The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1889-10-18
TOLD ON A PULLMAN.
A Good Moral story.

young fellow who had invited ms
travelling acquaintance to drink,
screwed the TASKS cover down,
fitted ON Its drinking cup and re-
placed 1t III his pocket.
Il always carry little OF the
right sort AL" he said, with an air
of superior worldliness. Are you
IL ieetolaller, sirW
II don. like The word ieetotal.
Ier,' but never drink. | dare not"
Iepe It'd The older man.
On flew The lriin, the car sway
ing, The rattle becoming rolr
when the door opened, the still.
ness at stopping places emphasized
by the sough OF wind and The beat
ing of ram. Still neither of the
men left The smoking compartment
OF the Pullman car. The younger
traveller became absorbed III bun
die OF formal-looking letters, over
which he smoked cigar before
speaking again.
1T must be late" he said, look
ing up.
what! After eleven o'clock ?
Well, III have another taste ana
90 10 INV berth. You're about the
most silent companion I've fallen
in with. sir. Every time lve look
ed up for two hours Pve observed
vnu lookinr at me seriously. See
anything wrong"
1--WE been wondering what your
alert face will be in Ten years"
~ regular sober sides face, you
NAV depend on that. Full OF busi-
ness-tlat's what I'm going in for.
"Well, | hope it may be. Some
how find myself taking eXtraor-
binary interest in The question u
you will permit me, III tell you
why"
"leetotal story, sir?" said the
young man, eringly.
"You might call it that"
Il guess You have heard 1t al
ready. reelotal stories are Nigh
ty stale"
"Degredation through drink is .
tragedy over stale, and ever fresh
lv illustrated. | was going TO tell
a personal experienced
You don't look like reformed
drunkard, sir
mo, | never drank. But | dear.
" loved one who did. Shall | tell
you about him z"
III il would not be too painful,
SIR SAID the young fellow, moved
to sympathy by something IN his
companlOn'S tone.
We'll, first read part OF lei
Ter | received some time agn, SAID
the older man, taking out a huge
pocket. book, IN which there were
many papers, from which he ex-
tracled The letter, and folded the
passage down. :,
The young fellow took if, and
read. with A strong sensation OF IN
Iruding upon private gref:-
"Ah, my dear fellow, | have three
litlle children, and a wife whose
child.like and innocent life should
have led me to better things. Many
care and many 4 sorrow she mas
had since she married me, and
many a time, God knows, Pve been
deeply penitent to have given her
cause for grief. .
"But have the restless blood OF
a drnnkard in my veins, and II car
ries me away to dreadful and dis
graceful sprees. promise--I swear
off, protest by all that's good and
holy that liquor shall never pass
my lips again, but all to no pur-
pose. A craving--a devil-takes
possession, and after weeks, or even
months of abslention. | break out
and degrade myself and shame my
children, and heap misery on them
and my wife.
"The old year is closing as |
write, and The new one comes up
before me like an enemy--so much
do | feel my weakness. That God
may close my old life and open a
new and better one TO me Is lhe
cry of my heart tonight. For u
| do not find strength, that the past
gives me no hope OF gaining, be-
fore The leaves of next summer
wiiher shall fill a drunkard s
grave and leave my wife and little
ones 10 the mercy of the world
surely the man who wrote that
never drank again. said the young
| traveller, handing back The page.
81 will Tell you. That letter was
written bv my own bruther. | had
not seen him for several wears
He was a lawyer, practlclng IN
place far from me or any OF on
iamllv. We all thought of him az
a prosperous and happy man. Hl'
marriage had sci ri rest some Tears
excited bv his earlier lite. 1ot
can understand that that letter wa'
dreadful shock TO me. His re
ference to The drunkard's blood II
his veins had a significance Tor ms
that YOU cannot understand, TO
on one side Of parentage. l com'
Of family that has suffered be
vond telling through the drinking
habit. Clever men IN II WITTY
great.hearied fellows, much loved
popular, eloqent. One was So
preme court judge; two weI'
among the forem 1st orators OF ihei