Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-07-04
The Lawyers story.

ihro Tue ihuiau lerrltory, anu tneir
disappointment was deep when, on
the very morning they were to start,
the lawyer whom they all liked told
them he could not go. To make the
matter worse, his explanations were
very lame and unsatisfactory. 1t
was evident that he had given up the
trip for some reason which he hesi-
tated to name.
As last resort the others went in
a body--six of them--to his Office,
and demanded that he tell them ex-
actly why he had deserted, when he
had been most enthusiastic in plan
ming the outing.
eff you're really to understand it"
he said, 81 have to begin with my
own boyhood. My father-the best
father, I think, that boy ever had
always showed me a tenderness
which, even as a child, ] knew was
somehow different from the love
which my playmates had from their
parents. 1t was not until / was per-
haps fourteen years old that he told
me why this was so.
"Although he himself lived most
exemplary life, his father, his fathers
father and two of his nncles had been
drunkards. The taste of liquor he
believed to be hereditary in our fam
lily, and in me he had recognized
many traits he himself possessed,
and which he had made his own life
long fight against the habit of
drink. He pointed out the danger
that lay before me, and begged me
to give him my promise never under
any circumstances to touch liquor.
lit is your safety he said. UNLESS
you make this resolution, and have
the strength to keep it, the odds will
be fatally against you; like myself,
you are easily influenced by others.
If / thought that to. morrow you
were to take your first drink 1 should
pray to God that you might die to-
day.
"Of course l promised. He had
had never talked to me in that way
before, and, of course, it made an i'm
preston on me. / was frightened,
and for several years 1 kept my
promise. Then / went with some
fellows on an all-day fishing trip.
While we were eating our luncheon
one of our number, boy whom we
all admired, took bottle of whiskey
from his pocket, drank from it and
passed it to his next neighbor The
bottle went round the circle, for no
one dared to refuse to follow George
Reitz's lead. When it came to me
tried to pass it on without drinking,
but the others began to tease and
ridicule me, until, from sheer cow
ardice, ! 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:
"'If you take one drink you may
be forever lost
"The rest of the day passed
wretchedly enough, and / was glad
when it was time to start for home.
When 1 reached the house 1 found
that my father, whom had left in
good health in the morning, was
lying at the point of death. He had
had sudden attack of heart disease.
They told me he was anxious to see
me alone, and with a breaking heart,
| entered the room. He could not
move and could hardly speak, but as
l took his hand and bowed my head
upon it, crying, he smiled ten
derly and lovingly on me. When l
grew calmer he spoke, although the
effort was painful to witness:
"'Be strong-mother's sake-my
sake--kiss me-
GAS / bent down to kiss him he
noticed the odor of liquor on my
breath. / shall never forget the
look of agony and despair in his
eyes.
"My poor, lost, boy = he groaned /;
and these were his last words.