A SATURDAY NIGHT SCENE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 132, 27 February 1908, Page 11

A SATURDAY NIGHT SCENE.

:v> V\. OF. MANY;... - ■ - '. ' f Wha'slier jgot there?" ••' ■'[ ■•/>: "V- ---; \ " Nothing, Dad."- ; •• ' ■ • ; ' /-■ ",1 say,; wha'shcr ;ot. there? Tell me, , .jWillie/boyj thasli good boy.'. ' " Only,-n Dared,- Dad." ;:■■■■.- . -r , fact.. , ■liJcklflgvthc; gravel as' if: 'hij' lsnew' 1 tlie "' tlichilt . signify. J He: and Dad were Bittiiig»gis I^9 a chemist's, shop.. .-■ in a streetf somo distance from homo. Dad i. •. was . driink.. li'aithfiilly • Willie, had ; -''V".Keire:.: : to/-K(in\!;'all'-;Jthq ; -:evenirig ) ---h'acl. waited: . ;.whilo- lie -.drank,-'and. when ,on thp u 'ygjrliomo Dad had.sat dov.-n, Willie! had |,; too.Willie. 'was only soven . and a hniii ■ • :; ! \EiA'dr^,iilfiV;,o: Better, got' home, /Dad? ' Willie : : ':thbugh.t' 6f;!-Mumnia. .' She ; : . must jiavq ; beeii a - kiiid, \ attentive. Mumma, ■'!' JfdHie /.was ; neat- and'clean. ' Shall wo ? :Ecor Aiumma! ■ This- . -/.wis.iSafamlay'-.night/in..the present...-1.. .. • and 1-' I'et; ,stop|: wliea : the future A'cams', v . Willie would 'be ; gi : ,own f ' ' • It' is :not--the ieor.rcot' : ything.-.toi..help a, :'drunlton'raattoiv to .liis 3 feet, ; ~. and • assist him ' home!- Ifijiis -bad 'form.',, Better, to p.-.ss by. ;i. police; .that is'\vliat they >; are.tlijara foi;., Anyv<ay,'it'.3erves-him right; / why- cali t/lte'keep-away from- it?. /■•., ■' , : 'So scores' and scores of peoplo, concluding their .■ ; £»-srday;,.:night,.tramp Vhoihd; .and gla'ncfi ;ca3ually.':at 'the"man snoring. # on the J : door-step?ialnd .-it the child sitting, beside him : with - tho pebbles, "and humming quietly • t(f'.ssiinself. • : . twclve/b'clocli.. . They seem out of -the.: track "of. tho passing policeman. Tho man'-sn'ore'S_ on, but Willie now is - get- - . tins tivf/lUaiid ''.I want to go;.home, ■Dad. ... Darli'Kpomo. on liom'c',.. Come on^Dart.' 1 There whimper. in : his : : voice. -But tho got; too. tighi' a''hold- of , Dad's" brain, and ho now. only snores.: Then "Vyillic ; and shakos him. •. : ' ;i .. . " In the.,meantime,.'h ; light has. befln- biirn- . ing in a liousp some streets away. Thoro is' 1 - .a loriolyi^jyjotcher.- : It is .Mumma. 'Twelve, strike's!/"-Xfejis little AVillie nlu: is thinking of. She knows what has happomd too well.. Then'MiJmJna doc 3 p.S; so'.rr.any wives and. mothers : -hi'(-o done before... She . throws a / shawl ovdrflier head ar.d goes out. ' 1 '• . :It is when-Willie is crying ,and-shaking Dad that'rValio finds them, v It. was then the passing. :The .y/oman'. (lid not growl ■ coarsely, or nag,', as tho wives of drunken ;luwliands are supposed always to do. In a,.-,little time she waa.'guiding him silently with "Willie : trotting, alongside., : ' ;• ■ This; is' slftili a usual scene, a woman taking lior.cWffiken lnisljand homo on Saturday night,-.'thaS'lwhy ail; tlii3 , pother and . sciitiil!ontali3m?Jl.,Sentimeutalism—a good word, j'erhaps ohyilay'sentimentalism will btconie the ra'gt;'-frlril then' it will be. the stupid fashioir.to-'lend a hand to put drunken men on to .their feet and. point them home.