The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-06-01
A SHOCK THAT CURED
WHY ONE MAN NO LONGER HAS A
DESIRE FOR LIQUOR.

DESIRE FOR LIQUOR.
His Story of the Terrifying Expert
ence That Made Him md the Drink
Habit, Which Brought About the
Incident, Part Company.
Thanks, 1 don't care if I do-not,"
said one man in the crowd of half dozen
who were invited to indulge in pota-
tion.
why not?" inquired the host. you
drank enough when we worked together
five years ago down yonder in the Cum
berland mountains handling timber for
that Michigan firm"
"As the children's books say" respond
ed the man of temperate will, listen,
and l will tell you story. When you
went away and left ME there alone, what
ever there was in the country that was
endurable went away, too, and l began
to take all the time at my disposal for
my drinking time. You left in October,
you remember. and at Christmas l re-
solved to celebrate my loneliness by n
drunk that would make me forget my
surroundings for three or four days at
least. My plans were carried out to the
day before Christmas and going right
ahead until Christmas night, when l got
out Of the house and started up the
mountain. All I know is that l got cut
and wandered away among the rocks and
cliffs. When / recovered consciousness,
was lying on smooth stone, and it was
dead dark around me and somewhat
warmer than when l last remembered.
7 % oft., rot
awakening, and l did not know where
was. At first I did not care, but after
awhile my thirst became so strong that
it brought me to n full sense of my stu
alton, and brought with it the purpose Of
getting something to quench that thirst.
81 thought it was the darkest night
ever saw, and when at last got TO my
feet was afraid to move lest might go
off the stone and land somewhere 1000
feet down the mountain. Then l looked
for matches and found none. AS for
stars, there wasn't Slimmer of one in
the sky, and il there was Il moon it had
retired for the night. l calculated that it
must be near daylight, and though l
could hear my watch ticking could not
see its face. Being afraid to move and
not compromising the meaning of the
thick darkness, lay down again, intend
ing to wait until daylight.
Il lay awake half dreaming for some
time, then went to sleep, and when i
awoke again several hours must have
elapsed, and it was still as dark as be-
fore. l rubbed my eyes now and getting
to my feet began cropping my way about
the stone on which l stood. 1t was evil
IDENTIFY not more than 90 feet in diameter,
for as l cautiously felt my way around
it l soon came to an edge over which !
feared ! might fall. At last, without any
apparent reasoning process, the thought
came to me with sudden and dreadful
conviction that the darkness was not the
darkness caused by the night, but that
was blind. My God" l shrieked, I am
blind and with that l threw myself
down on the hard stone and clawed at 1t
as il it were something l could get hold
of to lead me. In an instant more my
mind was as clear as if | had never
been stupefed by drink, and l sat with
my face in my hands and cried like ba
by. Then / prayed as l never prayed,
but it was such wild, tempestuous, re-
bellious prayer that it could not have
helped my cause.
"Then l sat and listened, hoping that
had been missed and that the men,
knowing my fondness for the mountain,
were searching for me. The stiffness Of
the mountain had always impressed me,
but never as it did now, when l was
sightless. tried to catch sound Of the
wind in the trees, but there was no
breeze apparently that morning, nor was
there any sunshine, for had not felt its
warmth. Four or five times shouted for
help, but I was two miles at least from
the nearest house, and if any one were
coming that way ut all it would be near
enough for me to be seen rather than
heard.
"Fear made me less impatient than
would otherwise have been, for l was
well aware that any slip off the stone
where l was meant fall of so feet at
any point and 500 on the side toward the
east, and / sat as still as / could, each
moment feeling the growing sense of fear
and utter helplcssness. For hours, il
seemed to me, l sat, afraid to move as
had moved at first, and then came a
change in my feelings. Why should l
fear to move? Why should l fear to
fall? Why should L not move and fall
and die? What good on earth was 1
without my eyes? Who would support
me? Who would want the bother of me?
Death were preferable to darkness such
as covered me then, and / would throw
myself from the rock and let my body rot
among the rocks if no one came to find
me.
"As I rose once more TO my feet l
heard sharp yelp, and the next instant
my dog was licking my hand and tum-
bling all over me in the most enthusiastic
fashion. For the moment was SO glad
to see him-I mean was so glad that he
had found me-that forgot my infliction.
But it was only for an instant. As put
out my hands to him and felt his familiar
head and furry ears knew l could never
see the old fellow again, and burst into
uncomfortable weeping. Go, go, Jack,
old man. ! said to him when could; go
quick and tell the people that am here
blind, and they must come to me. Go
quick and pushed him away. But he
would not go. On the contrary, he began
barking until the place rang with noise,
and as / tried to quiet him l heard q
shout, then another as the dog barked
more wildly than ever and then a lot of
voices. A second later the light of n
dozen lamps fell upon me coming around
the jutting rock, and 1 fell over on the
dog in dead faint.
ut was "a hours until knew any
thing and Six weeks before l recovered
from the subsequent attack of brain fc-
yer. Then they told me had wandered
that night into q cave in the mountain,
and not showing up the next day they
had gone searching for me. They were
unsuccessful the first day, but taking the
dog as an afterthought on the following
day they had hunted me out and found
me about a quarter of a mile from tie
AYES mouth, traced there by the dog.
Since that experience am pretty sure
you will understand that the liquor habit
or that which brings it to n man is not q
pleasure to me''-New York Sun.
Partly Experience.
"Do you believe in mental telepathyw
UXnS Whnn I'm lntn IN dinnnr I