Evening journal., 1898-01-18
CALICO AS A REFoRMER.

A man VINO drinks 10 excess is liable /
to have experiences both funny and the !
reverse. There is in the p, w. & B. |
railroad service a young man who is |
fond of his Jersey lightning at certain |
periods, and his friends consider him |
quite an electrician in this respect. |
Some of them declare that he can
stand $500 volts at any time, and a
little more if the liquor is good and ]
oily. He is a clever and capable young
fellow and never permits his electrical
studies to interfere with his work. He
may be as full of electricity as a big
storage battery at night, but when 1t |
is time to go on duty in the morning
his head is as clear and his eye as
bright as are those of the president OF
the Anti-Saloon League.
At his boarding place there are sew
eral other young railroad men who
know his failing and admire his capac-
ity. They wish they were as well in
sulated as he is against the seductive
current. But they are not. This ag-
gravates them, and they resent the
good time he has without being able
to participate in it or to prevent it.
One evening recently he went out to
visit all of the electric light stations
on his route, testing the current as he
WeAANs " nv hN WeNo 6OAAC AAAo 1OAAAt1
fellow-bOarders set ON foot a conspir-
acy which well-nigh destroyed his self
confidence. They went to the toy
stores and purchased all Of the calico
cats, dogs and monkeys they could get,
together with four OF five of those hid
eous-looking japanese snakes, and
carried the entire outfit to his room.
There they arranged them so that the
menagerie would be staring him in the
face when he awOke next morning
They knew his habits sufficiently to be
assured that he would come in and re-
tire without taking the trouble to light
the gas in his room. After arranging
everything to their satisfaction they de-
parted, being careful not to leave the
light burning. They then went off in
search of their usual diversions, and
afterwards slept the sleep Of the just.
Next morning they made it a point
to be at the breakfast table together
to greet the victim of their joke. Pres
emily they heard him coming down
stairs, but he was doing it at a pace
which threatened to break his neck.
Instead Of turning at the foot of the
stairway and entering the dining-roOm,
as they expected, he went right on out
into the street One of their number
rushed to the front window and saw
him enter a drug store. The others
ran up to his room and removed the
calico cats. dogs and monkeys and the
paper snakes. and hid them in their
own rooms. At the conclusion of their
laDOrs they returned to the dining
room to await developments.
Presently they heard their friend re-
enter the house and go slowly up
stairs. He was up there about five min
utes, and then they heard him coming
down again. His step had the sound
Of restored confidence and this time
he made his way to the breakfast table.
His friends, if they may be so called,
noticed that his face was unusually
pale, and that his hand trembled as he
handled the sugar-shell. One of them
asked him if he was sick. He shook
his head and replied:
mo. but l have received bad news
from home. Little sister is quite low
with the scarlet fever"
He blushed as he said it. for he
knew it was a deliberate lie. and il
arose to confound him when one of his
friends said:
''Why, that's funny. AS was COM
ing up the road yesterday afternoon
she saw me at the station and sent her
love to you"
Il know that" he replied, but mo-
ther says that the doctor pronounces
this galloping scarlet fever"
To give his soul fighting chance fol-
eternity he got up and left thereon, and
since then not a drop of LIQUOR has
ever been known to cross his lips.
The calico menagerie had accom-
plished its mission of reform.