Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-12-13
Saint Maru's Beacon
AN ADVENTURE.


eler in the grocery line. My duties
frequently took me to Birmingham,
and, il am to tell my story truth
fully, | must say | was, at that Pc
riod of my history, to put it mildly,
no better than ought to have been.
The life of @ commercial is one
fraught with very great temptation,
and | was not always strong enough
to keep my feet ont of the midst Of
the briars which then beset my path,
with which statement my readers
will readily agree when they read
the strange incident / am going to
relate.
1t was 6 o'clock on an autumn
evening. The streets of Birming-
ham we're swept with rain. had
a tolerabiy successful day, and there
Ieposed in my pockets the sum Of
920, which had collected from my
firms customers. Having nothing
particular to do and the torrents Of
rain absolutely prohibiting all open
air enjoyment, / went to the hotel
i was staying at, and although l
had already drunk during the after
noon more than ought and much
more than / needed / called for q
further supply of brandy, and
while slipping it was joined by a
stranger who seemed eager to enter
into conversation with me.
Nothing backward and with
tongue fairly set wagging, ! talk
ed, too much, and | believe that
before many moments he had ascer-
tanned that had eco belonging to
my employer in my possession.
The brandy finished, nothing
would satisfy my new found friend
but that he should take me to the
theatre, where the well-known play
Of Drink" was being performed.
! remember well how, half tipsy as
was, l shuddered as the realistic
portraiture by one of the artists of
a victim of delerium tremens. /
remem Der how the horrors of drink
were deliniated and was sane enough
to remark to my companion
'Bosh!' They are overdrawing
it.
Certainly he replied, they are
overdrawing it. But it's only a
play. They are drinking bars here;
they are n reality. Come, let's 60
and get something
so we went and got something
and, to cut a long story short.
when | left the theatre, leaning on
the arm of my friend, l was help
lessly intoxicated.
The next thing | knew was this
The rainclouds had rolled away,
and fitful CLEANS of moonlight re-
vealed to me the fact that | was in
a strange room, lying on a strange
bed. Two O'Clock chimed out from
a neighboring steeple. Sobered
with fright, raised myself, and
then, quick as a lightning flash.
came. the thought-my money !!
My clothes were thrown across the
bottom of the bed. | searched the
trousers pocket. The gold was
there.
Then / heard voices in soft con-
versation coming up from below.
Noiselessly, | opened the bedroom
door and listened.
Sure he's all serene?' queried
one voice, to which another res
pended, "Ie won't wake until six
ut the earliest
Very good said the first voice.
Mind il he wakes while your do
ing 1.-THE sentence was punctu-
ated by the unmistakable click of
a pistol, and ! shivered-not from
cold.
and at 6 or z, or whenever he
does wake continued the voice,
tell him you picked him up drunk
in the street and carried him in
here out of compassion for safety,
aud will easily convince him that
he was robbed out of doors. But,
mind, ] have done my part in ply
ing him with drink and decoying
him here. See you do yours in
gracefully relieving the poor fool of
his f2Op
Here a step on the stairs warned
me tie close the door, and l got back
to bed. Hearing the knob Of the
door turn, | began to breathe heav-
lily after the fashion of drunken
man, and the next instant, shading