The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1897-01-21
Cooked Out.

Jack Alden drank heavily while he
was in college, but we called him a
good fellow. After he left college he
began to drink heavily and to be a
good fellow, but we called him a drunk
ard. When he was twenty-five years
old, l looked upon him as a lost man.
l believed that he would be a mere
sot at thirty, and that he would die
miserably before he was ~thirty-five.
We lost each other for some years,
and then, after Il chance meeting in
New York, l dined with him most hap
PLY in the comfort Of his home and in
the light Of d beautiful woman's eyes.
When that light was withdrawn, and
we were left to dim the remaining
illumination with a haze of tobacco
smoke, l fell into deep thought upon
the agreeable failure of my prophecy.
What had saved Jack? l might have
said it was his marriage, but L kneW
that he had fallen into the depths again
| soon after. Hearing that report, l had
| nitied her exceedingly, and bad thought
the worst of Jack. Yet l could not
| doubt that he was at last in the sure
way. knowing MIN so well | felt that
| some surprising incident must have
changed the course of his life, and my
curiosity craved the story.
Il know what you're thinking about"
said he. You're wondering why l
am here instead of being in the gut
ter"
"Oh, no, Jack" said 1, nothing Of the
sort. | always knew you would come
out all right. You drank Il little at
II time, of course, but"
mo l didn't" said Jack. II never
drank a little. l drank a barrel. Mod
GRAFTON wasn't in me. l was "a drunk
ard. | lived the life of a %drunkard.
1 died the death of a drunkard."
"Metnphorically?"
"Literally. That may sound absurd,
but it is only the truth. Northing but
death could save me-
Not even"
"NO, not even Alice"
His eyes filled with tears of tender
ness at the mention of his wife's name
Il was never so wrong headed,
he continued, las to suppose that &
mar can be saved by love alone. Any
person who has had experience in sucl
matters knows that IN added motive
FOR sobriety is an added temptation tt
the drunkard. You see d man MARI!
and keep sober for d while. Then you
see him take a drink again. You sa!
1t is because his love has waned will
the honeymoon. It's no such thing
At first he does not drink because thu
novelty of the situation keeps his mine
off the subject. Marriage seems Xix
q great vacation from the dizziness o
life. And then love grows stronge
till he begins to realize what it is. TIL
~preciousness of his possession reveal
itself to him. He who has more thai
his due is never free from fear. Wha
if he lose her! He reviews the dan
gers. In the front rank of them h
sees his appetite. And that is the Ell
of him. AS soon as he knows tina
it will be absolutely fatal for him t
touch a drop of liquor he is certai
IT, do it. That was my experience, an
my sin was the greater because
knew it all beforehand"
yet you escaped the consequences.
"No; it killed me, as l have alread
said. l will tell you the story. Yo
can make Il farce-comedy or a TRACED
out of it, just as you like. 1t is
CHASTITY joke. Mother Nature is til
grimmest practical joker, after all, an
this is the way she played it on IN
But first l must let you into the my
teries of our carly housekeeping. Th
details seem trivial, but they contribu
ed to final catastrophe.
VI began with the usual drunkard
, ~balance-on the wrong side of IL
books. We took a fiat in that long 70
l pointed out to you as we came L
= 49,, 80, 4Jn n1,t f,11.I,tf,pn xxrn ~,
cured on the installment plan. 1t WI
not luxurious, of course, but you shou,
have seen how pretty a home ALI
made with it. There were weekly pa
ments to be met; and for a month
more the rising SUN and | were equ
Q models of p~unctuality. Then l let
go for Il week. Nothing happened.
was somewhat surprised at that, Fl
+ my contract with the dealer had bee
! more binding that the shackles of
rael in Egypt. Another week slippt
p by, and another. Various causes I
duced our funds to a low ebb. Pre-
emily l owed $40. A polite collect
: came. l promised immediate settl
ment. and he departed. l was to l
ceive my monthly check from the PHI
adelphia office in Il few days. and l
lied upon that. Something delayed
/ borrowed $50 from John Ennis, al
1t as he gave me the cash he looked
me in Il peculiar way.
-. "'He thinks I'll go off on a spree a
-. spend this money said l to myse
% and then | added, Great heavens, VIII
III if l should!
a, ut seems absurd to be sentiment
10 about Il few sticks of furniture, b
W when a man is newly married and h
q home for the first time IN ten yea
he may be pardoned for an eXcessi
anxiety to keep it undistW'aed. III
; anxiety was, of course, my chief da
ger. The drunkard is always on t
y edge of Il precipice. and if he loo
down he will cast himself into t
depths. 1t is the same, perhaps, wi
all mortal perils; they have Il fascil
ton. | looked down that day and W
r. dragged over the brink.
cr THAT was the beginning of such d.