MARK TWAIN

it comes about in a natural way, and happens just as it
would happen in actual life.

Swore off from profanity early this morning. I was on
deck in the peaceful dawn, the calm and holy dawn.
Went down dressed, bathed, put on white linen, shaved—
a long, hot, troublesome job, and no profanity. Then
started to breakfast. Remembered my tonic—first time in
three months without being told—poured it in a meas-
uring-glass, held bottle in one hand, it in the other, the
cork in my teeth—reached up and got a tumbler—
measuring-glass sprang out of my fingers—got it, poured
out another dose, first setting the tumbler on washstand
—just got it poured, ship lurched, heard a crash behind
me—it was tie tumbler, broken into millions of frag-
ments, but the bottom hunk whole—picked it up to throw
out of the open port, threw out the measuring-glass in-
stead—then I released my voice. Mrs. C. behind me in
the door: "Don't reform Any more, it isn't any improve-

To the smoking-room—an interminable trip through a
dark tunnel to the second saloon—a lady showed me the
way—up two flights along canvas-roofed deck, a dart
across the bridge, a spring through a ray of rain for the
smoking-room door—made it without catching a drop—
slipped on a grating and fell sprawling on the swimming
deck—the reform interrupted again.

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