The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-06-17
NUMBER 1S.
sMisreAa,,g.
Undressing Little Ned.
detroit Free Press.l

detroit Free Press.
"Where is whisky Bill who used to
drive that old white horse in front of .
twenty-fve-cent express wagon p re-
peated the man, in tones of surprise. =
\ "Yes."
..Well, now, it is curious case" he
slowly continued, Eve all thought be
had gone to the dogs, for sure, for he
was drinking pint OF whisky a day!
but few months ago he braced right
up, stopped drinking, and now / hear
he's in good business and saving money.
1t beats all, for the last time I saw him
he seemed half underground"
When you go home at night and find
that ell fssweli iHith your feeh and blood.
do you go to bed reasoning that the rest
of the world must care for itself? Do
you ever shut your eyes and call up the
hundreds of faces you have met during
the day, and wonder If the paleness OF
death will cover any of them before the
morrow When you have once been at
tracted to face even lift be a strangers,
do You let it drop from memory with
your dreams, or do you call it up again |
and again, as night comes down and
hope it may lose none of its brightness
in the whirliug mists of timep
So "Whisky Bill" was hunted down.
An inquiry here and there finally traced
him to little brown cottage on q by
street. He sat on the step in the twi.
light, a burly, broad-shoulderei man of
so, and in the house three or four chill
dren gathered around the lamp to look
over picture-book. uB
s.Yes, they used to call me Whisky
Bill down town." he replied, as he NOV
ed along and made room, .but It is weeks
since l heard the name. No wonder
they think me dead, for I've not set eyes
on the old crowd formonths, and l don't
want to for months to come
"They tell me you have quit drinking.
But one could see that by your face"
II hope so. havn't touched drop
since February. Before that was half
drunk day in and day out, and more Of
a brute than man I don't mind say
ing that my wife's death set me to think
ing, but didn't stop my liqnor. God
forgive me, but was drunk when she
died. half-drunk at the grave, and I
meant to go on regular spree that night.
1t was low down, sir, but l was no bet
ter than brute those days"
"And SO you left your motherless
children at home and went out and got
drunk 2"
eNo, 1 said I meant to, bnt l didn't.
The poor things were crying all day, and
after coming home from the burial 1
thought to get 'em tucked away in bed
before I went out Drunk or sober, I
never struck one Of them q blow, and
they never ran from me when I stagger-
ed home. There's four OF 'em-in there,
and the youngest is not quite four years
yet. / got the oldest ones in bed all
right, and then came little Ned He had
cried himself to sleep, and he called for
mother as soon as L woke him. Until
shat night never had that boy on. nv
knee, to say nothing Of putting him to
bed, and you can guess these big fingers
made slow work with the hooks and but
tons. Every minute he kept saying
mother didn't do this and the big chill
dren were hiding their heads under the
quilts to drown their sobs. When / had
the clothes off and his night gown on,
was ashamed broke down, and when the
oldest saw tears in my eyes and jumped
out of bed to put her arms around nv
meek I dropped the name of Whisky
Bill right then and there forever"
Sand little Ned2'
"Mebbe I'd haye weakened bat for
him." replied the man, as he wiped his
eyes. "After / got the ch;ld'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 / was. mother and fe-
ther to him, and ! couldn't say four
words Of that prayer to save my life!--
He waited and waited for me to begin,
as his mother always had, and the big
children were waiting, and when / 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 have been trying hard to lead
a sober, honest life. God helping me,
no one shall call me w Whisky Bill again. y
The four children, little Ned in hls
night-gown, came out for good night
kiss, and the boy cuddled in bis fathers
arms for moment and ssid
"Good night, pa--good night. every
body in the world-good night ma, up
in heayen-and don't put out the light
till we get to Sleep" -