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Show !l Snakebites itevensons t J II K I r "tory of the Man ift ail engaged 9 wmi a Thirt. 7 The nomination of Adlai El Steven-con Steven-con for the vice-presidency by the democratic party recalled to the members mem-bers of .the Iowa State Bat association )who were present at the banquet given . In Sioux City, la.; July 12. 1899, a story told by Mr. Steven3on at that "banquet He happened to be a guest in Sioux City at the time, a' the home of his sister, Mrs. E. S. Wwaughey. Mr. Stevenson was quit the lion at the feast, at which no wine was served, and when he was called upon by James O. Crosby, of Garnavillo, la., president of the association and toast-master toast-master for the occasion, he arose and remarked that, Inasmuch as he was not prepared to make a speech he would tell a story. The story was about a man who vent to a small prohibition town in the state of Maine, and while there was seized with ' great, abiding thirst for whisky. There being no saloons, be tried a drug store. There he was -told he could get whisky only on the JW crlpttoc oS a physician. He called upon a doctor, who refused to give him a prescription because he could find nothing about his constitution that was wrong. "Well, what am I going to' do about it, doc?" inquired the thirsty man in tones of desperation. He would have been willing to contract con-tract the small-pox for the taste of a bit of hot stuff at just that moment The doctor was a good natured sort of a fellow, and In a wise sort of tone he dropped the suggestion that there was a nest. of snakes not more than a mile and a half from town. If he could manage to get bit by a snake he would have to have whisky as an antidote, an-tidote, and the doctor would make out the prescription. The man with a thirst was overjoyed, and started off to the snake cave. An hour and a half later he returned, tired, dusty and disconsolate. disconso-late. "Well, did you do as I told you?" inquired the doctor. "My dear sir," replied the man with the thirst, "I called on the snakes, but discovered that every one of them haf their bites engaged for six months ahead. I quit" |