Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-15
nand and seemed to recognize it.

I hand and seemed to recognize II.
"Ah, abr said he. its the same morse
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, ht
soon came to the conclusion that his ruiz
was a certain thing This is the argument
that no followed, as it were, mechanically
"a man is in business, this pest falls upor
him: there's an end of it, No more business
for him"
Seized with a fear hitherto unknown tc
him, he began to tremble and grow pale
Conscience, awakened in him, mnrmured:
"No, no; it won't do to go On letting the
Door people make themselves shamefully
tipsy"
Beside himself with terror he called bis
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:
sHelpl Police! Stop thiefT
"Why am I to be instantly ruined through
this miserable thinGT' said Prokoritch TO him.
self, wondering who had passed it on to him.
Meanwhile by degrees the tavern filled with
people, but Prokoritch, instead of serving
his customers with bis usual good VII, 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 began 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 a good
thing for you: but your only idea Is to take
every possible opportunity Of swallowing
( whole caskfuls, and then what happenss You
get drunk, they run you. in, and you get a
5 hundred lashes for your trouble. Consider,
nv friends, is it worth your while to go
through all this. and spend all your earnings
npon a stupid fellow like me into the bar
gainy' - =,
/ ..IVhy, Prolpritch, you mist be nad!'' said
all his astonisbed customers
seThat's not very surprising, my friends,
: when one is suffering from a misfortune such
as has befallen me-" answered Prol;oritch
: .'See for yourself the sort of license | have
received,n and he showed them the Con-
/ science which the drunkard bad thrust pom
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.
'sYou see the grand license, who will have
! it?r repeated Prokoritch, getting angry.
! But what is to become of you now 2" his
customers asked.
ssMy friends, this is what think: there is
/ only one thing left for me to do, that is to
I die no longer wish to deceive my neigh
/ bors or to make the poor people intoxicated
/ with brandy. Therefore, what is left to me
J but to der
I GHe is right" his customers said, laughing
at him.
81 even have an idea" continued Proko-
ritch, shat / should like to bJ eak all 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 brokt, in with the
simplest words:
Gust try one or two and sea" Her heart,
it was evident, had not been touched by the
divine gift which had so suddf enly descended
upon Prokoritch. But it Vas not easy TO
check him; be went on shed ding tears and
talking continually.
''When misfortune like mine overtakeS
a man." be said, cts his fate; he was born
to be unlucly. In thinlin g over hisposi-
ton, in trying, to place himself, he would
not dare TO say, L am a trader or I am
merchant Ele could not Go SO without deep
uneasiness. he would simply have to say,
4 am an uni acky wretch"
And during the whole day Prokoritch gave
himself up to these flights of philosophy, for
though Arima 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
nd ho 70, he
said to Ariua Ivanovna. who was crying
.sWaI. 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
peaceful ly and not even snoring, whereas in
the days when he made money and had TO
conscien. - he invariably snored.
Arnla, Ivanovna, however, saw things in q
sor,ewh. t different light. She understood
very Gle; rly that for a tavern keeper con-
science was by no means an agreeable scqui-
sition or one likely to be profitable, 50 she
made up, her mind that at any price tlais IN
welcome guest must be got rid of. She
waited T, ltiently all that night, ban hardly
had the d avn begun to appear through The
dusty windows of the tavern when she softly
stole the Conscience from her sleepInI. hus-
band and haStened out with it into the
street.
1t happened to be market day; the carts Of
! the country folk were already coming in, one
! after another, and LovetS, the police inSpec-
/ tor, himself was Fastening to the market
! place TO see that every thing vent on in pro-
! per 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 surpris-
ing de1terity he slipped the Conscience in the
pocket of his overcoat without his know
| ing it.
This LovetS was not an absolutely shame
/ less rogue, but as he was not particular he
| INDUCED pretty freely in various nlalprac-
/ tees. His manner was not insolent, but he
/ was gifted with too inquisitive glance. He
/ had not had hand in any very diScreditable
/ affair, but he snapped up willingly anything
that came within his reach. In short, he was
n very respectable rogue. But now, all at
once, this man began to turn over new leaf.
When he reached the market place he real.
lied that all TIE goods in the carts and shops
: or upon the sails did not belong to him, but
to other people. Never before had he been
/ conscious of this feeling. He rubbed bis
eyes, saving to himself:
Am Ill. All this must be dream
! He vert up 20 q cart meaning to help him.
/ self to ao:sle of It's contents, but his arms
/ hung powerlesS at his sides He moved to.
ward another, intending to pull the beard of