The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-09-19
rnE CmuLD.s INrIUKxCE.


aThere il whisky Bill who used 70
drive the old white horse In front Of q
2ocent wagon" repeated the man in
tones Of surprise.
isYesf
well, now, les curious case" he
slowly continued. 1--WE all thought he
had gone 70 the dogs, for surs, for be
was drinking pint Of whisky day,
but fow months ago he braced right
", stopped drinking, and now I hear
he's IN good business and saving mon.
~. Il beats al, for the last time / saw
him he was half under ground"
When you 60 home at night and
lind that all Is well with your own heah
and blood, do you go to sleep reasoning
that the rest Of the world must care for
iisslff Do you ever shut your eyes
and call mp the hundreds Of faces you
ave met during the day, and wonder
1.-THE paleness Of death will cover any
q them before the morrow When
You have been once attracted TO face,
even If 1t be . strangers, do you let II
drop from memory with your dreams,
or do you call It up again and again AZ
night comes down and hope il may lose
nons Of its brightness Ia the whirling
mist Of timer
So Whisky Bill was hunted down.
And inquiry here and there finally
traced him TO little brown cottage on
q by street.
He sat on the steps in the twilight, q
buFlY, broad-shouldered man Of fifty,
and in the house three or four children
were gathered around lamp looking
over 3 picture-bock.
"Yes; they used to call me whisky
Bill, down town." be replied, as he
moved along and made room. "But Il
is weeks since heard the name. No
wonder they think me dead, for I've
not set eyes on the old crowd for
months, and don't want TO for months
70 come
'They tell me you have quit drink.
ing. But one could zee that by your
face"
al hope 10. I have not touched
drop since February. Before that /
was drunk day in and day out, and
more Of . brute than . man. l don't
say but what my wife's death set meto
thinking; but / didn't stop my liquor.
God forgive me. but / was drunk when
she died. half drunk at the grave, and
meant to 60 on regular spree that
night. ] was low down, sir, and was
no better than brute in those days"
"And 30 you left your motherless
children at home and went out and got
drunk"
mo. / said meant to but didn't.
The poor things were crying all day,
and after coming home from the burial
/ thought TO get 'em tucked away IN
bed before went out. Drunk or 80
Der / never struck one Of them = blow,
staggered home. There's lly,tr -~eaesa.sa. ~
there, and the youngest isn't quite four
years yet. / got tho older ones in bed
all right and then came little Ned. He
had cried himself to sleep, and be call
ed for his mother rs soon a. woke
him up. Until that night never had
the boy on my knee, 70 say nothing Of
putting him 70 bed, and you may guess
that these big fingers made clumsy
work with the hooks and buttons. Ey-
cry minute he kept saying that mother
didn't do that way; and the big chill
drenl were hiding their heads under the
quilts to drown their sobA When /
had his clothes OF and his night-gown
on was ashamed to put him down, and
when the oldest saw tears in my eyes,
and jumped out Of bed and put her
arms around my neck, ! dropped the
name Of Whisky Bill right then and
forever"
"And little Nedl"
sshfebbie I'd have weakened but for
him, replied the man, as he wiped his
eyes. "Aftar / had got the child's night
gown on, what did he do but kneel
down beside me and wait for me TO say
the Lords Prayer over him. Why,
sir, you might have knocked me down
with featherI There ] was q mother
and father to him, and could not say
four words Of that prayer TO save my
lifel He waited and waited and wait
ed for me to begin as his mother had,
and the big children were waiting, and
when took him up in my arms and
kissed him, I called Heaven to witness
that my life should change from that
hour. And 80 it did, sir, and I've been
trying hard TO lead an honest, sober
life. God helping me, no one shall call
me whisky Bill again"
The four children, little Ned in his
night-gown, came out for q goodnight
kiss, and the boy cuddled in his faith
er's arms and said:
"Good-night, pa-good-night, every
body in this world goodnight, ma up
in Heaven-and don't put out the light
till we get to sleepE-DetrOit Free
preae