The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-31
81 HE TURNED SPORT.
,vTo THE ABYSS BY THE MAN
,,-,TH MINT JULEP TASTE.

7,.,r7 the Chicago Inter Ocean.
s,.si keeper sat on the piazza mix
,,r d mint julep. This was favorite
9,,cr,on Of his. AS he placed teaspoon
.y,of oranulated sugar in the glass and
sd the sugar against the mint leaves
,na back Of a spoon he~said to his
,..sn5s sitting about theNtable;
.c.ntI.men, in mixing mint julep al
use granulated sugar The sharp
.Igss of the sugar cut through the tender
.,-.I.sves and cause them to exude those
-r,,,sti, juices which go so far toward
Inning the heart and stomach of a
Properly concocted," he went on,
.bs added about three fingers of whisky
-b.. GLASS. there is no decoction in the
-, berter calculated to make a man for
49, The nsnaity he must inevitably pay for
,ss infraction of law; and that naturally
limos ro, to the consideration" he con-
.i.rsd as he inserted a large barley straw
,-,.r among the drowned mint leaves, ''of
rb,, If is that things which are almost
universally considered to be wrong eth
i,allv are always pleasurable- Why did
Providence put into alcohol that quality
which paints landscapes in the brain of
,,orq How can a man be held account
,ha for failing to resist the invitation
which rises like the voice of a siren from
that glass?'
Here he stopped long enough to draw up
through the straw a mouthful of nectar.
COZ course, know that whisky, in all
its forms. is injurious" he continued, but
what cannot understand is why it should
he so attractive, SO appetizing, so insid-
i,uslv bewitching. Now, there is another
weakness TO which flesh is heir" he con-
tinued Il allude to gambling. Do you
realize. gentlemen, that nearly every bus
mess man of your acquaintance is a gamb
Ier9 No l don't mean that he bets on
horses or cards, but that he takes chances
and derives pleasure from the uncertainty.
The more risk he takes the more interest
ed he becomes, and necessarily the more
happy. for happiness, gentlemen, is, after
ALL only Inconsistencies. The more alb
soroed you are in your pursuits the hap
pier you are. Educate a man and give
him leisure and you enlarge his capacity
for unhappiness.
But i started QUE to tell you story
about gambling, which L hope you will
find interesting. 1t viii surprise all of
you, gentlemen, to hear that L began life
twenty-five years ago as a clergyman. l
was young, married, and struggled hard
for fame and bread, receiving none too
much Of either. L was located at Memphis
as pastor of a little Baptist church. The
salary was small, and my labors met with
but little encouragement, when 1 received
a call TO a more remunerative field of la
Dor situated a few miles from New Or
leans. After consultation with my wife
we concluded to accept the offer, consol-
ing ourselves with the reflection that the
better We lived the more fit we should
be to aid others less fortunate. Disposing
OF our household effects we embarked on
the sufty little steamer Roanoke, bound
from Memphis to New Orleans. The voy-
age down the Mississippi was monotonous,
as such trips usually are, until, as / was
walking back and forth on the saloon
deck, my eye was caught by the remark
ably fine physical bearing of a man seat
ed at one OF the tables. His chief charm
lay IN his large lustrous black eyes. The
colonel, as l afterwards found him to be,
was engaged in conversation with two
men evidently planters. l had discarded
my regulation black coat and tie and
Wore mixed tweed, in which 1 appeared
more worldly than l cared TO own. Per-
maps 1t was my close scrutiny that elicit
ed an invitation from the colonel to take
hand in game of poker he had just
suggested to the planters"
Here the story-teller stopped to order
some more mint and sugar before resum-
ing his story
Gentlemen" he continued, 81 never
nave been able to satisfactorily account
LOT my actions that afternoon. / think
IHdl must have been hypnotized by
tHose wonderful black eyes of the colonel,
IoI accepted his proposal without a
guam OF conscience. L had in my pocket
niue more than $500, which was to fur
hlSh our new home. This was the savings
u years, and my wife's last injunction
was TO guard our little capital with my
me. All this flashed through my mind as
we entered the cabin.
dfuy coming to a realizing sense of
my oeSradation, tried to offer some weak
cause Tor not playing. But before |
oouH utter my protest the colonel had lit
SIdiy forced me into a chair, and l found
tiS myers nervously clntching five new,
a"ppeIy cards. Before / entered the uni
NosIly had lived as other young men do
aiI, 10 my horror, 1 found l remembered
of the game.
i'll. Is curious fact, gentlemen" con-
LEU me narrator after wetting his epig-
49, that there is singular charm in
oohS something which your conscience
iN9 you Is wrong. Did ever watermel-
t tos1e so sweet as that stolen night at
NV imminent risk of lacerated flesh from
yDe teeIh OF q watchdog? l did not stop to
-aSoN' and 1t was too late retreat. AL
l,"fl SO thought. Besides,I was a strang-
,,, W every man on the boat l remember
'%9uely to have resolved 10 expiate my
nav, IS ny unfiaggng zeal when arrived at
my neW pastorate.
snelt le colonel drew from his pocket a
st luce case, which contained a pair of
nv. e.acies Of extraordinary size. Noting
1,.,. 'alher rude stare the colonel politely
or ,4-1'Ied that the glasses were made to
rl1,+5,, one lens being larger and more
e,a ~ than the other to suit his right
W. lne slSht of which was defective. I
f, +s Snpwrecked several years ago said
a.. loi.onei, and, with several others. was
7 L.5 N an open boat for several DAYS. AS
fui ii' ~, iost my hat l was subjected to the
josi,s5.' 'Ie oil tropical sun, thereby nearly
r,tt9 my sight entirely 1 made a sym
,,,Hs.lc answer and we started 10 play.
mo-. or several hands the coins circulated
ers evenly. The colonel and the plant
pm. ihed to play more for the sake of the
me-, man Tor what might be in It in a
n,r, ''''o'y sense. I played with the sole
sss5,5 Vi retaining what 1 already pos
.N AdAueF than pdA 70 d Ky