The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1854-02-23

uot SusidFC HSlSSh auJ iouSCi W pay
for the place, and then have it taken
away from them to pay rum bill.
Jim listened patiently to the good
danes eloquence, and, as usual, he
came into the house the very next day,
tight as fiddle-string.
Mrs. Scroggins was in despair what
to do she didn't know" as she express
ed it to Parson Allwise, who was SYM
pathizing with her in her distress. She
had entreated, she had scoldcd, she had
threatened, and all to no purpose.
What could body do :
Parson Allwise himself, though he
made it point not to interfere in the
domestic affairs Of his parishioners, was
at last moved to try his power Of per-
suasion on the poor fellow.
But Jim, unfortunately for the sue
cess of the appeal, had but poor opin-
ion of ministers in general, and of Par
son Allwise in particular, and as good
as told the worthy Parson that he had
better mind his own business.
Mrs. Scroggins was shocked at the
boldness Of her spouse in answering q
minister Of the gospel in such pointed
manner, and was led to believe that the
case was now hopeless indeed.
But woman's wits are equal to any
emergency; and though she had con-
fessedly given jim over to the tender
mercies of the devil, she could not help
thinking it would be good thing if he
could only be saved from himself.
One day, circumstances seemed to
conspire in favor of an experiment, which
had suggested itself to her fertile brain,
and she Immediately carried it into
effect, with the most happy success, as
the sequel will show.
Jim had been cleaning out the pig
pen, and as the operation was rather a
disagreeable one, he had fortified his
olfactories by drinking an inordinate
quantity of vile New England rum.
The filthy vile stuff, happily did not
take effect on his brain till the job was
done. The pig-pen was cleaned out,
but Jim was in condition which better
fitted him to occupy it, than the neat,
white -foored kitchen of his cottage.
But Jim did not realize this unpleasant
truth, and leaving his shovel and hoe in
the sty, staggered to the house.
He was sight to behold" as Mrs.
Scroggins told the minister. The job
he had just completed was essentially a
dirty one, and jim, as We have remark
ed, being prudent, bad prepared himself
to perform without any dctriment to the
neat garments he ordinarily wore. He
was dressed in ragged suit of clothes,
and on his head rested shocking bad
hat, with the crown stove in, and the
brim half torn off. AS the liquor be-
gan to fuddle him, he moved it over
from its perpendicular position, so that
it rested quite jauntingly on one side of
the head.
Jim settled himself heavily in the
chair by the cooking stove, looked silly,
and seemed disposed to address himself
to slumber, his usual resort when in
ebriated.
Mrs. Scroggins was mad at first, for
it was only the day before, that jim, for
the hundreth time, had faithfully pro-
missed never to drink another drop, not
even in case of sickness.
But what was the use Of getting mad
with such poor imbecile thing as he
was at that moment. He was not in a
condition to appreciate regular mat
rimonial blow up, and she wisely re-
solved to reserve the vials of her wrath,
to be poured out at more convenient
season.
She looked at him and thought Of
losing the little place-of penury, de-
degradation and the poor house. A
lucky thought arose, like the PhWuix
from the flames of the contemplation Of
the dark picture and after few mo-
ments' delibcration, she put on her bon
net and cloak, and hurried over to the
village not half mile distant.
For week previous, young Daguer-
reotypist, with portable saloon, kind
ovcrgrowu omnibus, had been delightiug
the citizens by irving them the scmh !