San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-14

Prokoritch time to recognize him, thrust into
his hand the terrible find and fed.
Some seconds passed before Prokoritch
opened his drowsy eyes; then he felt cold
shudder pass over him. He had a sort Of
vision that he was carrying on his business
without a proper license; but after a sharp
look round he saw that he had all the papers
the blue, the yellow and the green-de-
manded by the authorities. Then he glanced
at the scrap of paper that he found in his
hand and seemed to recognize it.
"Ah, ah!n said he, Its the same morsel
that got rid of with so much difficulty be-
fore bought my license; yes, it's the very
same"
When he was satisfied on this point, he
soon came to the conclusion that his ruin
was certain thing. This is the argument
that he followed, as it were, mechanically:
"a man is in business, this pest falls upon
him; there's an end of it. No more business
for him."
Seized with fear hitherto unknown to
him, he began to tremble and grow pale.
Conscience, awakened in him, murmured:
"No, no; it won't do to 60 on letting the
poor people make themselves shamefuly
eipsy."
Beside himself with terror, he called his
"llt, 1NduONilt, W ulo oooioOdhSc.
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. Policel Stop thief"
"Why am to be instantly ruined through
this miserable thingm said Prokoritch to him
self, wondering who had passed it on to him.
Meanwhile by degrees the tavern filled with
hut rol-nrtch INSTEAD nf SprVinp
his customers with his usual good will, aston
ished 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 begaL through
drink.
''If," said he through his tears, ''you would
be satisfied with one little glass that would
be all very well-it would even be good
thing for YOU but your only idea is to take
every possible opportunity of swallowing
whole caskfuls, 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 go
through all this, ard spend all your earnings
unon a stupid fellow like me into the bar
gain =,
why, Prokoritch, you must be mad!' said
all his astonished customers
That's not very surprising, my friends,
when one is suffering from a misfortune such
as has befallen me-" answered ProkOritch.
See for Yourself the sort of license | have
received" and he showed them the Con-
science 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 question became who could get to
the most respectful distance from it, and no
one seemed in any hurry to accept the offer.
You see the grand license, who will have
it:' repeated Prokoritch, getting angry
but what is to become of you nowF his
customers asked.
My friends, this is what think: there is
only one thing left for me to do, that is to
die no longer wish to deceive my neigh
bors or to make the poor people intoxicated
with brandy. Therefore, what is left to me
but to dieH'
He is right" his customers said, laughing
at him.
Il even have an idea," continued Proko-
ritch, that l should like to break ali the
bottles you see round you and let the con-
tents 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 or two and see." Her heart,
it was evident, had not been touched by the
divine gift which had so suddenly descended
upon Prokoritch. But it was not easy to
check him; he went on shedding tears and
talking continually.
"When a misfortune like mine overtakes
a man." he said, Its his fate; he was born
to be unlucky. In thinking over his posi-
ton, in trying to place himself, he would
not dare to say, 4 am trader or 4 am
merchant He could not do so without deep
uneasiness. He would simply have to say,
4 am an unlucky wretch"
And during the whole day Prokoritch gave
himself up to these flights of philosophy, 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 Prokoritchs sadness wore off; he
became even gay, and as he went to bed he
said to Ariua Ivanovna, who was crying:
''Well. my dear wife, though we have
gained nothing today, what does that mat
ter? How light one feels when one has a
clear conscience"
And, indeed, he was asleep almost before
his head touched his pillow, slumbering
peacefully and not even snoring, whereas in
the days when he made money and had no
conscience he invariably snored.
Arlna Ivanovna, however, saw things in a
somewhat different light. She understood
very clearly that for a tavern keeper con-
science was by no means an agreeable acqui-
sition or one likely to be profitable, so she
made up her mind that at any price this I'M
welcome guest must be got rid of. She