The Midwest pioneer, his ills, cures, & doctors - University Library ...

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effect, then made the wicked pupil stand on a block for
an hour at a time, pointing his finger at a certain hole in
the wall, "but this done no good." He regretted that he did
not get more severely lined out, for early discipline saved
many a man from a bad end. "The reader will discover by
this that when a child is whipped and receives not enough
to humble it, the rod does more harm than good."
By this time his mother was "kissing black betty" rather
frequently; so was vile Dick. Once when she came home
"three sheets in the wind" her husband shut the door on
her. When she broke it down with an axe, the husband got
out the shotgun. The boy grabbed at the gun, whereupon
it went off and blew a hole in the door, but stopped neither
mother nor son from drinking. "What a hard spectacle is
the drunkard" Liquor "inflames the blood; causes the eyes
to be sore; it causes dropsies, gouts, scolding wives, empty
dishes, naked children, weedy cornfields, bad fences, hollow-horned
cows, broken shins, bruised heads, black eyes,
bloody noses, empty purses and bad reputations." The only
blessing was, if one did not hug the bottle it could never
prove a Delila.
But like the old lady "who was in the habit of kissing
black betty very frequently, until she began to pat her
foot, and at last she would cry out reach me the bottle
John, for the more I drink the better I feel," Devil Dick
was a willing repeater. When about fifteen he got drunk,
went to sleep in a chestnut tree, and never knew how he
got down. Scared, he swore off, but somewhat later went
to a frolic, was tempted and succumbed, so went to an old
house to sleep under the straw. Shortly a couple came and
sat on him; "They talked and sported for some time."
After the man left, the woman became greatly frightened
when the undercover visitor was forced to crawl out.
At the time of writing his life Carter stated that he had
never been beastly drunk but three times. "The last time I
lay limber for the space of three hours without a hope
being entertained by the spectators of my recovery. But I
recovered, and then I vowed never to drink any more spir-