Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-08-01
"No, no; it won't do to 60 on letting the
DOOR people make themselves shamefully

"No, no; it won't do to 60 on letting the
poor people make themselves shamefully
tipsy."
Beside himself with terror, he called his
wife, Arina Ivanovna, to his assistance.
Arina Ivanovna ran to him; but no
sooner did she recognize the involuntary
acquisition made by Prokoritch than she
cried out in great excitement:
"Help! Police! Stop thiefn'
"Why am I to be instantly ruined
through this miserable thing?" said Pro.
koritch to himself, wondering who had
passed it on to him. Meanwhile by de.
grees the tavern filled with people, but
Prokoritch, instead of serving his custom:
ers with his Usual good will, astonished
them profoundly by not only refusing. to
sell them any wine, but also by pointing
out to them, in the most touching way,
that for the poor all misfortunes began
through drink.
eff" said he through his tears, "you
would be satisfied with one little glass that
would be all very well-it would even be
a good thing for you; but your only idea
is to take every possible opportunity OF
swallowing whole casksful and then what
happens?. You get drunk, they, run you
in, and you get hundred lashes for
your trouble. Consider, my friends, is
it worth your while to 60 through all this,
and spend all your earnings upon a stupid
fellow like me into the bargain?"
"Why, Prokoritch, you must be mad ~
said all of his astonished customers.
"That's not very surprising, my friends,
when one is suffering from a misfortune
such as has befallen me-" answered Pro
koritch. "See for yourself the sort of Ii.
cense 1 have received" and he showed
them the Conscience which the drunkard
had thrust upon him, and asked if any
one of them would like to have it. But
as soon as they saw what it was the ques-
ton became who could get to the most
respectful distance from it, and no one
seemed in a hurry to accept the offer. .
"You see the grand license, who will
have it?" repeated Prokoritch, getting
angry, - -, o.,
his customers asked.
'My friends this is what I think; there
is only one thing left for me to do, and
that is to die. no longer wish to deceive
my neighbors or to make the poor people
intoxicated with brandy: Therefore, what
is left to me but to die?"
"He's right" his customers said, laugh
ing at him.
II even have an idea, continued Pro.
koritch, "that Should like to break all
the bottles you see round you and let the
contents of the casks run into the next
canal, to get rid of the temptation to
drink"
Here Arina Ivanovna broke in with the
simplest words: .,
"Just try one and see." Her heart, it
was evident, had not been touched by the
- whit hoI
scended upon Prokoritch. But it was not
easy to check him; he went on shedding
tears and talking continually.
"When misfortune like mine overtakes
a man." he said, "it's his fate; he was
born to be unlucky. In thinking over his
position, in trying to place himself, he
would not dare to say, i am trader or
I am a merchant He could not do so
without deep uneasiness. He would sim
ply have to say, I am an unlucky
wretch"
And during the whole day Prokoritch
gave himself up to these flights of philoso-
ply, for though Arina Ivanovna resolutely
opposed her husbands idea of breaking
the bottles and pouring their contents into
the canal, still they did not sell any wine.
Toward evening Prokoritch's sadness wore
off {; he became even gay, and as he went
to bed he said to Arina Ivanovna, who
was crying:
"Well, my dear wife, though we have
gained nothing to-day, what does that
matter? How light one feels when one
has clear conscience"
And, indeed, he was asleep almost be-
fore his head touched his pillow, slum ber-
ing peacefully and not even snoring,
whereas in the days when he made money
and had no conscience he invariably
snored.
Arina Ivanovna, however saw things in
a somewhat different light. She under
stood very clearly that for a tavern keeper
conscience was by no means an agreeable
acquisition, or one likely to be profitable,
so she made up her mind that at any price
this unwelcome guest must be got rid OF.
She waited patiently all that night, but
hardly had the dawn begun to appear
through the dusty windows of the tavern
when She softly stole the Conscience from
her sleeping husband, and fastened out
with it into the street.
It happened to be market day; the carts
of the country folk were already coming
in, one after another, and LOvets, the po-
lice inspector, himself was fastening to the
market place to see that everything went
on in proper order.
When she saw him Arina Ivanovna had
what seemed to her brilliant idea. She
ran after him until she was breathless,
and, as soon as she had overtaken him,
with surprising dexterity she slipped the
Conscience in the pocket of his Overcoat
without his knowing it.
This Lovets was not an absolute shame
less rogue, but as he was not particular he
INDUCED pretty freely in various malprac-
tices. His manner was not insolent, but
he was gifted with too inquisitive glance.
He had not had hand in any discredita-
BILE affair, but he snapped up willingly
anything that came within his reach. In
short, he was a very respectable rogue.
But now, all at once, this man began to
turn over new leaf. When he reached
the market place he realized that all the
goods in the carts and shops or upon the
stalls did not belong to him, but to other
people. Never before had he been con-
scious of this feeling. He rubbed his eyes,
saying to himself:
"Am I i'll? All this must be a dream"
He went up to cart, meaning to help
himself to some OF its contents, but his
arms hung poWerless at his sides. He
moved toward another, intending to pull
the beard of Moujik, but to his horror
his hands remained clenched. Then he
was terrified and said to himself:
"What is the matter with me? I shall
be running my profession forever. twill
be better for me to 60 home, as I seem to
have taken leave of my Senses"
Hoping always that this mysterious
affliction would pass away, he walked
through the market looking about him.
1t was crowded with all sorts of things
above all he noticed much poultry,
and everything seemed to say to him,
"You have only to stoop down and help
yourself" The country people, however,
became bolder, seeing that our friend was
not going on as usual, and that he conten-
ted himself with looking very hard at