Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-05-29
THE FIRST OFFENSE.

Billy Meekins never drank. He didn'
make a principle Of it and in all othei
respects ne was like any other male hu
man being, but for some reason or other
he simply hadn't learned 10 drink. Hi.
wife, who was religious, put II on high
moral grounds. She said she didn't
know what she would do If VIII came
home drunk-which was true; she did
not, as the following narrative will show:
The first winter they were married
company Y arranged for a big military
bail and invited the governor. As an
extra inducemont they got an appropria-
ton from somewhere or other and
bought carload Of champagne. The
evening Of the dance the governor was
present with his entire suite and they
converted one Of the ante-rooms into a
a sort of champagne shower bath. But
after the governor, who was a very tall
and Thin man OF good old Puritan stock,
had led the grand march with the wife
of the captain, who was 2 very short, fat
and red-faced woman OF middle-age and
unmistakable Irish descent, 10 the admit
ration of all, and the fat pr0mpter had
barked all the skin of the back Of his
throat and nearly gone into apoplexy
and everybody Rad gone home, It was
discovered tha,.the company in its ex-
IRENE generosity had overestimsted the
capacity of the invited guests. So, as
last resort, and a sort Of gentle bid for
the golden opinion of the press, the
newspaper men were invited in.
And after the first edition had gone
down as many men as possible adjourn
ed to the city hall and sat down at
long table in the ante-room, with the
governor at the head. OF course the
governor could not under the circum-
stances refrain from letting his full heart
run over in speech. In it he said he
never could adequately express his great
of the honor OF sitting at
the table with the representatives of
that glorious and powerful instrument
of civilization-the press. He himself
had always had the most profound con-
fdence in newspaper men and he was
proud TO say they had almost unSni-
mously shown confidence in him. He
was also proud 10 say great many
nice things about the press and its in
g. e. "a
these remarks the governor left for his
hotel, having pressing appointment at
80 the next morning and having felt
turing the evening unmistakable symP |
-oms of the return OF diphtheria or spinal
meningitis or something of the sort he |
had contracted during the arduous Ia |
oors of the last campaign, so he left the /
to represent him.
The acknowledgement, who was fat
nd red-faced man, having represented
governors at champagne suppers for
-reat many years. was a very able repre-
entative indeed, and when the governor
7ent away much of the ceremony of the
ccasion went with him and it became
ute informal, every inducement to in
being offered by the manage
lent. Whenever you began 10 talk to
our neighbor your glass was filed up {
y the colored waiter at your elbow with
lch naturalness that not even the most r
could get an approximate
ga OF how much he mad drunk until he f,
gained Consciousness. RI
One of the chief diversions of The oc- ?
sion was arranged to be furnished BY b
lily Meekins. He had been induced h
attend under more OF less false pre- L
nses, and when once there was placed il
.xt to the acknowledgement BY special t,
The adjutant general t,
Is to do the rest. Billy wasn't in h
ned to drink at first until the adju- Ct
soothed him. The great "
icer was very soothing. He assured g
n that champagne was beverage as
rmless As milk-in fact just what ne
eded as a tonic that time Of night. =
course, Billy couldn't be rude =,
ough 10 refuse the cOurtesies IF so "a
eat an officer. p,
After that things grew still more in te
NAL The adjutant told story. and ar
city editor told story, and the te
INT editor told story-all OF which Il
is not necessary to reproduce here, in
tly because they really weren't so Is
ny as they were considered al the tn
e. Then the telegraph editor, who III
Mt have on a dress suit. tore off the III