Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-12-20


"Can you tell me where VIII ind
Mr.. and Mrs Corliss9" inquired.
The woman looked puzzled, and
twisted one finger III a lock OF hair
back of her ear.
"Corlissp Corliss9 wy, seems T.
me they usetuh be folks lived in this
house b. that name, but hain't shore.
Stranger bean't YEP"
I saw l could get no information
from the woman, so / returned down
street.
AS | passed saloon a dilapidated,
hollow-eyed, unshaven, seedy man
came out Of the door, cursing between
his teeth. glanced at him and passed
on. Presently a voice called: "Billyl"
/ looked around. The seedy man
was approaching me with his hand ex-
tended, a weak smile of recognition on
his face. II was Ben Corliss, and we
had hardly passed greeting, and had
had no time to ask question, when he
asked, pleadingly;
"Faber, for Gods sake won't you
buy me drink and some breakfast9 I
haven't had meal for three days, but
must have drink first"
Poor devill An hour later, fed,
bathed, shaved and new clothed, with
just enough whisky In him TO
straighten him out, Ben sat in my
room at the Eagle hotel and told me
the whole pitiful story, stopping only
now and then to give way to the grief
that not even stronger man than he
had ever been could contain. And here
II is:
at wasn't--her--fault. 1t was ell
mine-all-and am only suffering for
my own sins, while she is happy, as
she deserves. 1t isn't long story
only the story of what whisky and
hard luck-mostly whisky-will bring
man to-
at began just after you left First
it was one thing, then another, that let
me down and I dropped nearly all the
money I had left in that scheme.
Hank Fillmore and set on foot over
in the San Juan country. All this time
! was drinking-not hard, but just
enough to keep my nerve up. Then
come more losses-I failed and every
thing had went in the smash, except
the house and few thousand had in
the bank I see, now, il I had only
been a man and had kept stiff upper
lip, that I could have fixed myself in
good shape again, but it was too late.
"Then the baby came and for awhile
let whisky and cards alone and tried
to be man, but pretty soon was at
it again. The baby died, and my
Florence nearly followed her, but
kept on going to the devil
"One day found myself sober-and
pauper. / went home. hadn't been
there for week, but Florence greeted
me with her usual kiss, and asked no
questions.
after that, went to work, and be-.
haved myself little while. Then the
devil got hold of me again, and whom I
came to myself it was worse than be-.
fore. We were notified to vacate our
house-the house had built-because
we were behind with our rent.
1.-TWO weeks after this I came to the
place we had known as 'home'-I had
found the money for the rent-to find
posted beside the door a placard stat
ing that Furnished Rooms and Board
were to be had within. / burst into
the house and asked Florence to tell
me the meaning of the sign. A stormy
scene followed-the storm coming all
from my side-which ended in my leav.
ing the house in search of work, tear
ing down the placard as / left. Down.
town met a man who paid me few
dollars on an old debt took the
money and went in to sit few hands
in u game of poker. / won, and kept
on winning. Of course 1 wouldn't
leave the table. At the end of twenty
four hours was two thousand ahead,
and left the game to get something to
eat and go home.
after had eaten, resolved to 60
back and see if / couldn't win some
more with TN extra fifty had. went
in again-and lost all had. Then, of
course, got drunk.
at was a week from the time l left
home before.I returned The placard
was in its former place, and a white.
porch. went in and started to abuse
Florence but she had right on her side,
and l relapsed into the sulks.
"After that remained more at home,
but did nothing. could get no work
In town-no one would trust me.
81 drank and gambled with the
money Florence worked so hard To
earn-for she had number Of board
ers, now-although she gave II to me
voluntarily, what she could spare.
Zone day got to thinking how USE
less was-how different it might have
been with us. I sat in the yard and
happened to look towards the house as
Florence came to the door. Enrol, the
consumptive, sat on the porch, as
usual. Florence spoke to him, and az
he turned his eyes to her face, saw
something which made me start. Poor
Enrol was in love with Florence!
"Then l remembered a number Of
other circumstances had not paid any
attention to before, and was con-
vinced of the truth of my surmise. The
poor devil had been told that he could
not live over two months longer in De
Leon, but If he would go to Colorado
Springs he might live six or eight-and
yet he had announced his intention Of
staying at DeLeon.
"As looked at poor Enrol lying back
in his chair, almost now a corpse, a
terrible thought came into my mind
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