The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-07

/. nera was some co,-stern otion in that
institute, and the stockholders looked at
me reproachfully when we met, as
Though to remind me that although l
secured the whisky free they had to pay
Tor II IN com In realm. But day o.
retribution was coming.
1t was on the fifteenth dav of my
soJourn in that quiet village that | be-
came conscious Of the existence in my
mouth of taste which would require
the brush of a Raphael to portray.
had fancied that was familiar with all
the bad tastes, imported or domestic,
but that newly organized bichloride of
gold taste was something so utterly and
abnormally new that | was astonished
and appalled,. A dry, decomposed, Sc
pulchral taste that reminded the bearer
of an omelet of last years feathers.
That taste is part of the cure, and gem
orally overwhelms man in mild
form about the fourth day of his expert
ence; the longer one avoids it the more
heartbreaking it is when finally inaugu-
rated. l complained about it to the doc
tor and he was quite jubilant.
"That TASTE" he said, sis the revolt of
rejuvenated system against alcohol.
In less than twenty-four hours, even the
smell of liquor will be intolerable to
you"
But it was his destiny to be rudely
shocked once more. When twenty-four
hours had elapsed | was as thoroughly
picked in strong drink as ever, and my
longing for more was as Unsuitable; l
had never missed a ''shot' nor dose of
medicine since my arrival at the insti-
tute; l had seen drinkers come and go
away again, and yet, on the twenty-6rst
day of my stay there | was consuming
whisky with as much easy grace and
versatility as ever. But on the twenty
second day strange thing happened.
l raised a fiagon of bourbon to my
lips and it did not smell inviting. There
was suggestion of garbage in its per-
fume. With Spartan valor, however, l
swallowed the liquor and then stood
doubling, dreaming dreams no human
being ever dared to dream BEFORE" for
there was a protest entered against that
whisky by my interior department. 1t
didn't fit in the accustomed groove, and
became sick-and was cured of drink
ing. | remained at the institute five
weeks in all, taking treatment with
charming regularity until the end, and
when l emerged, after having taken 40
hypodermic injections of chloride of
gold and PAS two ounce doses of internal
rr1odJCiyro |
and study to my friends, who had never
expected to see me radically sober until
prepared fer burial.
The flowing bowl hath no longer any
charms for me, and my relief at being
free from the gigantic thirst which was
only acquired after years of experiment
and research in the leading saloons of
four states, must be nearly equal to the
relief experienced by the directors of the
institute when the bulletin was issued
that l had finally quit calling for
whisky. The new life of sobriety is
charming, but has its embarrassing
features; for instance, to one who has
long been accustomed to sleeping in his
boots and overcoat the matter of dis
1obhiS every niSnt SeeulS announcement
and unreasonable.
But in time l hope to become accus-
toned to the new conditions. Every day
/ meet graduates" of the institute who
say that they never think of blowing the
froth from cups Of tea any more, and
that it seems quite natural now to open
their doors with latchkeys instead of
match safes; and the future has good
deal of promise in it for those who have
higher ambitions than to order mixed
drinks and wait until the free lunch is
ready. WALT MASON.