The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-02-11

"Liddy,~Liddy, St.ve amt forgot all
you done for him"
at amt that, He's paid it back q
thousand times. working himself I'D
,, TO assistant foreman at the Works.
and as good brother as comes and
all. but don't say I don't know him.
Annie. anybody that's nursed q boy
from measles to marriage like / have
him"
But, Liddy-"
That's why / know what I'm talk
ing about when i say he amt a drunk-
ard in the bones. Steve amt. His
father before him went through a few
had years just like Steve. and after
his pledge lived in temperance till
he died in old age. 1t amt In his
bones. Annie; it's only a tickling In
the palate"
That's what thought, Liddy, those
three years while his breath was as
sweet as our ~baby's. but"
IT'S the pledge that1l do the work
now. Anne"
"He-he won't listen!"
He's a God-fearing man, Annie.
like his father before him. If you
can only get him to take the pledge.
now that he feels himself slippin'
back. II you only can.
oh. God. nothing counts"
Sinh l tell You it's just the hole
In his heart that drove him home that
way last night"
And don't forget the night before,
and the night before that! Three run
MIN nights
Its drop TO warm him, Annie,
before he comes home these first
nights to find his little one not here.
Just drop TO warm him."
And what about me? What about
mef Do | need drop to warm me for
sitting here day in and day out. my
baby gone? Do IL
Lord | used to say, man should
crowd the whole world out of his
heart over child, and his being taken
this way proves it. 1t was sin before
the Lord how he banked on that child.
running it with too much love. No
good can come of 1t, l always said,
and It's hard to live to see the day
how right l was"
"There-there just never was a
father and baby like them together.
Liddy. You know for yourself there
EXTRAORDINARY"
pOu
And how he used to crawl on
all fours till his big bones ached,
Liddy, acting hOrsie for the boy 10 ride
him-for hours, Liddy, till l used 10
get scared the baby wouldn't sleep
from excitement, and grab him up and
off his tired old back"
That's just what I'm saying TO you,
Annie; it's these evenings with his
baby gone have drove him back bit
The thirst amt In his bones, tell you +;
it's only he's low, and when a big man.
low he
mo, no. Liddy. l tell you he's got
the taste of 1t on his tongue and the
burn of 1t On his insides again after
these three years. He says himself
the burn Is like a pain that don't hurt
when-when he gets that way. Says
1t himself when the shame Is on him,
and-and he tries TOTO make 1t up
to me!'
It's one drop too much can send
Steve off, Annie. Two glasses make
him silly where another can carry six
and you know 1t. Steve never got
rough from 1t in his life; I've seen him
silly. but"
God! I'd rather he came home
beating me than-than the silly way
he does when he's-that way. God,
when he-gets silly"
But"
Il tell you it's his Stiffness, Liddy,
and the way he gets talking to him
self scares me more than his getting
rough would! You remember that
night he took all that cider over at
Joe's halloween, Aiddy, and how
ran over to you clear across the rail-
road tracks when he came home talk
ing to himself and tryin' to"
Now, now, Annie, that's all four
years pdsSed dNu-
Passed Like a fash when I seen
him come through the kitchen door
these last three nights, his eyes all
red; like a flash. / tell you, ii comes
back to me-"
Annie, Annie, it'll come all right,
tell you. Wasn't ] the one predicted
1t was the child being born would get
him tntemperance, Annie, and didn't
itf For them three years wasn't his
breath as sweet as hay, and didn't
predict it? Didn't 1? You was happy
them three years. Annie. and
Happy" fresh rivulet of tears
flowed scalding over her words, chok
ing speech. Why. why. there
there just wasn't Il thing about them
three years, Liddy. II wouldn't live
| over again. With our baby born, Lid
dy. all of a sudden Steve got like one
| himself. When he came home nights
| the way he used to come In like a chop
choo, full of play, for the kid-and-
oh, my God -
"Aunie-Annie. :"
He was a new man, Liddy. II wa:
| only ten months after he was born ant
| out of clear sky that they made hin
| assistant foreman at the Works. Liddy
and amt | told you thousand time:
| 1t was-was the baby done il. Csec