Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-02

lis past life Not that that was th'
name with which | started life NJ
fathers name was Henry and ! wa.
ChriGtened William. In childhood
vas called Willie; IN the school room
William later on the street, 'BilI /:
| at baseball. 'BnLthe-batter, for
pier Not that / drank so much
more than the others with whom
daily associated, but Ia some way my
friends got 10 calling me by this name
and it stuck.
My father was a hard, brutal-mind
ed man, but not a drunkard do not
know that he drank at all. My moth
err. however, was addicted to her
cups She was a big woman, as
remember, with huge arms, muscular
hands and a fierce harsh voice. In her
sober moments, however, she was q
kind. indulgent mother and a good
hcusekeeper, but my earliest recOl.
lectiOns OF hOIse are for the most
part unpleasant, for the drink was a
disturbing factor and frequent explo
siOnS of anger and qnarreling took
Lplace.
AT l. left home and soon began
TO drink through evil companionship
and because ] was told it was sign
Of maniiness At 20 | hit the drink
trail still harder and at % or there.
/ abouts ] became known as tBill-the
| tippler.' This lasted 10 years, when
climbed upon the water wagon and
now for another 10 years have never
darkened a grog shop nor tasted a
drop of the fiery liquid"
This is interesting" ! remarked.
! What was it, then, which led you to
1 mount the wagon
mo secret at all, sir. Only a Little
straight thinking 1t was one Sunday
afternoon as ] sat with my wife, and
three children in public park We
had just had fairly good dinner for
working man. ] was making 81 or
$3.50 a day. Our mouse rent was $40
per month. Wife was a good house
keeper and we were just struggling
along, but not saving cent. nor max
ing any Roadway at all. Suddenly n
found myself gazing at billboard
across the street gai!y painted and j.
read the words written in flaming let
tiers, The beer which made Milwau-
kee famous. Above the words two
workingmen sat at table drinking,
and one of these fellows looked so
much like myself that wondered If
IL were possible that ! had been
caught in camera in order to ap.
pear On the billboard and to advertise
the beer which made Milwaukee fam
GUS. Good God. i exclaimed, that is |
surely Bill-the-tippler, and it occur.
red to me that the crowds began to |
see the resemblance as in passing |
they gazed at me with grinning faces |
and then at the billboard So | skunk /
away from the place, but the picture
followed me. All day it never leftt
me. Next day ii was still with me in
the foundry where worked, and the
words the beer which made Milwau-
kee and Bill-thetippler famous rang
in my ears. Yes, had helped. in
drinking the beer. to make Milwaukee
famous, and had won for myself the
Hare which / was coming more and
more to despise. IT.
1T was then, / say, that began to
think, to think hard and to do a little
calculating. For ten years had FIRE.
qlIented the corner saloon kept. by
Gus Murphy, an old schoolmate In
the morning, on the way to the foun-
dairy, / usually had two drinks; at
loon two more and from two to threel
or more In the evening. You see, wasl
thinking, putting two and two togeth. I,
or. This had been my drinking Gus.
tom for ten years and the average
amount spent could not have been II
less than 40 cents day. then took Ii
a piece of paper and set the figures
down with a lead pencil and began a r
little multiplication and addition. For X
ty cents day meant $3.50 per week. Ia
then began to figure what such a |
sum as that would amount to IL it'll d
had been put into savings and loan II
association each week for 10 years. liz
knew that most associations allow at FL
least . per cent semi-annually and was h
amazed to find that $3.50 invested at
per cent with the interest added to
The principal and reinvested every six
months would in ten years amount toll
s1S59.22. Hence, | had handed over
the bar into the pockets of Murphy
during the last 10 years $1S5922 and
had received practically nothing off !
value in return, ill for the sake OF
helping to make Milwaukee famous !
and 'Bfil-the-tippler' fool. IL
The next day at noon | sauntered j
into Murphy's place. There he sat Ia
near his cash register, as usual, well 4
yroomed and smiling, while his fat I'm
bartender was servingIt
he thirsty customers. Gus nodded
slightly, looked me over with inward e
contempt, no doubt Having note
money to spend, dropped into al
hair in the corner and watched Gusl
'egister the nickels and dimes which,
lelp to make Milwaukee famous and
inc his own pockets with treasure.
shortly he pulled nut a diamond.stud-I
led watch, Christmas gift from his
wife, costing, So had heard, 1915, n
yhereupon it occurred to me that in n
o years had spent enough in Muir !,