The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-09-10
B. T. IToBps, sec'y.
Undressing Little Ned.


drive that old white horse in front of .
twenty-five cent express wagon?" re
peated the man in tones of surprise.
Yes, / want to know"
''Well, now, it is a curious case," HI
slowly continued; "we all thought hC
had gone to the dogs, for sure he wa,
drinking pint of whisky day; but &
few months ago he braced right up
stopped drinking, and now hear he's
IN good business and saving money. Il
beats all, for the last time saw him he
was half under ground"
When you go home at night and find
that alrs well with your flesh and blood
do you go to bed reasoning that the rest
of the world must take care of itself
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
before the morrow? When you have
once been attracted to face, even if il
be a strangers, do you let it drop from
your memory with your dreams, or dc
you call it up again and again, as night
comes down. and hope it may not lose
any of its brightness in the whirling
mists of time?
So whisky Bill' was hunted up.
An inquiry here and there finally traced
him to little brown cottage on by
street. He sat on the step in the twi-
light, burly, broad-shouldered man of
fifty, and in the house three or four
children gathered around the lamp to
look over a pirture-book.
eyes, they used to call me whisky
BilP down town." he replied, as he
moved along and made room, "but it is
weeks since / heard the name. No won
der they think me dead, for have not
set my eyes on the old crowd for months
and don't want to for months to come. +"
'.They tell me you have quit drinking.
But one could see that by your face" "
81 hope so. / haven't touched drop
since February. Before that was half
drunk day in and day out, and more of
brute than a man. / don't mind say
ing that my wife's death set me to think
ing, butt didn't stop my liquor. God
forgive me! but was drunk when she
died, half drunk at the grave, and /
meant to 60 on a regular spree that
night. It was low down, sir, but / was
no better than brute those days"
''And so You left your motherless
children at home, went out, and got
drunk" es
mo, said meant to, but didn't.
The poor things were crying all day,
and after coming home from the burial
/ thought to get them tucked away in
bed before | went out. Drunk or sober
I never struck one of my children, and
they never ran from me when staggered
home. There's four of 'emin there, and
the youngest is not quite four years vet.
/ got the Oldest ones to bed all right, and
then came little Ned. He had cried
himself to sleep, and he called for
mother as soon as woke him. Until
that night i had never had that boy on
nv knee, to say nothing of putting him
to bed, and you can guess these big fin
gers made slow work with the hook and
buttons. Every minute he kept saying
mother didn't do this; and the big
children we're hiding their heads under
the quilts to drown their sobs. When j
had the clothes off and his nightgown
on. I was ashamed broke down; and
when the Oldest saw the tears in my
ewes, and jumped out of bed to put her
arms around my neck, / dropped the
name Of Whisky Bill right then and
there forever"
And little Nedg'
May be I'd been weakened but for
him, replied the man wiping his eyes.
After got the child's nignt-g0wn on
what did he do but kneel right down
beside me and waited for me to say the
Lords Prayer to himl Why sir ron
could hase knocked me down With q
featherl There / was, mother and father
to him, and / couldn't say four words Of
that prayer to save my lifei He waited
and waited for me % begin. Is his
mother always had and the big child
ren we're waising; and when took him
IN my lap and kissed him, called
Heaven 70 witness that NY life should
change from that hour And 50 Il did,
sir. and have been trying hard b lead
! sober honest life. God helping NE, no
one shall call me Whisky BIZ again. =
The four children. little Ned ii his
night gown. came oIit Tor gDoasnight
kiss, and the boy cnddled II bis fatlier' !
arms for a moment and said
Goodnight, goodnight every.
body IN the world goodnight lna up
ii Heaven and don't put ont the light
siIl We 50 to sleep = Detroit krse Press.