The Wilmingtonian., 1886-12-04
locked In.


the Audruscoggin, and how goes the old
placeP"
'Oh the town is behaving itself as well as
usual. L. isn't a place ior news, You know,
said Colby, leading the way to the register.
20 ly,' lowering his voice-'uuly Burt Siat-
er, you remember Bart ?'
'Yes indeed What of himP"
'lle's got the jim jams again
'Agam am sorry for thdtp
'Wtll, he has them awlul, too There arr
two men with him in his room over the l.
b th them eau hal dly hold him.
felt sorry indeed for the poo fellow, for
had known and respected hun for his man
ly qualities. He kept neat aud well-Ordel-
ed livery stable near the hotel, and even nov
he was scarcely 10 years. But II boy ia years
Burt was every inch man, genial, hand
some, obig,ng.
He was "a fellow, too, who always had his
business at his fingers endA. lie GUu'd tel
you, days ahead, just what we've engaged,
and what he could do for ynu lyon ii Z e d
team, and when tine tn!n came, You cOuli
Y he never used IN Ordel-Du"k IIA
m IN 'ry wa> s tenacious IN accurate that
he could safely rely upon 1t tot his mdinai!
business, and but n this one iailiug-driuA
lie would have been f.vorite with every
man in he village.
la Burt's case there WAS this excuse foi
him.
His grandfather and father (now dad }
had beeu tavern keepers in Ncw Hampshire
where rum in then day was used as feelA
as water.
Burt had been brought up in the oior of a
be n drinking man. I'm sure poor Buit
had inherited an appetite for alcohol.
Much as condemned aud lamcated his
bal habit, was p,eLsed with h,m and lk d
to be in lis company. # was pleasure Is.
spend an hour in his room, ho WIS SO goud
natured and cheerful. [ was very often Id
dened too. Fnr, though ordinarily bfigln
aud witty, there was always, When h,
chanced to speak of personal matters, "A ceI-
tam hopelessngsS u his wy of alludiug t.
himself, as of one booked for premature
grave.
Burt did not drink habitnally About
once in two or thee months, an UNCOVER IL
abs desire for alcohol cana over him, and
he W. u,d drink necessarily FOR three or tou
days. These exreSses could not tail to result
ia delIium tIemens.
When Colby told ma of this second attack
of this fearful disc ise, my heai b sank, for it
seemed that Bart must now he utterly lost.
Aud aS there are thousands of similar cases
the country over, should hardly deem this
one likely TO interest the reader, but for q
strange Incident.
did not see Burt that eek. He kept, or
rather was kept, to his room and | did not
cale t. see HIM. Iu the COURSE OF "a fortnight
however. he was once more at his work; and,
during all the rest Oi the SIMMER and tall up
to November, he did not indulge in intuxic
ting drink. One bleak, windy November
mnfuing, however, the Insane appetite aLaiu
rose up within him. He wandered round
with parched lips and blOodrhot eyes, suifn, :
ing almost uncomfortable torment from his
Iii, horses and rode down to L., twelve
miles dhtanr, hoping, as he aI'terward told
me, that the'piercug cold would help him
to overcome his ragug thirst.
Having arrived at L. he put up his horse
at stable where he was known, aud began
to walk The streets still hoping to overcome
the burning desire for alcohol.
But the appetite was more than he could
control, AID, yielding to it at last he went
into II saloon, and, after taking one glass
gave himsel up to utter indulgence
At night, when he again went to the stable
he could hardly stand, ond seemed 50 uucnn
scious of what he was about that the met
would not let him have his horse, and tried
tu have him go iuto the hotel and stay unit
morning.
1t was already late in the afternoon, and
the weather was bitterly cold, but lie would
not heed their good counsel, and, Instead d
going back into the hotel, he started to waiH
home,la distance of twelve miles.
About halt mile out of town, the road
forks, the right branch leading out toward
the liver into grove, where there is a larg'
cemetery. By ihis time Bort did not Know
one road from another, and taking the wrorl
one, he got into the terry, where he stag
ge ed around hopelessy lost.
1t happened that toere had been a funera
tNat afternoon, and a cutfin had been dep IS
ed in one Of the tombS, the door Of whicl
had not yet been closed.
The wind was pieIcingly cold, and thougl
h .rdly conscious of it, Burt to escape i reel
cd through the open door intu the tomb, an'
tumblfd down in one conar.
He either fell asleep Or became utterly in
ms BILE, for w'aL followed untl morning /
blank to him. Tne sexton On his lat,
rounds closed and locked the door withOu
hearing or seeing anything of him.
Il was not nutll some hours had passe
Burt came to himself, somewhat. He la
for some tne trying, in dull, heavy way
to solve this difficult problem. Tue air le
sid and damp. Il touched a cold stpue,a an
he started, with a shuddrr tu lis feet.
Was he in prison? Had he Cpmmitr
murd a OF some other offence while drunk
Tue Thought SO appaled him that it cear
ed his BRAIN to some extent OF the effects Z,
the alenholr For the one thing which Bun
had always feared more than anything els
was that Oh one of his 'sprees' he Shout