Little Falls transcript., 1886-01-15
THE GOOD WIFE KNEW Il TT.


Z
5l Broke the Enslavinr Habit.
New York Sun. y, ..s ss# ..Es IA.
There is q retired cobler living in
Angelica who deserves the respect of
his countrymen for moral courage.
Ten years ago he was, and had been
for long time a confirmed inebriate
not q periodical spreer, but a genu-
inc soaker, warranted not to draw q
sober breath from sun to sun. Occa-
sionally the fumes Of the whisky 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 sys-
tenn for the stimulant which long use
had rendered peremptory.
One day, however, a halt was called,
and this is the way he tells OF it:
IL was on my way to the barn
when lsnw ajsmall snake in my path.
l kicked it with my boot and it turned
to bit OF crooked tw;g which I snap
ped in my hand and threw away. I
thought nothing more of the matter
until l reached the barn, when directly
before me g. second snake twisted
across the boards. With g. Quick
spring seized it, aud it proved to be
a whiplash. A sudden horrible fear
made me faint and weak. I sat down
on the lower rung OF the ladder leading
to the loft and wiped the cold sweat
from my forehead.
"'Snakes, by Jericho! exclaimed;
that means business
''Then l stared straight ahead at d
cornstalk, that soon began slowly to
wriggle and curve. With bursting
eyeballs and all the strength OF mind
i possessed I forced that corn-stalk
back from the animal to the vegetable
kingdom, and then I staggered feebly
out into the open air. 1leaned against
q fence, and, for fear I should see
more Of those horrible twisting things,
/ clung to post and closed my eyes.
"'Time. is called, Jin,' I said to my
self, whisky and you part company
to-day; and soberer than I had been
for many months, though with no
more strength than a baby, I manag-
ed to get back to the house.
'"There was fight, though! didn't
tell my wife, for I had made good
many promises that hadn't held wa
ter, and l thought I'd 60 it alone for
awhile. ! got up in the morning after
terrible night, with the thirst of Nv
chased fox upon me. Water wouldn't
queach it, and tried milk. I crept
into the milk room, slipped straw
inf <>f
and sucked out the milk until only the
cream was left, lowered smooth, and
unbroken to the bottom. Then [
tackled another and another, until
the fierce craving was somewhat dulled.
1t. vas a household mystery what be-
came OF the milk No cat could lap it,
my wife said, and leave the sides and
cream untouched. and where did it
go? Ia
II let them talk, for the struggle was
too sore and fearful to be spoken of,
and ! went ON drinking the milk.
"The road from my house to my
shop lay by the GROCERY When left
my gate in the morning l took the
road, and, on q dead run, as if pur-
sued, made the ledistance. ran hard
all the way home to dinner, and back
after that meal, never, in fact, trust
ing myself to walk, or even take to the
sidewalks for months. The cure was
slow. keep all the brakes hard set
yet.3 A single glass ofhard 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 black reptiles stays with
me- ,..... -,
"And did your wife finally learn
what became OF the nlilk?" he was
asked.
Eyes" and his voice broke. "Itold
her OIL her, deathbed.. w>
S s. Sim, dear she said, when had
finished, with her hand clasped in
mine Jim, dear, / lnew it all the