Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-07-20

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civilian NJ E-varts?"
Certainty
"Well, | declared exclaimed the Yer
monter. "Why, he looks as though he
boarded!''
Undressing Little Ned.
'sWhere is "Whisky Bill who used to
drive that old white horse in front of a
twenty-fve.cent express wagon?" repeat
ed the man in tones of surprise.
X eyes"
"Well, now, its's curious case.'' he
slowly continued. eve all thought he'd
gone to the dogs, for sure, for he was
drinking a pint Of whiky day, but few
months ago he braced right up, stopped
drinking, and now I hear he's in good
business and saving money. It beats all,
half underground
When you go home at night and find
that all is well with your own flesh and
blood, do you go to sleep reasoning that
the rest of the world must care for ltself2
Do you ever shut your eyes and call up
the hundreds Of faces you have met
during the day, and wonder if the pale
ness OF death will cover any Of them be-
fore the morrow? When you have once
been attracted to face, even if it be a
strangers, do you let it drop from mem
Dry with your dreams, or do you call it
up again and again as night comes down,
and hope 1t may lose none of it's bright
ness in the whirling mist of time?
SoSWhiskey Bill'' was hunted down.
An inquiry here and there finally traced
him to a little brown cottage on by
street. He sat on the step in the twi-
light, a burly broad shouldered man of 1if-
ty and in the house three or four children
gathered around the lamp to look over a
picture book
eyes, they used to call me sWhiskey
Bill down town." he replied as he moved
along and made room, ''but it 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 to Gomez
"They tell me you have quit drinking.
One could see that by your face"
II hope so; haven't touched drop
since February Before that was half
drunk day in and day out, and more of a
brute than man. don't mind saying
that my wife's death set me to thinking,
but didn't stop my liquor. God forgive
me, but was drunk when she died, half
drunk at the grave, and meant to go on
a regular spree that night. It was low
down, sir, but I was no better than a
brute those days
"And so you left your motherless chill
dren at home and went out and got
drunk?o
"No, I said I meant to, but I 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 sober new
er struck one Of 'em a blow, and they
never ran from me when [ staggere d
home. There's four of 'em in there, and
the youngest isn't quite four years yet.
l got the older ones in bed all right, and
then came little Ned. He had cried him
self to sleep, and he called for mother as
soon as woke him. Until that night
never had that boy on my knee, to say
nothing of putting him to bed, and you
can guess these big fingers made slow
work with the hooks and buttons. Every
minute he kept saying his mother didn't
do that way and mother done this way and
the big children were hiding their heads
under the quilts to drown their sobs.
When had his clothes off and his night
gown on was ashamed and put him
down, and when the oldest saw tears in
my eyes and jumpted out Of bed to put
her arms around my neck I dropped the
name of Whisky Bill right then and
forever +"
"And little Ned?''
"Mebbe I'd have weakened but for
him." replied the man as he wiped his
eyes. ssAfter I got the child's night
gown on what did he do but kneel right
down beside me and wait for me to say
the Lords prayer to him! Why, sir, you
might have knocked me down with a
feather! There I was, mother and faith
er to him, and I couldn't say four words
Of that prayer to save my life! He
waited and waited for me to begin, as
his mothe always had. and the big chill
dren were waiting. and when I took him
in my arms and kissed him, called
heaven to witness that my life should
change from that hour. And so it did,
sir, and I've been trying to live a sober,
honest life. God helping me no one shall
call me whisky Bill again.
The four little children, little Ned in
his night-gown, came out for a good
night kiss, and the boy cuddled in his
fathers arms for moment and said:
Goodnight, pa goodnight, every
body in the world goodnight, ma, up
in heaven-and don't put out the light
till we get to sleep!"