The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-07-24
Undressing Little Ned.

"Where is whisky Bill who used
to drive that old white horse in
front of twenty-five cent express
wagonT repeated the man in tones
of surprise.
''Well, now, it's curious case"
he slowly continued. ave all
thought he'd gone TO the dogs,
sure, for he was drinking a pint of
whisky a day, but a 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 l saw
him he seemed half underground"
When you go home at night and
find that all.is we'll with your own
flesh and blood, do you go to sleep
reasoning that the rest of the world
must care for itself2 Do you ever
shut your eyes and call up the hun
dreds of faces you have met during
the day, and wonder if the paleness
of death will cover any of them be
fore the morrow? When you have
been attracted to a face, even IL il
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 1t
may lose none of It's brightness In
the whirling mists OF timer
So "Whisky Bill' was hunted
down. An inquiry here and there
finally traced him to n little brown
cottage on a by street. He sat
down on the step in the twilight, a
burly, broad shouldered man of 90,
and IN the house three or four chill
dren gathered around the lamp TO
look over a picture book.
"Yes, they use TO call me 'Whis-
ky Bill down town." he replied, as
he moved along and made room,
'but it's weeks since i heard the
name. No wonder they think me
dead, for I've not set eyes on the
old crowd for months, and l don't
want 20 for months TO come"
"They tell me you have quit
drinking. One could see that by
your face"
81 hope 50; havn't touched a
drop since February. Before that
was half drunk day in and day
out, and more of a brute than a
man. | don't mind saying that my
wife's death set me TO thinking, but
1 didn't stop my liquor. God for
; give me, but / was drunk when she
died, half drunk at the grave, and l
; meant TO 90 on regular spree that
night. 1t was low down, sir, but L
was no better than n brute those
days"
"And so you left your motherless
children at home and went out and
got drunkr
"No, l said meant TO, but ! did
not. The poor things were crying
: all day, and after coming home from
the burial l thought TO get 'em
tucked away in bed before | went
out. Drunk or sober never struck
, one Of 'em blow, and they never
ran from me when j staggered
home. There's four of 'em in there
and the youngest isn't quite four
years yet. / got the older ones IN
bed all right, and then came little
Ned. He bad cried himself 10 sleep
and he called for mother as soon as
/ woke him. Until that. night /
never had that boy on my knee, 10
say nothing of putting him TO bed,
and ou can guess these big I'M
gers made slow work with the
hooks and buttons. Every minute
lie kept saying his mother did not
do that way, and the big children
were hiding their heads under the
quilts To drown their sobs. When
had his clothes of and his night
gown on was ashamed To put him
down ana when the oldest saw tears
in my ears and jumped out OF bed
to put her arms around my neck
dropped the name Of whisky BIZ
right then and forever
"And little NedT
"Mebbe I'd have weakened, but for
him." replied the man, as he wiped
his eyes. "After / got the child's
nlght-gown on, what did he do but
kneel right down beside me and
wait for me 70 say the Lords prey
er to him! Why, sir, you might
| nave kuOCktn lA1 hDWN
feather. There j was, mother and
father TO him, and / couldn't say
four words Of that prayer TO save my
life! lie waited and waited for me
20 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 ii did sir,
and I've been trying hard TO lead
sober, honest life. God helping
me. no one shall call me whisky
Bill again"
The four little children, little Ned
in his nightgown, came out for a
good night kiss, and the boy cud-
died in his fathers arms for q mo-
ment and said:
"Good-night, Pa--and goodnight
everybody 10 the world-good
night, Ma, up in Heaven-and don't
put out The light till we get 90
ha1