The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-07-29
OLD JOBlEYS END.
The story of Drunkard Who Had Con-
fidence In Himself.


tdence In Himself.
Old Jobley was always accompanied
by deaf and dumb boy, ibis grandson.
The only word the boy could utter and.
so far as anyone could discover. the
only word he could hear was "Zib."
Sometimes, and particularly at early
morning when he felt disposed to be To-
quacious, he would run up to the old
man and cry "zib, zib, zib." Then it
was known that he was moved by the
cheering influences of the season, or
that the currents of his small and ST
lent life were smooth and of pleasant
gliding.
What a drunlSard old man Jobley
was. Yes. SO much of drunkard that
people said that had he not wasted his
life with drink he surely would have
gone to congress. What fallacy. A
man of an ordinary mind gets drunk
and says foolish things that are sudden
enough and strange enough to be in
teresting, aud people say that liquor is
at its old trick of blighting great in
tellect. Jobley was a man of pretty
fair sense, it is true, and though he
might have gone to congress--for many
shadowy minds have gone thither-yet
he could not become a statesman, even
though there never had been distilled
a drop of anything that would make a
man forget his dignity, But how he
did like to sit around and talk about
what he would have been had he never
drunk liquor, and he always made it
out that he surely would have been
rich.
During his whole life he had lived on
a hillside farm, and from what source
his riches could have come no one in
the community was sufficiently i'm
aginative to Surmise. The old man
was a periodical debaucher of self, and
whenever he got off spree he invaria-
bly, declared it to he his last.
IL simply won't waste my life in any
such way" he would declare. II do
quit for five months at time, and
man that can quit that long can quit
forever, just watch me, now; you Just
keep your eye on the old man and he'll
show you what tirmncss is. Won't nc,
Zib?"
When the old fellow was getting well
after a siclSening indulgence, the boy
always took care Of him. The old mans
wife had no patience with such all
ments,
he needn't expect me to wait on
him." she would say. Heaven knows
was worn out with him years and
years ago. lie ruined my life, gracious
knows. Its good thing that poor lit
tie child don't understand things, but
how he can love an old drunkard is
more than can see"
IF you had been more patient with
him years ago he might no, have been
SO bad" privileged neighbor once re-
marked. There is such thing as cur
ing man by gcntlcncss. know tina,
my George used to get drunk, but
shamed him out of il before it took
much of hold on him. didn't scold
him treated him SO kindly that his
conscience kept him sober"
'NOh you needn't talk to me about
conscience. A drunkard hasn't got
any"
after awhile maybe not. but he
has at first. | know that my George
used to suffer awfullv in mind. and
when I'd come into the room he'd seem
to be afraid to look at me-atraid I'd
scold him-hu wouldn't let on that |
thought he'd done wrong Yen ought
to have tried that plan, for believe
that many man has been saved that
way"
That's all nonsense. The whippiu'
post is the thing"
well, I've tried that plan and You
haven't, and my husband is a sober man
and yours isn't That's all I've got to
say. Good dav."
Seven months had passed and old
Jobley was still sober. One evening,
sitting by the log fire with Zib on his
knee, he spoke of his long period of
abstinence.
Its nojhin' TO boast about" his wife
said, shaking Gao GU; of a chair and
sitting down. Seven months indeed,
NV father was never drunk in his life.
and here you brag because you've been
sober seven months"
NO. I'm not exactly braggin', mother,
but lm sorter congratulatin' myself"
well, you'd better not holler till
you get out of the woods"
mo use to boller ct all. then, Martha