The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-07-31
Hanks Last
Drink
How ar HabituaI TippIer
Lost Ills Appetite.
BY ALEXANDER HULL.

had never really supposed that a
confirmed drunkard could reform, al
least not without some almost cata-
clysmic revolution in his life. So when
about three days after my return to
GAINESVILLE. ! encountered Hank Jones
at the door of the First National bank
with book of deposit In his hand,
well dressed and sober, was aston
the Hank Of three years before, the
thing seemed quite impossible.
When l returned home In the after
noon l spoke to my brother Beverly
about 1t.
He began to laugh.
do you mean to say you haven't
heard how Hank reformedw ! shook
my head. ,..
why, it was even In the papers, !"
he said.
protested my ignorance, and then
the story came out.
AS l said. Hank was really con-
firmed topper. Good natured. though,
and likable-humorous even when he
was at his worst. Perhaps that ex-
planned why, in spite OF his failing.
every one in town was his friend. OF
course the Joneses were poor. They
couldn't help being under the circum-
stances When left town Hank was
out of a job again too. That wasn't
anything odd. though. for he was al
ways just out of job or just on a
new one. Every one wanted to help
him, and he'd get new place without
much difficulty after he'd promised
very faithfully to let up on the drink
ing. So he'd start in again.
Well. as l said. Hank was out of
job again. People were pretty we'll
worn out with reforming him, and he
had some trouble getting a new one.
After awhile he got sort of desperate,
I guess. He tried nearly every one in
town. He swore he'd learned his les.
son. 1T didn't pay"
But they had tried him, and they had
seen. and after all that time even some
of the slowest ones had tumbled to the
fact that Hank simply couldn't reform.
Things got pretty low with the Joneses
Mrs. Jones had been doing washing for
a long time in between jobs. and she
took it up again now. And then she
got sick and had to give that up.
They were all mighty sorry for Mrs.
Jones, though. laid up that way and
nothing coming in. The worst of it
was that you couldn't offer them any
thing but a job without hurting their
feelings, and you couldn't give Hank a
job without the risk of running your
own business.
He had been sober now for nearly
three weeks. There was good reason
for that. He hadn't any money to get
drunk on. He was looking very much
worried too. Parson Weeks found him
down behind the city lumber yards one
day. sitting on a pile of boards and
scratching his head disconsolately.
"Parson." said Hank, do you sup
pose man that's backslid as many
times as l have stands much of 9
chance with the Lord any more?'
i The parson was sure that he did.
WELL said Hank, you know the
longest time I ever stayed sober was
when l got religion last spring. An
I've been thinkin' it over some, an l
believe ! wouldn't have backslid that
time if it hadn't "a been for that Lem
HigginsOn. an you know LENS left
town for this summer. So I've got a
notion to come down to the revival to.
night an get religion again"-he looked
questioningly at the parson-"that is"
he concluded. IF you think I've got
any show any more"
The parson. to be sure. was some.
what taken aback by this cold blooded
proposal of swallowing another dose of
religion as you would cup Of Mrs.
Weeks boneset tea. but Hank was sc
palpably in earnest that. as he said,
he hadn't the heart to discourage him.
No one had. That was the trouble
with fellow like Hank.
Well, he did 60 down to services that
night. and. furthermore. as he predict
ed. he got religion. Hank said he felt
"just like a new man-all his sinful ap-
petites left behind him once more and
his face set toward the rising sun of
hope and prosperity" That's what
Hank said. But I understand that
ParsOn Weeks and the evangelist haG
little conversation of a very different
character about him that night after
the meeting. You See they'd both
been in the business long enough to
know that the easier a man is convert
ted the harder it is to keep him that
way. However. that confession did
lots for Hank with the general public
Everybody's hope came up again on
the bound. and on the strength of it
Silas Barker. the station agent. hired
Hank as helper around the s. and A.
T. depot.
Everything went well. | guess. for
Eve or six weeks. and Mrs. Jones got
better. and Hank went around as hap
py as June bride and as regular as a
clock at church and prayer meeting.
Then one morning he lurched into
the station office from the freight
room with most suspicious unsteadi-
ness of gait and conspicuous uncer-
tainty of speech. Barker groaned.
He knew it was all off again. Poor
Mrs Jones-yes. and poor Hank too!
He gave him terrific scolding. but