The Penn's Grove record., 1884-06-07
puzENnERRY,s BACKsLIDING.

Lish Duzenberry's life had been a
monotonous and eyentful one, and 1T is
not to be wondered at that he thor
Oughly enjoyed the notOrlety attendant
on his convention at the Friday even
Ing prayer meeting, He was cOmpli
mented, also, on the success of his re-
partee In a way tnat caused him to
ohuckle inwardly and regard himself
as a man of brilliant attainments.
"Wa-al, -ye kind o. fixed him that
time, hey, Lish?" said one after an
other Of his friends. as they loosely
prodded him IN the ribs, with canes and
umbrellas, until bish began to wish
for another chance to meet his antago-
mist IN the arena of prayer.
There were. certain inconveniences.
however, arising frem the new@state
into which he had entered, which
worthy Lish found irksome, to say the
least. Chief of these was the necessity
of procuring his accustomed supply of
liquor in a surreptitious manner.
When a native Of good old New
England experiences what is tech
nically known As "change of heart, "
he takes his drinks IN a drugstore In
stead of a saloon. That is one of the
first outward and visible signs of the
i~nward-not to say spiritual-grace.
There was a druggist IN Beanville.
He had a store opposite the Postoffice,
and a fine large house on the hill be-
yond the cemetery. He owed his fort
une to his skill in doing up demijohns
and packages of bottles so that they
would ~outward!y resemble a weeks
wash OIL a bundle of groceries. Back
of his prescription department was a
sloppy room well known to the elect Of
BeanyilIe. Here liquors were dispensed
incidentally, to those whose conscience
forbade visits to Peleg's iniquitious
''back ROOM" To this monastic re-
treat Lish Duzenberry was wont to
resort of a Saturday night for a sufi.
Gent quantity of spirits to enable him
to live through the Sabbath.
One evening as he was plodding along
toward home, happy in the thought
that the week, with its toll and anx-
iety, had ended, he was accosted by
one of his old associates, who was lott
ering in front of Peleg's tavern.
''Don't see We so much naow, Lish,
es we ulster. Hain't had no chance to
get even with We at euchre. Why
don't We come around IN show yeself
'mongst the boys same's in old timesl'
"We-al," said the r~egenerate rustic,
pausing as he spoke, and carefully de-
posting his bundle on the ground,
"the fact ont is. I've been kinder
keepin' shady abaout euchre m SIGH of
late. The folks Pm a trainin' with
naow don't take much stock in cards,
m so I've sorter dropped aout from the
ranks. But they tell me AL Fitch got
wopped out Nv his butes t. other night.
How was it, hay2"
An uncanny chuckle, which sounded
more like the bubbllng of the three
witches pot than a human laugh, rat
tied through the frame of the aged and
u%ncoyerted sinner, and played over his
wrinkied face w
"You'd oughter "a seen him, Lishl'
he exclaimed: "The boys they piled the
drinke'n' cigars onto him TIL we'd all
like ter died to see him squirm. Guess
it must IA cost him nigh onter three
dollars,Sn seems ter me that's a leetle
dear for an evenin's sport, to say nuth-
in NV hevIn' to set 'em up fur the hull
crowd. Wa'al, III tell ye. He'd oughter
look mighty keerful, at emmy strange
deck es a strange crowd deals FROM"
The words, uttered in a peculiar
sly manner, and accompanied by an
oracular wink, appealed to Old Duzen-
berry's sense of humor, and caused a
smile of delight to fit over his weather.
beaten face.
''Sho," he exclaimed, his face on the
broad grin; ''ye had Peleg's private
deck hay? Wa-al, tibet must "a been
fun"
"It's too bad, paow, Lish, ye've
drifted away from us like. 1 swan l
was-a. thinking on We all the time we
was ~a-dealin,' m l says to the boys
two or three times, l says; How this
would "a tickled Lish.' Naow III tell
YOU suthin.' Alps lust gone in the front