The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-10-02
REFORMINGOF TAM MAS
By ALBERT LOUIS WOOD.


who worked under me when was pit
boss in the Black Diamond mine, as
tar as | can remember, Tammas Sar-
gent was the only total abstainer.
One afternoon a prematurely fired
shot projected ton Of coal. more or
less, in Tammas' direction. distribut-
ing ii somewhat impartially over vari-
Gus portions of his anatomy AS was
my custom when any of the men was
hurt. l made it a point to drop in on
him for few minutes every day.
The doctor says" he volunteered
to me On one such occasion. that ma
pure blood an guild habits be better
than his physic. That's win O. the
dummy
The dummy Tammas, and what
may that be?' | queried
I've never told a soul. But I'll gle
it to you in confidence. It's the story
of ma reformation. Time was when
| drank with the best or, mayhap. the
worst O them.
Them days David Stephens and me
was fast cronies. One night l had ma
been feelin' weel the day, David comes
TO me, as usual to go to the tavern
for few drains. Come to the tavern,
David says. Perhaps, as you're not
feelln' over weel, bit O. brandy
would be better than ordinar' speerit,
Tammas.' So l cad for the brandy
an feelin' some better after the first
one. | kept calm. Now, bein' sick
like at the start, and the brandy bein'
strong and unqualified. it soon went
to ma held. By an by David said
summat not to my likin', an l took ex-
ceptions to it. To max a long story
short, we soon parted in anger.
Il declare l never felt so strange
afore nor since as | did when | got
the air that night. The sense of direc-
ton left me an | lost ma way in a
place l could ha' mapped out in my
sleep. l walked and walked till | was
fair knocked up. o, it was a peetiful
condition.!
At last my pins gied out beneath
me. l sunk down in a stupor. 1t must
a been two o'clock when l awoke,
awoke, doused wi dew, stiff an cauld
My senses were still befuddled, but
not so bad as before | was lynn in a
ravine near where Hallen's street
sewer empties into Williams creek.
My first feelin's was of anger with
myself and David. With myself for
f. bein' such beast. an with David for
over persuadin' me to drink with i'm
AS | rubbed ma eyes, tryin' to get
the cobwebs out @ them, 1 caught
sight O some one !vin' on the groom
near by. Lookin' close, | saw twas
David. Here, says /, be you followin'
me, mon?' There was no answer
'Haud up yer held an be ceevil, else
I'll haste tina snoot, mon,' | said. Still
no answer. III max thee talk
yelled, an just then ma han touched
a bit stone. In my anger ! heaved
it at i'm and it struck full on his held
There was still no SCUM from Da
vid. | rose up and staggered over
to m. l put my and on i'm. David
was cold as deith.
That seemed to sober me- Ma held
cleared up. The 'orrible truth came
to me. l 'ad murdered ma best friend
in cold blood. l could ma bide the
place. but turned an ran as fast as
! could toward whoam. Once there,
went to ma room and fell on the bed
When daylight come. l thought ev
| cry footstep was the constable comm
! to ale to Jail. On a sudden there was
knock on the door an David en-
! tered.
Il was never a believer in ghosts
! but at that moment my views changed
! All the buried superstitions O. my an
! cestors was resurrected. David
! gasped, 'ow came you 'ere?'
David took ma and. l shuddered
But twas with relief to find it warm
| an 'uman, instead O. clammy an
/ ghostlike. 'Forgi'e me, auld mon,' he
said, 1 was in the wrong last night.
THANK God, you're alive, David,
says l, I might "a killed you in the
drink
mo fear you'd hurt a friend, drunk
or SOBER he says.
but did ma the stone hurt you
DAVID l speired.
+ He looked at me dumfounded an
| edged away. 'Tammas, you're sick an
out O. your head. I'll get DOCTOR hs
says
ma, ma, none O. that, says l.
"'Tammas,' he says again, twas al
i'll trick | had played on me last night
| You'll min ii was Allow Zen. | lief
ma door unlocked an the boys go
into my room, took ma best rig. hat
shoon an all, then got a dummy from
! Myers store an rugged it out in al
ma finery. Then they parsded through
toon wi Meester Stephens, as the!
cad it, They left a. note sayin
would get ma buds by calm at :hs
back door O. the Hallen street sewer
Come, Tammas. an ha' drink or so
"'Na, ma, David says l. In