The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-08-07
THE BOTTLE.


Tom in a pleasant light. and he generally
took 1t when it did.
Tonight IL was cold and chilly and
gloomy, and the wind ratified the shutters
and crooned down the chimney, and
made banshee of itself along the
street; and Tom, who was not very fond
Of reading, could not loe himself
In book or magazine. and there was no one
10 talk TO- an the resolution above recorded
seemsl TO be the most natural thing in the
world. "A glass of something comfortable"
said Tom, "and a biscuit, and then I'll
turn in"
Then Tom went to the closet TO look for a
vessel In which TO bring the ne cessary liquor
for the comfortable something from the cor
ner store. and spiei on an upper shelf
green bottle, with fat body and long
neck which had nothing In It, and smelled
Of nothing, and be set 1t upon the table,
while he stirred the fire and put the kettle
on. that everything might be ready on his
O. return. t4~E
Mrs Tom was absent from home, and
Tom was keeping house for himself. He
was on his knees before the stove, rakiny 1t,
when he heard groan- 1t was faint far
away sounding groan: but 1t had such a
ghostly sound that he started.
whats thatf" he cried; and something
answered:
"Only me-"
And jumping to his feet Tom Barnaby
stood staring about; for mere was nothing
in the room that ought to have had a voice
but himself-not even a kitten or canary
bird.
~Who is mef' cried Tom
HTom ought TO know" said the voice
And this time Tom saw it came from the
green bottle.
Hanged IL 1t isn't the bother" said Tom.
as it spirit, or whatT'
And the bottle answered:
@Yes worse luck. 1t Il spirits. Bad
spirits, too. Gil, rum and brandy whisky
and alcohol!"
"Oh, that kind" said Tom.
Eyes" said the bottle. "Five devlls I've
been possessed by them ALL Years and
years they led me such a 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 as a decent vinegar bottle. and
here / am-going to have one Of the devils
hack / know. Oh. what did that dear
woman go away fort Why did she gof"
nomenon of talking bottle. and did not
mind it at all by this time, nodded his head
sagely.
fright there" he said "It's exceedingly
uncomf jrtab.e TO have wife away, but you
are very foolish to talk as you do. What
harm is there in a moderate drinki All
you'd hold wouldn't hurt q fly. You've
been listening to teetotallerS"
II haven't boon listening to anybody"
said the bottle ave formed my own con-
clusions. There was a time when thought
as you do. 1t was when / was a brani new
bottle. with gilt LABEL Best Holland Gin,'
on me, and my owner, the liquor dealer,
took me out of my case ami handed me 10
Jack Barker, who had just finished painting
the store.
"'Here, Jack says he, this will help You
keep Christmas
"'Thank ye.' said Jack; and of l went I'M
der his arm.
1And there, in q bright little room, with
pretty wife and nice old grandfather, and
two cunning little babies looking on, he
opened me- q
H'What nice smellr said she--the pretty
wife.
"And then he made some stuff with lemon
ana sugar, and they all drank some, and the
babies looked at the light shining through
my green sides and the gilt label on me-
And the old grandfather said the drink had
gone to his head, and he should have to be
carried upstairs, and they laughed at that,
because IL was such good joke.
~ liked myself then and what was In me-
Before was empty the first time felt
pleased to be such favorits as was
@Ah, dear. was filed up again and
x-l .,... u.Iu ftu. r
TO see things change In and about me. The
wife's face was not SO bright; the old grand
father never laughed; the baby's toes were
out and one day Jack staggered in, took
me up, drank the last drop from me, and
tumbled Into o chair The wife began to
cry.
"'Oh, Jackr says she. oh, Jackl how
hate that dreadful bottle. We were so happy
before it came into the housed
"She blamed me, but I knew 1t 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 any more. You don't care for the chill
dren. It's all that bottle
1But Jack was too tipsy to care what she
said. He staggered over to the table, took
me by the neck and carried me to q liquor
store. There they put another evil into ma
That one drove the furniture out Of the
house; bit by bit 1t was pawnsd.
"Then they left the house itsslf and were
living in a cellar somewhere She took In
washing; some Of the money she earned
went for more evil spirits to Gil me.
didn't I loathe myself One night sat
on the table and saw the old grandfather ly.
ing dead and Jack drunk on the floor at the
foot Of the bed. Didn't loatbs myself
ia - 4 du1S
II ever bottle did desire to smash itself,
did. But 1t was no use. Happy bottles,
beautiful cut glass cologne bottles, innocent
water bottles have been broken when they
most desired to last. no doubt; but !, who
had become dwelling place for devils,
lasted.
They carried the old grandfather away,
and his poor daughter got black dress
somehow. Ono night Jack went sneaking
out Of the house with bundle under one
arm and me under the other. The bundle
was his wife's mourning dress for her
tather. He took 1t TO q pawn-shop and
pawned IL for enough to fili me twice. The
poor woman nevsr had q 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 it. and then 60 of with me. Think Of
I'll had to aid and abst him, and hear her
say things about mo that were very natural,
seeing she did not know how hated the
devils that lived In me. but that were hard
to bear. But he fell down stairs with me In
his picket and broke his head, and didn't
break me. He bit me again,t things to
their injury, not mine. must have Q
guardian devil, lasted So
One day-it was such bitter day, Ice
and snow AMI u ct every where-just Eve
years from the Christmas I'd been made
present to Jack, he stood, ragged and dirty.
ut n bar-room stove. with mo In his pocket
my nsck sticking out In came the pro-
prietor.
N Now. Jack Barker says he, why don't
you e. homer
He was ashamed TO have him there, you
rec, a ragged creature with his toes out and
black eye and a broken nose. He used 70
be called Handsome Jack Barker before he
took to filing me. Think OF that i
snow he looked up with miserable, alb
ject whine
Z" Go home with an empty bottle on
Christmas ever says he. You didn't uss to
say go home when / came here with full
p ,ckAts. Mr.. Jones' ss
Well no. didn't said the man; but
IL would have bean better II hail III MI
your bottie fer you Jaks Barker
He filed it--gooinsss knows with what
and this poor wretch staggered home. Oh,
the wretched cellar; the miserable straw
bed in the corner; the wife lying sick upon
It. remember them so well
@Shs was very sick, and there was little
baby beside her. just think Of anothsr