One Wicked Night.

Manawatu Herald, 24 February 1898, Page 2

One Wicked Night.

BY JAMBS GREENWOOD (The Amateur Casual). ■ (Continued) i "Pardon me." he said, "you i have taken up the wrong glass." 1 Whether it was or not, I can't say, but under the spall of those in- 1 fernal eyes of his we made the ex- i change, and he signed for me to c drink, and I drank.

" Now good-night," and he held out bis lean paw. But he had removed his gaze from mine, and his power over me weakened, and I struck it aside. >•• Well, it does not in the least matter- now — " and grinning again as he had grinned before, he left me. I did not feal drunk, or giddy, or drowsy. Had I, I should have suspected—especially after the exchange of glasses — that he had dropped some sort of drug into the ale, Indeed despite the absence of such symptoms, I did at first think so. A slowly operating drug, perhaps that would not take effect until I had been some minutes in the open air, when, maybe, I should fall down stupified, their being somebody on the watch to rob me. But there was no use in my going after him. Ho had done nothing of which I could accuse him or even make a complaint of. He had simply, and as he could undeniable explain, invited me to drink, and paid for my two glaaae3 of bear. As for the strangeness of bis eyes that had caused such unaccountable sensa tions to thrill through me, he may have been a mesmerist or something of the kind, and had been playing a joke on me. I mention these things, gentlemen, that you may understand that I must hava been quite sober or I could not have argued so. I may have felt a little excited, but I never before had drank two glasses of ale in such quick succession. I resolved that I would not ride home. It was a cold, clear night, and it would do me more good to walk. But I had been walking not more than five minutes when I was oonconscious of a burning thirst — a parching heat within me that rose in my throat and robbed my mouth of its proper moisture as though I had been sucking alum, accompanied with a craving for a drink. But not for water— l shuddered at the mere though of it— or for beer. I swear to you two gentlemen that up to that time 1 had never tasted spirits, and as regards the flavour of them could not have distinguished i rum from brandy. But as though I had been addicted to the last mentioned until it was impossible for me to do without, I now had an irresistible yearning for it. I tried to reason with myself on the madness of yielding to such an unnatural impulse, but the- spell I was under made me feeble and fruitless, and I entered a publio house, and, calling for sixpennyworth of brandy, swal lowed it down without the addition of a drop of water. Had I been my proper self my senses of taste and smell would have revolted against the fiery stuff. As it was I liked it. It tickled my parched palate pleasantly, and took the nauseous taste from my mouth. But that one little drop, though it was a big glassful, did nof satisfy me. It was like sipping from a jug of water when one is fainting with thirst. It seemed mere mockery to repeat the tiny dose, but I did repeat it, twice, thrice, with scarce a minute's interval between each glass They would not 9erve me with any more. What do you mean by it man ?" the landlord reniarktd, •* are you trying to make yourself mad drunk?" I was not unsteady on my lega nor did I feel elated. It was as though some imp within me was ravenous for it, and I simply poured it down my throat for him to swallow. " I got more brandy at the next house — three or four glasses, I think, and then waa refused, on which the devil that possessed me grew savage and urged me to throw a pewter measure at the barman's head, and then I fell to the ground an insensible heap and knew no more till I awoke in the middle of the night in a police-cell. Next day I was taken %efore a magistrate and sent to prison without the option of a fine. I had sent for those who were able to speak as to my character, but it had little weight against the evidence that was brought. The barman was there with his face bandaged, and it was proved, though I had not the least recollection of it, that I had used horrible and disgusting language, and I was sent to gaol for six weeks with hard labour. I knew that I was utterly and completely ruined, but neither sorrow or remorse troubled me much. Every other feeling was subservient to a passion for revenge against the villian who had put the spell on me. When I was released I made no attempt to see and explain matters to my employers. I much doubt if it would have been of any use, but I might have tried. But I gave no thought to it, or to anything else but to find my enemy. I did not mean to have any words with him if I found him, my inten tion was to kill him, nor was there any chance of my hatred for him abating, since the curse be had put on me continued. I hungered for brandy as a famished man hungers for bread. I kept my fury alive with it all the time I wa* hunting for him, and so spent all I had saved, and after that pawned or sold everything but the clothes that covered me. I was never sober, and got used to being sent for short terras to prison, md so sank and sank till I became a jrirainal a? well as a drunkard, and —well, here I am: '

11 Here you are '78," said the mild chaplain, " and cured at last, I trust, of your murderous spite ;• against a fellow creature who miy never have injured you by word or deed." " I shall commence hunting for him," said I, •• as soon as ever 'fof get out of this, " and if I meet with him I will kill him."