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Show That Old and Sad Story At the far end of the bar tliero Is a man who comes In slowly and passes his hand over his faco nervously. The bartender asks no questions, but pushes push-es out a bottle of every-day whiskey and a small Rlass of water. Tlie whiskey Roes down. A shiver follows the whiskey and a very little water follows the shiver. The man Roes out witli his arms close to his sides, tils Rate shutlllnR and Ills head haiiRhiR. It has taken him less than three minutes to buy.wwallow and pay for a liberal dose of poison. Says the bartender: "That fellow had a Rood business once. Doesn't look It, does lie? Jim over there used to work for him. lint lie couldn't let it alone." The "IT" mentioned Is whiskey. Outsido In the cold that man, who couldn't let it alone, is shulllinR Ills way aRainst the bitter wind. And even in his poor sodden brain reform and wisdom are striving to be heatd. Ills soul and body arc sunk: far below par. His vitality is gone, never to return. re-turn. The whiskey, with Its shiver that tells of a shock to his heart, lifts him up for a second. He lias a false strength of mind and brain, and that strength is used to mumble good resolutions. He thinks he will stop drinking. He thinks he could easily get money backing back-ing If ho gave up drinking for good. He feels and really believes that lie will stop drinking. Perhaps lie goes home, and for the hundredth time makes a poor woman believe him, and makes her weep once more for joy, as sho has wept many times forsony. Hut tho bartender knows that that man's day has gone, and that Niagara river could turnback as easily as he could remount the swift stream that Is sweeping him to destruction. |