Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-05
Continued.

down into his empty glass. There
were a couple of drops in the bottom,
and he twirled them slowly around
and around.
II have been hitting it up a little
freely" he confessed with frank
self judgment. "Ill have to watch
1t. Let me see. L was lit up night
before last, wasn't II" His brow
cleared. and he laughed. THAT was
certainly some party! We started
in for little game of fan-tan, and
we ended up by serenading Sammy
country affair. We all got tea-ed
trying to spiflicate sober Sammy in
his own house!"
Then last week." gravely prompt
ed Stuart who had no smile for the
hilarious serenade, even though he
recognized the genius of Tommy
Tinkle in the background.
Last week was different" Billy
frowned, as he tossed his coat and
vest on a chair. "I was down at the
Pannard Building in the rain that
night, and got some of Mike Dowd's
good old whisky. 1 took three drinks
while 1 talked with Mike, and by
ed to want more. First time 1 ever
had that sensation; a sort of q crav-
ing. I don't like it,
The older man shuddered.
BE careful, Billy" he warned.
That's bad symptom. If that crav-
ing is ever firmly established in
man, it never quite leaves him as long
as he lives.
ut can be controlled" argued
Billy, who had no measure of this foe
because he had never, as yet, deemed
it necessary to offer any particular
resistance. Look at you. Why, you
haven't taken drink since your sec
ond night here"
Harrison Stuart drew in his breath
sharply
do you think it has cost me moth
ing?" His voice was suddenly harsh.
DO you know how many weary
hours 1 have fought, walking round
and round that table?" and he in
dicated the decanter. THE yellow
devil in that bottle calls to me in the
night, 1T drags me from sound sleep
and, before 1 am awake, I am out
here with that bottle in my hands!
l have stood there holding it for fif-
teen minutes at time, shaking from
head to foot, with the perspiration
pouring from my brow. 1 have sat
down, weak and faint and sick, from
the agony of that fight! No, don't
put it away, Billy" and his jaws
set. II have some safety in the very
fact that my enemy is visible. The
damned stuff waits for me! 1t tries
to take me unaware! 1 walk into this
room l am studying some problem
of construction. l have no thought
of whisky in my mind, no apparent
feeling for it in my body. Suddenly,
just as | pass, my eye catches the
golden CLINT of it; and then, before 1
And it is all to be done over Billy;
over and over. Why, look!", He
stopped his nervous pacing, and
pressed his hands upon his chest. "I
am Harrison Stuart! have every
thing in the world to live for! have
my work; have my reputation to re-
gain; l have my wife; l have Tavy;
and have the memory of that hor-
rlble hell to warn me! l know that
one drink of the Internal liquor will
set up in me a thirst which will not
stop until l die! I have no strength
to come back a second time. And yet,
as [ stand here this minute,I want
it," A piteous appeal rang into his
voice. "I want it," He reached out
his quivering hands toward the de-
canter. His fingers were working
convulsively, and over his counten-
ance came such terrific traces of the
bygone Bow-Wow, that Billy was hor-
ror-stricken! There was an agony of
passionate desire in his suddenly
blearing eyes, as they distended upon
the cleaning yellow contents of the
cut-glass bottle. He was bent and
crouched. and, for a moment, 1t seem
ed as II he were about to seize the
: bottle. and drain 1T to it's dregs, and
! ole! Billy hurriedly snatched up the
decanter The old mans eyes follow
ed 1t greedily, but he Strengthened,
, and, with stern struggle of his
muscles, regained control of himself.
He was deathly pale, and a cold per-
spiration stood on his forehead.
That's what it is to Gravel" His
voice was hollow and of inexpressible
mournfulness. He shook his head
Hard liquor isn't for some people.
and I'm afraid you're one of us"
Billy held out the decanter and
looked at 1t as If 1t were some new
species of bomb. He set it down slow
ly.
"If I thought it could ever get me
like that, I'd never touch it again." he
) pondered. But, Hal, 1 can't afford
to admit that there is anything in
, myself which l can not conquer and
control! To say that 1 do not dare
/ do this or that would weaken me in
, my own confidence of strength. II
l would take something from me
/ which l could never replace. n
! would rob me of one of the big things
which make me a man. If I need Ia
control this stuff, I'll control it: hui
l won't run from it,"
, Run, Billy" begged Stuart "Be
coward! ltS the braVest thing Won
can do! 1 have been thinking of all
, this with especial keenness TO-DAY
! You know, l met Miss Benning in the
office. She's a charming girl. Billy.
a delightful girl"
isn't she?" Billy's voice rang with
enthusiasm. THE best girl in the
world"
The old man smiled.
"She likes you, Billy" and he shool,
his head. II ReallV thonpb cnaa
from the viewpoint of a bystander
1 should be distressed to see Won
marry, with this tendency growing
upon you. Very few hard drinkers
are reformed by marriage. The re-
formation must como from within
themselves, or not at ALL | am taxi
ing this liberty because of my graft
tude to you, because of nv affection
for you, and because l know. as few
men are unhappy enough to know
just how tragic the consequences of
an unconquered fight against that
foe might be. My God, Billy, can't
you realize what it has brought me
to! Didn't you find me in condition
: lower than the brutes Didn't Won
discover my gentle-born family hu-
INFLATED, disgraced, and living in
poverty? Didn't you see me, to-day.
stand before my own daughter. and
not dare to say that l was her father.
, and not dare to take her in NV or,,o,