Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-09-08
THE BOTTLE.

! /
was drunk in his life; never even slight
overcome by liquor But still-well, sfil,
, nice glass Of somethiny comfortable struc
Tom in pleasant light, and he general
) took it when it did
Tonight it was cold and chilly an
gloomy, and the wind rattlsi the shutter
and crooned down the chimney, an
made a banshes Of itself along tn
street; All Tom, who Was not very fon
OF reading. could not lose himsel
in book or magazine and there was no on
&c talk TO, AMI the resolution above records.
seems1 to be this most natural thing in tn
world. "A glass OF something comfortable,
said Tom, @and biscuit, and then II
turn in
Then Tom went to the closet to look for
vessel in which to bring the necessary Iiquo
for the comfortable something from the cor
ner store. and spiel on an upper shelf
green bottle, with fat body and lonI
neck. which lad nothing in 1t, and smellel
Of nothing, and hs set it upon the table
while he stirred the fire and put the kettle
on, that everything might DO ready on hi
| return
| Mrs. Tom was absen. from horne an
Tom was keeping house for himself II,
was on his kneei before the stove, rakiny it
when he heard a groan- II was faint, far.
| away sounding groan: but it had such q
| ghostly sound that he started
whats thatr he cried; and something
answered:
"Only me-"
And jumping 10 his feet, Tom Barnaby
stood staring about; for there was nothing
in the room that ought to have had a voice
but himself-not even q kitten or canary
bird.
~Who is me'' cried Tom
tom ought to know said tho voice
And this time Tom sew it came from tae
green bottle
Hanged if it isn't the bother said Tom.
as it spirit, or whatl'
And the bottle answered:
"Yes, worse luck 1t is spirits. Bad
spirits. too. CT, rum and brandy-whisky
and alcohol,'
"Oh, tina: kini,7 said Tom
Yes" said the bottle. eFive devilA I've
been possessed by them all Years and
years they led ms such life that wished ]
was SMASHED; years and years until your
wife got me and put blessed vinegar in me-
Nice. sharp, respectable vinegar, that never
did worse than give some poor cabbage
eater the collie And thought should end
my days rs decent vinegar bottle. and
here l am-going to have one OF the devils
back. l know. Oh, what did the. dear
woman go away fort Why did she go.'
Tom. who lad grown used to the Pie
nomenon Of a talking bottle. AMI ah not
mind it at all by this time nodded his head
sagely.
"Right there he said. "lt's exceedingly
uncomfortable to have wife away, but you
are very foolish 10 talk as you do. What
harm is there in a moderate drink! All
you'd hold wouldn't hurt Hy. You've
been listening - teetotallera"
Il haven't been listening to anybody,
said the bottle. "rve formed my own con-
clusion. There was time when thought
as you do II was when was brani new
bottle, with gilt llbsl, 'Bes. HOLLAND Gin
on me, and my owner. the liquor dealer
took me out Of my cass and handed me t,
Jack Barker. WHO had just finished painting
the store.
.Hera jack says he, this will nelp you
keep Christmas
Thank ye,' said JACK; and off went nn-
der his arm
and there, in bright little room, with q
pretty wife and a nice cd grandfather, and
two cunning little babie; looking on, he
opened me.
"'What a nice smellP said she-the pretty
wife
And then he made some stuff with lemon
AMI sugar. and they all drank some, and the
babies looked at the light shining through
my green sidss and tho gilt label ON me-
And the old grandfather said the drink had
ne TO his head, and he should have to be
carried upstairs, and they laugh he'd at that,
tecauss it was such good joke.
Il liked myself then and what was in ina
"Before was empty the first time felt
pleased to be such favorite as l was
-Ah, dear. was filed up again and
again, and again; and after awhile began
to see things change in and about me. The
wife's face was not 50 bright: the old grand |
father never laughed; the baby's tees were
out and one day Jack staggered in, tool
me up drank the lcst drop from me, and |
tumbled Tito o chair The wife began to
cry.
~'OA, Jackr says she oh, JACK, how l
hate that dreadful bottle. We were so happy |
tefore it came into the housed
"She blamed me, but knew it was the |
evil spirit in me that she meant
You've lost your place, jack says she |
Everything has changed. You don't love
me amy more.. You don't care for the chu-
dren IT, all that bottle
"But Jack was too tpsy to care what she !
said. He staggered over to the table, took |
me- BIZ the neck and carried me 10 liquor |
store. Their, they put another evil into me. |
That ons drove the furniture cut of the |
house, bit by bit it was pawnei.
Then they left the house itsslf and were |
living in q cellar somewhere. She took in |
some Of the money she earned |
went for moro evi, spirits to fill me.
Didn't loathe myself One night | sat |
On the table and saw the old grandfather ly-
ng dead and Jack drunk on the floor at the |
loot Of tho bed Didn't loathe myselff |
.ried to toppls of, but couldn't manage it |
II ever bottle did desire to smash itself, |
lid. But it was no use Happy bottles, |
beautiful cut glass cologne bottles innocen |
water bottles have been broken when they |
most desired to last no doubt; but I, who
had b.com. dwelling place for devils. ]
lasted.
They carried the old grandfather away. |
and his poor daughter got black dress
somehow. One night Jack went sneaktny |
out Of the house with bundle under one
arm and me under the other Ths bundle
was his wife's mourning dress for her |
father. He took it to pawn-shop ana
pawned it for enough TO fill me twice. The
poor woman never had decent dress again. |
"She was in rags She was hungry. I've
seen Jack clutch her hand and wrench the |
money she'd earned for her children's bread |
from il, AMI then go Off with me- Think OF
It. l had to aid and abet him, and hear her |
say things about ne that were very natural.
seeing she did not know how hated the
devils tina: lived in me. but that were hard
to bear. But he fell down stairs with me in |
his pocket. and broks his head, and didn't |
break me. He hit mo against things. TO |
their injury, not mine. l must have Q
guardian devil, lastei so.
"One day-it was such a bitter day, ice |
and snow AMI Il ct evcrywhere-just five |
years from tn. CSHstmas I'd been made Q
present to Jack. he stood, aged and dirty,
at a bar-room stove, with me in his pocket
my cl sticking out In came the pro-
prictor.
Now. Jack Barker says be- why don't
you houer
He was ashamed TO have him there, You
see. a raggei creature with his toes out, and
a black eye and broken nose. He used TO
be called Handsome Jack Barker bsfore he
took TO filing me- Think OF that
Now b. looksi up with a miserable, alb
jec, WHINE
Go hogns with an empty bottle on q
Caristmas evsr says he. You didn't use 70
say 90 homs whea I came here with full
packets, Mr. Jones'
Well no. didn't said the man; 'bu;
it would have been better If had. III Oil
your bottle flr you Jake Barker
He filed i:-g ooinsss knows with what
and the poor wretch staggered home Oh,
the wretch ID cellar; the miserable straw
bed in ths corner. tho wifs lying sick upon
4 tN.re har, sa wall