Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-06
HIS FIRST AND LAST DRINK.
A Hayfield Story of the Good Old
Times in Winslow.

A gentleman, G2 years old, stood at
the corner of Main and Common |
streets yesterday afternoon ana
watched another individual, very much |
under the influence of liquor, proceed
m Main street. Turning to COM
panion, the gentleman asked:
Ibid you ever get drunk"
The companion began to shift about.
look askance, half close his eyes, then
with a mighty effort began:
"No. That is, you see. hardly that,
but l have once or twice got where
ION that's all right" broke in the
gentleman first mentioned. Don't go
into the details of several occasions
Everybody gets drunk-that is, nearly
everybody, at some time or other IN
their lives, become more or less under
the influence of liquor. Compared
with those who do they are very few
who don't. But that fellow. stagger-
ing I'D the street, reminds me of my
first, last and only drunk. And was
drunk. Not intoxicated, just simply
and unquaifiedly drunk. So drunk IN
fact and so sick afterwards that L
wish every young man or boy VINO De-
gins to drink would have the same eX-
pericnce ] had"
"Fjrst. last and only, eh?" queried
the companion.
"Thats the size of it," returned the
gentleman. "You see it was about
this way. When 1. was seven years
old-that's So years ago-I tackled the
New England rum and molasses th;tt
nv father furnished the haymakers on
his farm that year. He had provided
the same refreshments for many years
before and great many afterward,
for that matter. My father was one
of the best known farmers in the town
of Winslow, across the river. He was
a temperance man himself as far rs
using liquor was concerned but IN
those days the haymakers every year
demanded rum and molasses or brown
sugar from which to take an OCCASION
al nip, during the haying season. MY
| mother was always dead set against
| the use Of liquor in the bayfield, put
| the lawmakers never became lntoXi-
| Gated They never drank to excess
| while working for my father. Father
had one field OF so acres in the center
of which grew a great oak tree He
| filled the two gallon jug every morn
| ing from the half barrel he had placed
| in the cellar, and this, with a pail OF
brown sugar or a jug of molasses. he
placed i'm the shade of the old oak
tree The haymakcrs after several
trips around the lot would go to the
tree and fix their drinks. One day |
was at the tree with the crew. My
Ifather and mother were both present.
After the haymakcrs had satisfied their
thirst / picked up glass after glass i'll
which remained Il few grains of Suga r
Thoroughly saturated. with rum AM
with the spoon began having feast Of
my own. My mother noticed this and
told my father to stop me. Father
gave che look at me and then asked:
| "'IIave some of the real stuff, son >
1t may do you good
"Stoutly did my mother protest but
to no avail as far as father was con-
ccrned. He said l should have all
wanted and he poured the tumblcr
nearly two-thirds full of rum which he
mixed with several spoons of sugar.
INV mother was Disguised and went az
once to the house. I felt pretty big
tell YOU. drinking my first rum with
NV fathers consent and laughed a.
mother almost ran to the house. When
7 had taken the whole Of the mixture
father started off toward the crew say
ing 1 might take some more If cared
TO do so. There was fatality in the
consent of my father and before he
had heen absent ten minutes had
mixed drink myself. Then I lay
! down in the shade and began to pom
dor of NV higness. was but seven
wears old. as have said and OF course
tho RIM, took effect quickly. While
: was LAYING there on the stubble. the
: prcurd began to move and try to wraT
: iteaIf around me. l reached out my
hands in an attempt to push it back
| Int tho ground receded and I rnult
| not reach down to 1t. / began to fee
the earth dropping away from me and
felt myself Nhirling through space un.
1 able TO clutch at anything. Then
:. yelled for father and he and the whole
crew, came rushing toward me. Thu
: lawmakers didn't know what was tn,
t matter with me but father did. HI
grabbed me in his arms and carried MI
to the house where mother looked af
n ter me. Never mind what happened
: There never was a boy more sick TO
the next three days and for the mex
three weeks / was obliged to carr,
$ ME head about SO or the earth woul
/. act bad. The liquor Of all kinds tina