Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-23


The doctor unpaid, and no food,
And il made me most crazy to See them
there
A dyin., . couldn't be good;
You'd do what did. and any man else,
If dear ones we're starving, near dead,
For tell you, sir, it maddens man
To hear his child crying for bread.
Iforgot it was wrong, a crime to steal
Say, do you think God will forgive
Tue wretched sin that q poor man com
mits
So his wife and babies may liveI
One dark night, when the men had done
work
And the book-keeper had gone from the
mill,
/ started down there; my mind was
made up
To take money out of the till.
! knew well the way, the doors and the
locks,
And the drawer where the money was.
And l skunk along with my head bent
down,
As man does who's breaking the laws.
As went al ing, just under lamp,
Which stood on the way to the mill,
! passed a man who looked queerly at
me
My Gvu, mister, that man was Bill
His eyes looked big, he was going to
speak;
be knew something was wrong, think,
For my face was pale and my eyes blood
shot.
Like man who is sick from drink.
But passed him by with never aword-
For he'd asked, Where are you going,
80 later
And I'd had to tell, for never lied
In my life to Bill White, my mate.
1t hurt him; a sorry look in his eyes
Showed he thought treated him Ill;
And he must have known what meant
to do,
For he watched, as l entered the mill.
l picked open tho lock, slid back the
bolt,
Broke open the drawer and touched the
gold.
But, sir, in tho minute that l stood
there,
had grown hundred years old.
You see, had always been honest be-
Never wronged any man cent.
Hooked az the gold, then ! thought OF
them;
! took it and then out went.
] bought at the store what they needed
most,
With the money what wasn't mine;
But it helped the wife and the little ones
And drove the wolf away in time.
Well. the next day when they opened
the mill
And found that the drawer was broken
In,
And the money was gone. they knew for
sure
That one If the hands did the sin.
And the crime, sir, was nearly traced to
me,
As bad deeds but seldom stay hid.
But still, every day ! was there at the
Aud | worked as hard as ever did.
One morning morn when went down to my
There seemed something wrong-'twas
For the men talked low and looked SOL
emn like,
And turned to tind out from Bill
what the matter was-but he wasn't
Then l wondered il Bill was dead,
And l asked the boys who were standing
around,
when one of them spoke up and said:
Last night, the thief who broke open
drawer
And stole the gold out of the mill
confessed II all; you can't guess who il
wHs.'
Ihen all the men answered Twas Billr
Stranger. did you ever fall off bank,
And going down feel awful queer,
Then suddenly strike ON the rocks be
! felt just so; tainted, near;
Then. ia minute l saw how it was.
BILL knew it was me robbed the till;
de had no family; he knew
That mine was in want and SO i'll,
And he just thought, then, that he'd bear
my blame
Do you think Bill White was my friend?
Why, sir. he'd gone and said he was the
thief
80 / wouldn't be caught in the end.
DO you think would let friend like
Go to Jail for thing ! did?
Of let any man suffer shame for me?
I'm man! boys, keep still,' l said;
! Just stepped back and drew myself
And spoke loud and shut my hands.
Boys, that's u lie. and IL any man SAYS
Bills q thief, he dies where he stands
Then for minute looked into their
eyes,
And y meant good by when I said
Bill White is not guilty. l am the thief
And then, sir, ] bowed down my head.
when l passed through tho startled
crowd in shame.
And every man kept awful still;
But Bill was free when the clock struck
again
And WAS in iail-not in the mill.
IL was might hard to leave wife and
chicks.
For love them, sir--oh! SO well;
But my tipe's half up. and it won't be
Till I'm out Of this worse than hell.
where's Bill2 Well he's working over
there vet.
10 you know where his wages goesg
BIZ, hc spends il all for my helpless ones.
And y buys for them food and clothes.
Man like him. l reckon. amt born every
day,
Don't you think hi. il bon. right.
when said To you just a minute ago
mat Bill Was my friend and was whitef
Good day, SIR, you're welcome; when
get out
! shall work 10 pay back the mill.
but cannot paw in n Thousand wears
Ine Interest on what owe Bill"
--WASpxRxR