The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-05-31

atlanta Constitution.
Every man has his weakness in some
form or other, is the notion have come
to.
A remedy for the great weaknesses is
what should be sought for. A night
spent in s, barroom with watchful eyes
and open eyes, would not give to you the
most prudent insight of life, but it might
give you the most frightful picture of
mans worst weaknesses. You watch the
different forms in which these weak.
nesses take shape and to see with what
looseness whiskey causes men to air
themselves is study, mystery, perhaps
shame.
Some "fll up" while others "blow off,"
some get cunning while others get open,
some get generous while others grow
closer with every drink and as mean as
they are close.
Watch them as they come and 60 or
loiter in the room. All have their con-
ceits. With one the waters are troubled,
with another the sun shines brigha. One
must pose as the picture Of sadness while
another is the soul of wit and aumor.
The air of business is not absent from
these resorts, for here comes in man
who would impress you with his business
importance, and it 10 wonderful how we'll
he plays his part. He wears business
suit, walks to the counter with business
stride, brushes a little -four from the
sleeve of his coat in an easy business
way, spits like a business man, takes a
sip of water in business style, drinks,
pays his money and away he goes out of
the door-all business, and you might
think he was rushing to his business, but
it is only to the next bar he is going to
go through the same thing once more.
This business conceit is one of tho most
fortunate turns that the drinking weak
ness could take. It would not be busi-
ness for him to get extravagant. Hs must
hold his balance, his dignity and vim
he is happy in the thought of doing this,
and it will save him from the gutter long
after the witty fellow, who sits over in a
chair by table, has fell to be common
bum and arrived at the stage WHARF he
can neither laugh himself nor wiring
smile from others. All, how many of
these witty men could one see 60 nnder
if he would watch through lorg life
mine, for at last he finds that little jokes
are only the conceits of an added brain.
No reflection upon barrooms is intsnded
by me. The barkeeper fills demand.
The weakness of this very wit demands a
bar. No drinking from bottle or a jug
would suit this fellow. One drink mag
mites him into an Arten,us Ward and he
must have listeners and companions. It
is easy to have them along with plenty of
money, and how they do laugh at all the
jokes between drinks. These laughing
people are q part of barrooms, or they
always linger there.
Last Saturday We hustled around and
got up nice load of marketing. Our
little wagon looked inviting as we drove
along Atlanta's streets. Fresh milk and
butter, some eggs and few chickens,
fresh from the country, was iu demand,
but ne had decked our wagon off with
'green truck" strawberries and currants,
and these caught the eyes of the children
at the houses where we stopped. 1t was
late in the afternoon, the working people
were gathering to their homes and ne
sold out easily. At one place where we
stopped the inmates from three or four
of the little houses gathered about our
wagon. Husbands with their weeks
wages tinglirg in their pockets came out
in remping way with some of the chill.
dren and they bought generously of
what We had. The little one skipped
away from us on every side with arms
full and happy hearts. Among thera all
I noticed three little fellows who never
came outside their yard. Two OF them
sat upon the gate.post while the third
swung upon the ricketry gate. This Was
as near our wagon as they came, but We
could hear them talz and saw their long.
ing looks, after the happy children who
had been supplied. Just as We stsrted
off they looked up the street in wistful
way end one of them said
"Don't you wish our papa would come
home, too7
We suspected that these were the chill.
dren of some man whose weakness was
drink and who fingered too long at the
bar, so we stopped again found out their
names, let them have such of our "track"
as they chose and went away feeling
happier ourselves, while the sound of
merry voices tiugled in our ears as Shey
ran with their load into the house With
their mamma.
When We had put away our team at
the wagon yard we sauntered up town
and into popular barroom, just to see if
we could not get sight of the father of
these children. He WAS there, there in