The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1895-12-23
PLUNKETT'S LETTER.


q single thing exactly right in all his /
life?
l have such man in my mind, and as /
the sad end of his life came upon CHRIST 1
mas of the long ago. it is but natural thial /
he should come hack 20 my memory along |
in Christmas times-as people grow on
they forget many things that only need |
some reminder to bring back AGAIN !
Deaths. births. the seasons and festive |
occasions all have their reminders. and the !
old find it hard to throw of these memo
ries and the older we get the stronger !
becomes the desire to tell it to others, es-
pecially if there be a lesson or moral
in the tale.
old Jack Rawson is the man that !
have in mind He was called Vagabond
Jack by the most of people and was
rated the greatest drunSard in all OF mo
Ole Georgia, and l have heard IL from
his own lips that he never mad done q
single thing exactly right But ne li-u
Il smart woman for a wife and n GOOD "o-
man. and ne had some pretty children anu
smart children. and. with all ms
nesscs old Jack loved these ana reSolFeu
thousands Of times to correct ms erflhs
ways for their sakes Il for nothing eise.
But the flesh was too weak ana ne ule'-
as ne had lived. only TO bring sorro" anu
distress to those whom he loVeG the rtSt
in all the world and the only ones thaI
loved him and pitied his foiitcs.
At the time my story begins old JACK
had been on one of MS accustomed spreeS-
He had been drunk for more than Week
when q brisht october Sahbath Iouhu MN
in a nervous condition that only dTunh2fes
have ever fclt-in a state of remorse that
makes it strange that any man would ever
drink after once feeling the pangs-
when Old Jack knocked at his own door
carly on this October Sahbalh there was
no delay with wife nor children IN letIius
him in. They kuew his voice. ana the5
had heard that tiu.d knock before, nut as
the door swung back the children too'
drew back from the horr;d picture before
them The larger children SHE'D around
the moor old man while the smaller ones
cl,,ur 10 their mothers skirt in horror
at the apparition-old Jack was placA'
! rs black as smoot and backing coulo NAME
1 him. -, :,
Tho wifi, was the only one that took IN
~ situatiou Sna knew that the bad
( bows of the village had blackened he'
I husband while he lay in his drunken stu
q nor. but not a word OF reproach iel from
! her patient lips. She al once wth- -
work and heated water TO get the biach-
, ms, Off, and as the old man busted hi'ils'i4
at washing the wife moved ABOUT III ne.
/ own patient way, only mu-ttliis 49,
/ the tears that fell -,
1T Will come home 10 them II "NA
come home TO them!
old lack was mighty humboldt men
. ara humble when they have been druih
I Tor WeCk-but alttt At no. - go.
I the children could tell who he was 'iey
as II --t, fFeSt- ttlt
I tu4s kindness is the scvercst treatment
that could have come to q man in ms
Z condition. IL was SO severe that even old
I Jack could not keep back the tears, anu
I his romorse was such as only men just on
q; spree could understand. His good wife
Z had utiatd hiIit through ll'i''S - -
shG hau never 1871 '-,.H - So s,,ot.e
ana hrr NoI'g " - - So
ana htr h'li'n SP.i' ~ oIt T@cI[ no
HaH4eu ~ ~, - '' o,,ld hive choked
r.tu ali t,,'9 - e.bst iittIs mere vas
80 g. - 49,. ,E,t loved him so
4 las lAe hungry ONES '4-'t -. -
, well " lli4ott t'',.' = rs - -, ~
I IRON the tahie anu rtt"I lfd ~ d - -
/ the irc To mt"d over I"e -'S7''- -@
/ ne had wrought ,4;-
with the torture 81 uls M ~ - Iy1lj-,.
. ton ana tAe fetiloi-e cum. S'S 49, - -
10 the old hiin ii.'tt Lis H-etc -, -
Z nigh on 70 stdrNatioh- ne 80" tlStS -
not another m2uu, vi ~ tle -
I as he looked upon tue i'ti5 ia6Et- 49,
/ Tie arose and walked Oft down TO the
miliers The miller was a good man and
after Jack had Told his condlLioh ~
made him some fair promises n q tche
4 more solemn than ever before sunday Is
Il was. he measured up some meal anu
meat and let old Jack take Il away. W ileH
the folks at home saw old Jack return
( ing they ran 10 meet MN anu Hlaue -
great a TODD over the little meal ana
meat as if it had been q whole store
house
Monday morning old Jack went to work
with such a resolution 10 reform as ne
had never felt before. He vas Eood
workman and you never saw little lam
uv come out SO fast in all the days OF
YOUR life Folks quit calling him NaSabond
Hack and hiss little children looked neat
ana rosv and were as merry as merry
could be- The good old wife began to Eoid
uD her head and the sunshine lighted her
V,av as she deserved as the
fruits Of a virtuous and patient life.
:, Things had frightened up and 50
filings were moving along as the Christmas
nj 1874 came uDon us Jack and his little
FarriIv nad inst got through with supper
on C,Irisfnnas Eve night and were gathered
arsllnJ a blazing fire in the mothers room.
or roursa Ola Ssuta Claus was the talk u
the Iittfa ones and q merry time and happy
oav yvas exu.cted by the larger ones.
lack mad business in the village upon this
night lIls good wife smiled when he wink
81 M her for she knew what he was
COIN, for and the older children knew, bat
IN IittIa fellows hated To give him up and
ching III him through the door and watched
rim mn ia ti,n darkness as ne disaDpcared
FOR +be village
Arriving hi the VILLAGE old Jack set 10
work bUvinl- such things as he choose for
the occasion and would have been back