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Show 11 I 81 Liquc r - We K.noto it JSfot in These I ; . I H Careless Days. If 1 fit ! Uncovering his white locks to the breeze that )1 m I swept across the suavely-lighted terrace that I J K overlooked Fifth avenue, Col. Carter fondled ten- H 1 ? derly his long, luxurious imperial, and in the B f r 9 -( 3ft' low tones that lmYe endeared hlm to his H I V l ' friends, and that have led into foolish errors of I r j Judgment his enemies, wandered into the shady HI j h j ! lanes of the past anent cTrinking customs. HI ; f1 ; "This here matter of imbibing liquor has al- if i f ways been of great interest to me," murmured t the colonel in the low, smooth drawl that is so I ' ' much a part of him. "In my younger days they ordered affairs better than in these days. I have f ' x no cynical assegais to launch at these times. They I had to develop into what they are. The Malthu- B 1 1 sian theory accounts for much that would appear H U L to one who judged hastily. With a vast increase B Jj j i1 in population great changes had to come. We are B ' ' ! crowding closer to each other constantly, and Bj ! ; must necessarily lose much of the charming ex- B )S : clusiveness that was the. distinguishing feature Bi L p ' i of the olden days. H; 'jf THE MATTER OP SELECTING A WIFE. B j "In those days a man chose a wife as care- B ff Cully as a stable owner picks a horse in these B ' , days. He knew her years before he married her. B )' , He probably Visited at her house, being chums B fc j with her brothers and was probably a second or B f f; j ! third cousin. There are more Carter Fairfaxes B h I j p and Fairfax Carters in Virginia than you can M i ! shake a stick at. They are all cousins. B j i it "There weie no scandals in those days; no di- B . f i i vorces as in these times. The home was a tem- B I1 I i pie and it was about all a man lived for. He B Ij i( ; might lose his money at poker or on the races, B I .j j I or in some like gentlemanly diversion, but these H Mj pleasures were always side issues, with him, and B , not as at present the main occupation of many H !if !J estimable persons. B j; LIQUOR OF THE OLDEN TIMES. . B I y t "All of which leads gently, sir, to the discus H ! ' I j sion of the liquor of those olden times. B jU I "In those days, the first serious effort of a B. U' gentleman after marrying and establishing him- jB ljf, , self and wife in their home, was to properly H ll' ' 'stock his cellar. j 5M I "In those days this was a matter to be under- Hj i j taken after grave study and consideration. Ever H t,,' cellar possessed an individuality of its own. Very H I1 1 J .frequently a man inherited certain famous wins H iUj ; that had been in the cellars of his father or of a Hl f 8 loving uncle. In this case he had a good stacc in B If f ' f life. If he had to establish his own cellar it was H J j j 'usually the . work of a lifetime, and many men HB j I ' i ' 'died with this labor of love still incomplete. BH j, "It is for this reason that I sorrow in these H f Mi j ! - days when one liquor is sq like unto another a-j to H '' Jf I f "be indistinguishable. All is equally bad, howover H f ,' 'I'j "Men buy their wines as they buy breakfast' H j m, Coods or shoe laces, and the art of drinking is fall H 4 j ; lng into decay.,-Drinking in a public restaurant, H fl ; even of the highest class, to a man bred to a respect for an aged and famous vintage, ib de grading mentally and destructive physically. "Often have I ridden forty miles to spend aii hour over a glass of port. In those days even the small boys knew their wines. I well remember remem-ber sitting at the table of Col. Carroll one evening. Little George, just 7, had been brought to the table, and his grandfather carefully poured out a glass of the port which had made the name of the family respected and honored wherever it was known. Critically the lad tasted it. WHAT A CATASTROPHE! " 'Corked!' he ciied. "I will never forget that moment, sir. Col. Carroll turned white as a sheet, sir. He took the glass from the lad's hand, his own trembling-as trembling-as though palsied. " 'True,'-he said. "We all tasted it. It was only too true. The bottle was ruined. There was the distinct flavor of the cork in it. "Other bottles were sent and proved perfect in flavor. The terror that smote th,e family was causelesb. Only the one bottle had been injured. The reputation of the cellar was safe. "The pride of Col. Carroll in little George was touching to see, however. He patted the lad tenderly on the head and let liim sit with us for an hour or more. George grew up to bo a great man. "Well known also is the story of how Senator , Joe Blackburn nad Phil Thompson sampled the Bourbon whisky of Governor Proctor Knott. ITS FLAVOR WAS EXCELLENT. "Proctor had just received a barrel of the whisky. It was made the year the Dred Scott decision was rendered, and was sent to Proctor on the 20th of June, 1857. It was rather young whisky, but was said to have an excellent flavor. "Thompson tasted his carefully, and looked at Senator Joe with a look of horror in his eye. "'Theie's a taste of iion in that liquor. Senator,' Sen-ator,' he said. "'True, tiue Phil,' he said, 'and also just a faint trace of a taste of leather.' " "They say Proctor Knott looked like a man about to be shot. He was pale, but brave. " 'It is impossible for me to understand how this happened,' he said, as he stood there before them, cool and calm, but suffering. You evidently evi-dently have discovered something that has been kept from me. You are the first to taste this liquor since it came here. I have refrained myself.' my-self.' "They sent for the barrel and carefully decanted decant-ed it. There in the bottom, sir, was a furniture tack. One of these little iron nails with a ruffle of leather about the head. "Ah, those were days when there was real Hquor, sir, liquor a man might be proud of. It isn't so in these days when all liquor is just alike 1 and alL equally commonplace and poor in flavor, i "I have often wondered," continued tho Colonel, sadly, "what will bo the drink o the future. |