"Well," I said, "I should like to ask you a question, if you won't be
angry."
"Well, what is it?"
"I am told that God has blessed you above all men in this part of the
country; that he has given you wealth, a beautiful Christian wife, and
seven lovely children. I do not know whether it is true, but I hear that
all he gets in return is cursing and blasphemy."
He said, "Come in, come in." I went in. "Now," he said, "what you said out
there is true. If any man has a fine wife, I am the man, and I have a
lovely family of children, and God has been good to me. But, do you know,
we had company here the other night, and I cursed my wife at the table, and
did not know it till after the company was gone. I never felt so mean and
contemptible in my life as when my wife told me of it. She said she wanted
the floor to open and let her down out of her seat. If I have tried once, I
have tried a hundred times to stop swearing. You preachers don't know
anything about it."
"Yes," I said, "I know all about it; I have been a traveler."
"But," he said, "you don't know anything about a business man's troubles.
When he is harassed and tormented the whole time, he can't help swearing."
"O, yes," I said, "he can. I know something about it. I myself used to
swear."
"What! you used to swear?" he asked. "How did you stop?"
"I never stopped."
"Why, you don't swear now, do you?"
"No, I have not sworn for years."
"How did you stop?"
"I never stopped. It stopped itself."