The record-union., 1899-08-20
"BABY" DRINKS STEAM BEER
AN EAST PARK COLT AND HIS
LITTLE JAGs.
How He Came to Prefer Grog to
the Milk He Had Been
Drinking.

Baby is the name of a colt at East
Park. Though but four months old,
Baby has acquired the habit of drink
ing steam beer in large quantities-in-
deed, he sometimes carries what Aus
tralians call 1.-The two ends and blight
of a drunk But Baby should not be
blamed too much, for two circum-
stances have been against him since
he started life's journey-parentag and
surroundings.
Baby had good mother, high-born
mare, but his father is a mystery. It
was on account of the suspicion of low
parentage that Baby's original owner
gave him to the Zeigler Brothers at
East Park. They conduct saloon, and
that settled Baby's fate, for no sooner
did they run out of milk than they
substituted steam beer for the colt, and
to-day Baby walks up to the bar and
neighs for his eight or ten steams a
| day. When he feels that his reveling
has gone far enough, he has been
known to sneak away quietly, like a
| gentleman, and sleep off his debauch
under an oak tree in the park.
He never becomes vicious or noisy"
| said Mr.. Zeigler yesterday, "but he will
make himself heard until he has a few
| schoonerS under his belt. Hundreds of
| people treat him, and once he slipped
| up behind a man who was dallying
with steam beer and began to drink
the mans glass. The fellow thought he
had them again.
| For the purpose of corroborating the
many rumors rejecting on Baby's So
/ briefly a "Record-Union'' reporter was
sent to East Park to clap the delicate
eye of scrutiny on Baby's conduct. The
colt was chewing dry grass in the park
at the time, but when he got wind of
free drink he hastened into the sa-
loon, climbing six or eight ordinary
steps to enter. He went directly to the
bar and drank his beer out of glass
that was held to his lips. He sucked
like young colt, protruding the upper
! lip SO as to drain the glass, and the
draught leads to the conclusion that he
is a connoisseur.
"He is on his good behavior now, ;"
said Mr.. Zeigler, though there have
been days when he got pretty full and
went to sleep. I cannot see that the
beer is hurting him, unless it be to
make him a little too fat. He gauges
himself pretty well, for I don't think he
likes to wake UP with a dark brown
taste in his mouth
'Oh, it's cruel, cruel to allow any
thing like thisl'' said an old lady who
heard Baby was drinking beer.
"Cruel?" asked a man of the world,
whose nose glistened like an easter
egg. I'D like to know what's cruel.
Why, just think Of the beautiful free
| jags he gets!"
After three or four beers had been
added to the six or eight Baby had
drunk earlier in the afternoon, there
were some evidences of his quickened
pulses. Following this, there seemed
to be "a feeling of well-being," as the
medicos call it, evidenced by desire
to be sociable and to drink more.
There were signs that Baby might
take too much that he might become a,
sort of Jekyl-and Hyde horse, eating
grass like quiet ass one day, draining
| glasses, becoming hilarious and trot-
ting the pace that kills the next. It is
| interesting to speculate as to Baby's
future, for it is certain that his course
will never lead him to honor at the
plow. Even the railroad companies and
big street car lines now refuse to have
| Incorporate employees.
If this little colt persists in drinking
he may some day cross the line, for
| even steam beer has been known to
shake the fortress of identity as power
| fully as Edward Hyde's mysterious
powders. Some day, however, Baby
may awaken from his steam beer
dream and realize his indiscretions.
OF course he has some disadvantages
in his riotous path of life. He cannot
ring for the bell boy when he wants
morning cocktail or a pitcher of ice
water, but he is not likely to write
foolish letters, or make silly speeches
when drink steals his brains. The
sunny field of life is ahead of him still
-on the one side horse sense and tenn
perance, on the other drunkenness and
delirious visions that would make an
old womans horse run away.