The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-09-02
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The Rubaiyat
Of a Scotch
Highban'
Copyright. 1890. BY Doubleday. Page
Co: pabIishea by special ar
vasccmenf with the Wheeler Syn
dicafe. Inc.
This documen, il intended 20 strike
somewhere between temperance
lecture and the ~Bartender's Guide"
Relative TO the latter. drink shall
swell the theme and be set forth In
abundance. Agrceahly to the former.
|. not an elbow shall be crooked.
- Bob Babbitt was ''off the stuff"
3hich means--as yoa win discover
~'by referring to the unabridged die
sionary Of Bohemia--that he had
s'cut out the booze:" that he was ION
the waserwagon- The reason for
Boo's sudden attitude OF hostility
toward the demon rim"--as the
white ribboners miscali whisky ,see
the -Bartensier's Gulde-1. should be
Of interest 10 reformers and saloon
keepers.
There Il always hope for n man
Who. when sober. will not coneede or
hcknowledge that he was ever drunk.
nut when . man win say lin the apt
= beautiful skate on Last night" you
win hare 10 put stuff In his coffce.as
nvsll - pray for him.
One evening on the way home Rab
lit dropped in at the Broadway bar
THAT he liked best. Always there
Werc three or four fellows there from
sdowntown offices that he knew. And
fthen there would be highballs and
stories. and he would hurry home to
.iinner a little late but feeling good.
and little sorry for the poor stand
sard OIL Company. on this evening
as he entered he heard some one say:
s~Babbstt was in last night as fun as
= boiled owl"
~ Babbitt walked to the bar. and saw
n the mirror that his face was as
thitc AZ chalk. For the first time
ne had looked truth In the eyes.
Dthers had lied to him; he had dis
.eembied with himself. He was a
sdrunkard, and had not known II.
- = -
pheasant exhiiaration had been maud
hin infoxication. His fancied wit had
been driveI: his gay humors nothing
fbut the noisy vagaries of a sot But.
never again.
"A glass Of seitzer." he said to the
Bartender.
A little silence fell upon the group
Df his cronies. who had been expect
ang him to join them.
Going off the stuff. Bob7- one OF
ythern asked politely and with more
iformality than the highbails ever
scaiied forth.
yes" said Babbitt.
Some one OF the group took up the
punwashed thread Of story he had
Ibeen telling; the bartender showed
lover a dime and a nickel change
from the quarter. ungarnished with
his customary smile. and Babbitt
walked out.
Now. Babbitt had home and a
wife--but that IL another story. And
] will tell you that story. which will
show you better habit and a worse
story than you could find In the man
who invented the phrase.
1t began away up In Sullivan
County. where 40 many rivers and 20
much trouble begins-or begin: Row
would you say that? II was July.
and Jessie was summer boarder Mt
Sfbe Mountain Squint Hotel and Bob.
{ho was just out Of college. saw her
1Dne day--and they were married In
September. That's the tabloid novel
--one swallow OF wateroand it's gone.
But those July days.~
Let the exclamation point expound
IT, for ! shall not. For particulars
you might read up on Romeo and
Juliet" and Abraham Llncoln's
thrilling sonnet about "You can fool
some Of the people" &c, and Oar.
wins works.
But one thing | must tell you
about. Both OF them were mad over
Omar's Rubaiyat. They knew every
verse OF the old buffer by heart
not consecutiveiy, but picking 'em
out here and there az you fork the
mushrooms in a 50.cent steak Ia
BordeIaise. Sullivan County is fun
OF rocks and trees; and Jessie used
20 sit on them. aDd-please be good
used to sit on the rocks; and Bob
had way Of standing behind her
with his hands over her shoulders
holding her hands, and his face close
70 hers, and they would repeat over
ana over their favoritc verses Of the
old tent.maker. They saw only the
poetry and philosophy OF the lines
then--indeed, they agreed that the
wine was only an image. and that
what was meant TO be celebrated
was divinity. or maybe love or life.
However. at that time neither OF
!. them had tasted the stuff that goes
With Gs.cent table d'hotc.
where WAS /? Oh. they married
and came to New York. Bob showed
fifs college diploma and accepted "A
position filling inkstands In a law.
yer's office at SIS week. At the
er..r,. A.. paoa Z (nltsruu a