Two delegates to the General Convocation of the Sons of Ice Water were
sitting in the lobby of the Windsor, in the city of Denver, not long
ago, strangers to each other and to everybody else. One came from
Huerferno county, and the other was a delegate from the Ice Water
Encampment of Correjos county.
From the beautiful billiard hall came the sharp rattle of ivory balls,
and in the bar-room there was a glitter of electric light, cut glass,
and French plate mirrors. Out of the door came the merry laughter of the
giddy throng, flavored with fragrant Havana smoke and the delicate odor
of lemon and mirth and pine apple and cognac.
The delegate from Correjos felt lonely, and he turned to the Ice Water
representative from Huerferno:
"That was a bold and fearless speech you made this afternoon on the
demon rum at the convocation."
"Think so?" said the sad Huerferno man.
"Yes, you entered into the description of rum's maniac till I could
almost see the redeyed centipedes and tropical hornets in the air. How
could you describe the jimjams so graphically?"
"Well, you see, I'm a reformed drunkard. Only a little while ago I was
in the gutter."
"So was I."
"How long ago?"
"Week ago day after to-morrow."
"Next Tuesday it'll be a week since I quit."
"Well, I swan!"
"Ain't it funny?"
"Tolerable."
*****
"It's going to be a long, cold winter; don't you think so?"
"Yes, I dread it a good deal."
* * * * *
"It's a comfort, though, to know that you never will touch rum again."
"Yes, I am glad in my heart to-night that I am free from it. I shall
never touch rum again."
When he said this he looked up at the other delegate, and they looked
into each other's eyes earnestly, as though each would read the other's
soul. Then the Huerferno man said: "In fact, I never did care much for
rum."
Then there was a long pause.
Finally the Correjos man ventured: "Do you have to use an antidote to
cure the thirst?"
"Yes, I've had to rely on that a good deal at first. Probably this vain
yearning that I now feel in the pit of my bosom will disappear after
awhile."
"Have you got any antidote with you?"
"Yes, I've got some up in 232 1/2. If you'll come up I'll give you a
dose."
"There's no rum in it, is there?"
"No."
Then they went up the elevator. They did not get down to breakfast, but
at dinner they stole in. The man from Huerferno dodged nervously through
the archway leading to the dining-room as though he had his doubts about
getting through so small a space with his augmented head, and the man
from Correjos looked like one who had wept his eyes almost blind over
the woe that rum has wrought in our fair land.
When the waiter asked the delegate from Correjos for his desert order,
the red-nosed Son of Ice Water said: "Bring me a cup of tea, some
pudding without wine sauce, and a piece of mince pie. You may also bring
me a Cork screw, if you please, to pull the brandy out of the mince pie
with."
Then the two reformed drunkards looked at each other, and laughed a
hoarse, bitter and joyous laugh.
At the afternoon session of the Sons of Ice Water, the Huerferno
delegate couldn't get his regalia over his head.
[Illustration: 0073]