The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-02-03
Tho Lawyers story.

The young men had made great prepara-
tions for their fishing trip into the Indian
Territory, and their disappointment was
deep when; on the very morning they were
to start; the; lawyer, whom they all liked,
told them he could mot so. To%make the
lame and unsatisfactory; it was evident he
had given up the trip for some reason
which he hesitated to rame. j.. { ; =, ~
AS a last resort the others went in q
body-six of them-to his Office, and de-
manded that he tell them exactly why II
had deserted, when he had been most en-
thusiastic in planning the outing. Z,
III you're really to understand it," he
said, Il shall have to begin with my own
boyhood. My father, the best father, l
think, that boy ever had, always showed
knew was somewhat different from the
love which my playmates had from their
/. parents. It was not until ] was perhaps
fourteen years Old that he told me why this
was so. -..-..,s55.. f5.;s. < - .I: Z:
Although he himself lived d most exem-
plary life his father, his fathers father
and two of his unc.es had been drunkards.
The taste for. liquor he believed to be he
reditary in our family, and in me he had
possessed ysand which had made his own
life 70 long fight against the habit, of drink.
He pointed out the danger that, iay before
me, and begged me to give him my promise
never, under any circumstances, TO touch
liquor: 1t is your only safety, The said.
Unless you make this resolution, and have
the strength to keep it, the odds viii be
fatally against you, for, like myself, you
are easily influenced by totherss! II i
thought that tomorrow. you were TO take
your first drink, ] should pray to God that
vnr, n, ioht dia fo-dav' ~ 'N't t'..sE y. 81
"Of course promised. He had never
talked to me in that way beforeya and OF
course it made an. impression ON me- !
was frightened, and for several years j
kept my promise. Then I went with some
other young fellows on an .all-day fishing
trip. While we were eating, our luncheon
one of our number, a boy whom we all adj
riired, took a bottle OF whisky from his.
pocket, Drank from it and passed it to his
next neighbor. The bottle went round,the
circle, for no one. dared refuse to follow
George Reitz's lead. When it came to me
I tried to pass it on without drinking, but
the others began to tease and ridicule me,
until from: sheer cowardice, j took the
drink. A second and third followed, and
began to realize that liked the stuff and
wanted more of it. My fathers warning
flashed across my mind:
eff you take one drink, you may be for
ever lostn
'"rhe rest of the day passed wretchedly
enough, and was glad when it was time
to start for home. When I reached the
house found that my father, whom ] had
left in good health in the morning, was
lying at the point of death. He had had
a sudden attack of heart disease: They
tod me he was very anxious. to see me
alone, and with a breaking heart l entered
his room. - - -" - =
+ "He couldnnot move and could hardly
speak, but as took his hand and bowed
my head upon it, crying, he smiled tender
ly and lovingly on me. When / grew
calmer he spoke, although the effort was
pitiful to witness: -; %i S''Ei:f ~
Be strong-mother's sake-my sake
FAs 1 bent down to kiss him he noticed
the odor of liquor in my breath! shall
never forget the look of agony, of despair,
in his eyes. j.
"'My poor-lost-boy!' he groaned, and
these were his last words. ~ y ~
"Since that day, God helping me, have
never touched a drop of liquor. But 1
know my weakness. I don't dare to ex-
pose myself to temptation, and never
knowingly 90 where liquor is to be used.
This morning. while the provision wagon
was being loaded, saw that some one had
sent along case of whisky. Forgive me,
boys; Pm not preaching nor finding fault
with you. but you see now Why T! can't go"
"You can 20 and you shall 60" spoke up
the Judge, who had provided the case of
liquor, "for the whisky is going to stay
here" So the lawyer went, and g. jolher,
healthier, happier outing none of the men
ever had.-Youth's Companion. ~