the way, and with the re-
mark: ''Hold on, young Teller, you can't
take your baby off afore we're done
with him" caught hold of old Pete's
arm. The next second Jake was lying
in one corner. and Phillips said: rs
there any one else wants to try it?''
There was dead silence and the two
passed out. siil So
The next day old Pete was as penitent
as ever. In the evening, while they
were smoking after supper, Phillips
said: ra10,. s
sPete, I'll tell you bit of story
that II kinder explain why 1 hate liquor
SO. My mother is as good woman as
ever the Lord let live. She married a
man who was said to be--for l don't
recollect him as handsome and as good
man as could be. They were very
happy together, and l was born bout
two years after the wedding. My father
drank some at first, but not enough to
hurt. But as times went on things got
kinder hard for 'em and he drank more
an more. He used to come home drunk,
an my mother was scared half to death.
He got worse an worse. My mother
never told me this; / heard it from
people who recollected it. At last, when
l was bout four years old, father came
home drunk one night and there wasn't
nething to eat in the house. He made
an awful row, and at last he struck my
mother, knocking her down and cutting
her cheek open. She's got the scar still.
Then he disappeared and we never heard
of him again. Now Ihate liquor worse
than do anything on earth, and l won't
have you or any man around me drink
ing. If you can't stop you've got to
leave. that's ALL
While Phillips was taking old Pete
had gradually drawn himself into one
corner of the cabin where it was dark.
When Phillips stopped speaking, there
was silence for few minutes, and then
the old man said in rather unsteady
voice.: Il has ,rs5 q. snts; =.
'ssWas your mothers name Polly?'i
eyes; how did YOU know itp', &.
"Was your fathers name Phillipsp'
"No. metI,cy took her own name after
he left her. His name was Parkes.''
Old Pete got M. left the cabin and did
not return ali that NIGHT. While mar
yelling much at his strange manner the
Young man went to bed. The next day
he spoke about Il. but old Pete turned It
off With casual remark. But from that
day out old Pete stopped drinking. Moth
ing that could be said to him Could in
duce him to enter the saloon or to touch
anything at all. The men in the camp
c, -