The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1920-06-17
Twenty Years a Bartender


was much shorter period. That was
because the higher percentage of alcO-
hol in whiskey let man reach this
stage in one-sixth OF the time he could
reach it in drinking beer. If you caught
a whiskey -drinker in that brief period
of desire to show off his good will
he opened his purse wide. After that,
all depending on the individual, he
became belligerent or oblivious.
There was no such thing as Il mod
crate drinker." Month by month, year
by year, man took more and more
The small amount of alcohol which
first satisfied him no longer came to
satisfy him, and so he drank more
heavily.
have seen "bo0ze affect so many
people in SO many different ways that
l am convinced it is impossible to lay
down any hard and fast statements
concerning it. Booze is erratic. recall
a man who one day put down six cock
tails without batting an eye and was
as sober as judge. Two days later
saw that same man begin to glow with
intoxicat;on from just two highballs
made of ginger ale and rye whiskey. He
was going to get drunk because whis-
key affected him differently than gin.
1t has been my observation that
young men are harder drinkers than
middle aged men; and know that this
also does not tally with general opin-
ion. Perhaps this is because young men
have keener imaginations. The booze
stirred them and started rosy and
pleasant dreams. have seen young
| men, not thirty, stand up at the bar
| and, after slowing away highballs ut
rate that would shock seasoned
drinker, unloosen their tongues, telling
| in voices heard over the whole barroonl
| the wonderful deals" which they
| were going to put through. 1t has been
| my notice that younger men We're par.
ticularly anxious to have themselves
thought important and SO. when they
We're drinking, let their tongues wag
There is one thing. though, about the
/ ideas which came when a man was
drinking-some of them were inclined
to be a little shady. l have heard men,
whom knew would never be in a
crooked deal, after getting some high
balls under their belts. outline to Their
companions some of the rawest deals
1 guess booze did make some people
think crooked. And know thistle
] fellow who was drinking heavily ali
the time. got to be one awful liar.
don't understand this, but | know it is
true. / know of young fellow who
made a lot of money suddenly and tool
/ to running too fast. They used to cal
| him one square guy To-day nobody
/ would believe that man under oath. HI
became such a liar that he couldn't tel
the truth to save his soul, even on the
most unimpOrtant and trivial things
Booze did that to him.
There was one kind of drinker
never could stand and every time hi
lined up at the bar, felt like climbin:
over and throwing him out. He wa.
the fellow that booze made a fool
the man who, when he got a few drinks
became wise guy" and knocked
everybody. always heard this kint
of fellow telling how good he was ant
sneering at everybody else.
| Then there was that man arount
fifty who soaked up booze and Wen
along the bar repeating one sentenc'
to everybody. and asking everybody tt
have drink with him. A few night
| after the arnlistice was signed. ther,
| came to the bar the advertising man
ager of well-known periodical. HI
was that kind. All he did for a sole
hour was to drink and tell everybod.
who would-or would not-listen t
| him, Yankee Bull and Johnnie Bull
| rule the world. Fine! Have drinl
with me- Old England and New Eng
i land. "
1 l never heard young men get Oh
single track thought like that whel
they were full. Young mems thought
ran in all directions when they wer
drinking.
! And the funny part about it all wa
that could never tell whether booz
was going to make man do somethin
wrong or not. OF course in Il BrOadwa
bar all sorts of people came in. On
night. for the fun of it. ! listened t
the talk Of couple Of gamblers wit
two business men. They were drinkin
lot. The talk at first was very forma
The gamblers were bent on g maxim
good impression" Drink by drin
their talk got loose. inexact: then thei
pronunciation got mixed up: and thei
speech became thick. At last they fe
back upon few expressions like. T.
tell the world 49, You said sOmetllin:
Sammy "-'s You bet, Joe" Then afte
that, they began to be uncertain 0
, their feet
That set me thinking. l guess til
booze hit fellows brain-the wa
!, those gamblers got tied up in their tall
After that, it got at your body-tll
! way those gamblers became unstead
: on their feet. I got that bunch on I'll
. booze. that 1t worked from the he:l
= down to the feet, and started to waite
= people to see how the idea checked on
| / was surprised to find how after
i drink or so a mans talk brightene
!. And l said to myself, How does til,
/, come? 1t must be the effect Of Il
t booze on the BRAIN" remember whe
t was a youngster at school how the
7 used to tell us that the brain was
I | nrptfv delicate thing r. III good