New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-07-12
THE TWO DAGUERREoTYPEs.


Jim Scroggns, though in the main an honest,
peaceable. quiet, harmless fellow, had beastly
habit Of getting drunk whenever fit opportu-
nifty presented itself, and, unfortunately, be-
cause " where there's will there's way, the
opportunities were both fit and frequent.
Jim owned comfortable homestead, that he
had almost paid for. Mrs Scroggins was a
g real worker and no doubt did her full share
in buying the homestead She was endowed
with great deal of energy, good Judgment, and
people were 80 malicious as to say size was the
snartest man OF the twain.
Be this as it may, Mrs. Scroggins was an in
dustrlous woman, and took good deal of pride
in the little place which had been bought by
their mutual industry-and the thought Of hav-
ing it wrested from them by n cold hearted
creditor was in the highest degree dsagreeable !;
but to such calamity her husbands infirmity
as the good minister Of the village called it,
seemed to point
The habit grew upon him, as it almost always
does upon those who are in the habit of imbi-
bing too freely The miseres of the drunkards s
wife had been too often presented to the good
woman's understanding, to be regarded as sim
ply creations Of imagination, and she looked
forward with alarm to the prospect Of enduring
them, and losing the little place
But what could be done She had exhausted
her eloquence upon the infatuated man, without
pointed to him, kindly, the inevitable effect o
his indulgence, and Jim promised to do better
but, alas for the vanity Of human expectations
he got tipsy the very next day
| Then she appealed to his love Of money-tC
| his satisfaction in being the owner Of cottage
and ten acres Of land, and warming up with tn,
Importance of the subject, declared that she
would not enslave herself any longer to pay for
| the place, and then have it taken away from
| them TO pay a rum bill,
Jim listened to the good DANES eloquence
and, as usual, promised to do better but, also
as usual he came into the house, the very mex
day, tight as a fiddle string.
/ Mrs. Seroggins was in despair :. what TO d
she didn't know as she expressed it to Parso
| Allwise, who was sympathizer with her in dis
tress She had entreated, She had scoldcd, sh
had threatened and all to no purpose. "Wha
could a body do :"
Parson Allwise himself, though he made it
point not to interfere in the domestic affairs Z
his parshioners, was at last moved to try hi
powers Of persuasion on the poor fellow.
But Jim, unfortunately for the success Of hi
appeal, had but poor opinion Of ministers il
general, and Of Parson Allwise in particular
aud good as told the worthy Pastor that h
had better mind his own business
Mrs. Scroggins was shocked at the boldnesS {
her spouse in answering a minister Of the Cos
pei IN such pointed manner, ana was led t
believe that the case was now hopeless indeed
But woman's wits are equal to almost an
emergency and though she had confessed
given Jim over to the tender merces of tn
devil, she could not help thinking it would be
good thing if he could only be saved from him
self
One day, circumstances seemed to conspire j
favor of an experiment which had suggested il
self to her fertile brain, and she immediatel
carried it into effect, with the most happy SUE
cess, as the sequel will show.