Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-07-06
tFrom Peck's SUM-
THE CLERK WHO GETS DRUNK.

kee, as he says he is going to apply
for position as clerk. He says he
has been discharged from the place he
has worked for two years, because he
! got full one day, and the old crank
who employed him got mad, and he
says he has got sick of working in a
town where they look upon little
drunk as crime, and he wants to get
into Milwaukee, where he has been
told they never ask any questions
about mans drinking habits as long
as he can do his work. There is no
place where a man can drink If he
wants to, and not be interfered with
as long as he behaves himself, easier
than in Milwaukee, but the merchants
are not looking for men who smell
like The front door of wholesale liq-
Tor store, and such a man will be
fired just as quick in Milwaukee as he
would in Il temperance town that did
not have a saloon in it. Some men
get an idea that they can drink doz-
en- times day and by chewing cloves,
or taking some sort of bromo, nobody
after the-ball smell is detected on a
man in store, you will see the floor
walker look wise, and that man is on
the suspected list right away, and if
he keeps it up, some Saturday night
he will get his pay envelope and be
told that business is not very rushing,
and he can lay off, or maybe he can
find better place at some other store,
and he goes off indignant and gets his
and on Monday morning he goes into
the store with soiled collar and
cuffs on, and has spilled something
over his vest, and he looks wilted.
He just goes into the store to see how
they are getting along without him, and
he finds the store full of customers,
and he goes to the counter where he
used to sell goods, and there he finds
u bright girl, clean and neat as a pin,
cool as ice-cream, with dainty hands
and u sweet face, with fetching silk
shirt waist with no stale beer on it,
buttoned up with gold buttons with
a blue stone in them, hair daintily
dressed, and pushed back from the
sweetest forehead, that has no whis-
key blotches on it, and eyes that twin
klc with healthy happiness that does
not depend on morning cocktail,
and she is smiling at customers that
he used to get mad at, when his hair
pulled, and he watches her treat
automatically all the people who are
looking for bargains, and they all
seem very happy, and the floor walk
er even has smile on his face, as he
taste in his mouth, and looks at the
new clerk, who looks as though she
had u sweet taste in her mouth, be-
cause her teeth are like pearls and
her lips are red, while the old clerk s
teeth look neglected. and he has a
cold sore on his lip, and you can't
stand very near him, while you could
not get near enough to the girl who
has taken his place. The old clerk
takes his expiring jag out of the
store, and buys another drink, and
goes out to the bank of the lake, and
thinks what fool he Is, and wonders
whether he couldn't hire one of the
tramps that are asleep down by the
track to kick him. He walks about
the street, and he is astonished to see
the number of idle men who look as
though they feel Just as he does.
He had never thought of it before,
but he secs men everywhere that he
knows used to hold good positions,
but who drank too much, and lost
their jobs, and they never seemed to
catch ON again, though they brace up
and try to show that they have quit
budging. Merchants have little con-
tidcnce in their promises, after once
they have got the big head, and
wouldn't allow anybody to tell them
they were iniuring themselves by
drinking too much. If the young man
who has been discharged in the country
knows what is good for him he will