Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-12-23
EXPERIENCE OF A DRUNKARD.

There is retired cobbler living in Angel
ica, n. Y, who deserves the respect of his
countrymen for moral courage.
Ten years ago no was, and had been for q
long time, confirmed inebriate-nol pc.
riodical spreer, but genuine soaker, war.
ranted not to draw sober breath from sun
to sun. Occasionally the fumes of tho uhis.
key, with which he piled himself, would
clear away from his befogged brain. and at
such times his mental equilibrium would
wrestle with the problem of total or even
partial abstinence, to be utterly wrecked at
the sight of his haunts or the first faint call
of his system for the stimulant which long
use bad rendered peremptory.
One day, however, a halt was called, and
this is the way he tells oft:
II was on my way to the barn when
saw small snake in my path. kicked it
with my boot and it turned to bit of crook.
ed twig which I snapped in my hand and
threw away. thought nothing more ofthe
matter until I reached the barn, when di-
rectly before me second snake twisted
across the boards. With quick spring
| seized it, and it proved TO be whip ash. A
sudden horrible fear made me faint and
weak. / sat down on the lower rung of the
| ladder leading to the loft, and wiped the
cold sweat from my forehead.
Snakes, by Jericho!n I exclaimed, "thet
means business"
"Then started straight ahead at a corn
stalk that soon began slowly to wr!ggle and
curve. With bursting eye.balls and all the
strength of mind possessed I forced that
corn stalk back from the animal to the vege.
table kingdom, and then staggered feebly
to the open air. I leaned against fence,
and, for fear should see more of those hor-
rible twisting things, clupg to a post and
closed my eyes.
: Time is called, Jim,' l said to myself,
'whiskey and you part company to day :"
and soberer than I had been for many
months, though with no more strength
than u baby, I managed to get back to the
house.
"There was fight, though! didn't tell
my wife, for had made a good many pro-
misses that hadn't held water, and I thought
I'd go it alone for a while. I got up
iu the morning after terrible night,
with the thirst of chased fox upon me.
Water wouldn't quench it, and / tried
milk. / crept into the milkroom, slipped
straw into the edge of q cream-covered
pan and sucked out the milk until only
unbroken to the bottom. Then | tackled
another and another, until the fierce crav.
ing was somewhat dulled. 1t was house
hod mystery what became Of the milk
No cat could lap it, my wife said, and leave
the sides and cream untouched, and where
did it go?
II let them talk, for the struggle was too
sore and fearful to be spoken of and went
IN 6rinlinp the milk
THE road from my house to my shop
lay by the groggery. When left my gate
in the morning I took the road and on a
dead run, as if pursued, made the dis
tance. ran hard all the way home to din
ner, and back after that meal, never, in
fact, trusting myself to walk, or even take
to the sidewalk for months. The cure was
slow. l keep all the breaks hard set yet.
A single glass of hard cider would undo the
work of all these years. but you can bet
that glass doesn't touch my lips while the
memory of those little crawling reptiles
stays with me-"
"And did your wife finally learn what
became of the milk ?" he was asked.
"Yes," and his voice broke. "I told her
on her deathbed.
"'Jim, dear" she said, when had finish.
ed, with her hand clasped in mine, Jim,
dear, knew it all the time.'"