The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-11-05

y
and already in debt! Well, how mercitul
thank these bailiffs l assure you do; they
| have prevented the commission on my part o.
a crime. [ would have introduced spend
thrift and perhaps a gambler into the house
| of jackson Brothers but for this lucky acct
dent" ..-...
.'You were not wont to beso uncharitable,
uncle" said his nephew softly; may not
this debt have been contracted at some perl
cd of DISTRESS" s, ....
..Bah, distress /" said the old merchant
sharply, ''when l was lad lived on half q
crown a week took dinner like Whiting
ton, who was Lord Mayor of London, on a
doorstep; and being member of the abstl-
hence society, had my tea at a pump new
er owed a shilling"
ssWhen we make ourselves the scale by
which we weigh out to others our allowance
of charity, it may be less kind than partial,
said the young man, smillngly. lie was IN
dependent of uncle Ben, and he was not afraid
to be candid to him; and as uncle Ben was
really far from being unkind, and certainly
was as favorable to candor OF OPINION as TO
punctuality, the nephew and the uncle got
along pretty considerably to each others sat
isfaction, and none the worse Tor occasional
tiffs.
On the morrow, Arthur Elmer was early
gone on some professional business, and as
Benjamin Bell, Esq, had nothing particular
to engage him, he called upon jackson Broth
ers, moraIized little of the degeneracy OF hui
man nature, and the difficulty of judging men
even after long life of observation, and T.
nally took his leave, congratulatlng himself
and the senior partner OF that extensive con-
Germ, uoon the reciprocity OF opinion regard
ing human nature. Uncle Ben trudged along,
however, musing and muttering to himself
now and then, and thinking OF this young
Jones in spite of all his endeavors to the con-
trary Uncle Ben had been left to fight his
way through the world when young; but II
he had no one to back him or push him along,
he had no one to drag him back. 1t is COM
paratively easy to push ones self through a
crowd, when your coat, tightly buttoned, COW
ers all your membranes; but everybody
knows, who has tried it, that it is no joke to
take some five or six dependents with you
Ben's hat covered all that he required to care
about as the head of his family, and when he
took his dinner daily he had performed the
most important provisional service to his
household, so that his mind had become as in
dividual as his body, and owned very few re-
lations in all the broad world of sympathies.
AS the old merchant walked along, however,
the rain began to patter, and then it began to
fall rather heavily, and then it came down IN
drops that put the resistive power of the crown
of uncle Ben's hat very much to the test and
then it whipped into his face and sported
on his shoulders, until he took refuge in an
entry which led to some humble dwellings,
and there he internally lectured himself on
the necessity of always carrying an umbrella.
AS he stood and looked upon the large aque-
GUS drops that were falling with loud smacks
upon the pavement, and rebounding i'll a
thousand particles, his ear was suddenly at
tracted by the sound of voices, and stepping
further into the doorway, he thought that one
of the speakers tones were familiar to him
"Nlr Jones had been unfortunate in bust
ness, believe, ," said voice which was attuned
to the soft and gentle cadence of humanity,
and which uncle Ben at once recognized as
his nephew Arthur's.
''He died in bankruptcy" replied the wo-
man, softly.
Uncle Ben started, and muttered something
about a nest of hornets and hereditary dis
honesty.
''Was there not some blame attributed to
the folly of a partner ?" inquired Arthur, IN a
sympathetic voice.
'fhere was; but he was more callous than
my husband, and he lives" replied the widow
mildly.
"And you have had no support since then,
save what you have obtained through your
son ?" pursued the young physician.
ale has been blessing to US all, said the
widow, meekIy; $50 cheerful, so hopeful, SO
contented; all! we shall know what it is to be
alone, now"
81 have had note from him, and he tells
me that it is for debt he is arrested; he was not
like one to contract debts
Old Ben rubbed his hands, and Arthur rose
in his estimation, ten per cent, for the obser-
walton.
'.He contract debt, sir" replied the wild
ow, somewhat proudly; "Ah! not he 1t is
for the medicine which his poor father used
on his death bed Week after week has he
laid by a portion of his earnings to discharge
the little expenses of that weary time he has
succeeded with all, save this Mr.. Waite, who
is now disposing of his BUSINESSES retiring in
to private life, and is premptory in collecting
what is due him"
But your son is not liable for this
gle went and voluntarily rendered himself
liza bic" said the widow she has often said
that he should live through life on bread and
water, before any one should suffer from hav-
ing known his father. Many, many nights
has he sat and copied papers, when others
were asleep, i'll order to earn a little to assist
III discharging his fathers obligations; and
now, when he was so hopeful,so sangUne, the
cup is dashed from his lip
No it is notv shouted uncle Ben, as he
crushed his hat over his eyes, and hastily but
toning his coat, went again into the street.
Poor boy, noble feIow!" muttered the burly
merchant, as he hurried along towards Jack
son Brothers, alike regardless Of the rain or
dinner time. ''I'm positive old mule !" he
exclaimed, as he caught himself firmly by the
breast and attempted to shake himself fierce
w: s'to be so hrash so unjust"
Arthur Elmer had heard his uncle's inter
iectional apostrophe to the widow narrative,
and starting with amazement, had hastily bid
her farewell, and pursued his relative; he was
only in time to see the brass buttons on the
broad skirts of his coat, and the wide brim OF
his low crowned hat vanish in the door OF
Jackson's counting house So, feeling it would
be dangerous to break in upon his uncle, just
now, he turned his steps towards Mr. Whaite's
the apothecary s, and in very short time had
SO operated upon the heart Of the dealer IN
compounds and simples, that the doors Of the
prison were opened for poor Jones, and that
evening he was sitting once more In his own
humble dwelling,
81 have thanked you every day since " said
Jackson, senior, as he confronted uncle Ber
at his own Preside, and laid himself back in
an easy air in his chair. "Theaold court clock
it not more punctual than he, and you know
what sort of clock ours is, And then, again
you could hardly excel him in calculating for
eign rates of exchange; and everybody knows
that you were something at that business
once Be is a treasure, sir, is James Jones,
exclaimed the kind old man, waxing warm
~ mean to advance him"
81 think our Arthur considers that Amy
Jones a treasure, too" said old Ben, sml ling
1t is not to feel her mothers pulse that he
<~ooc To 4boir Y,ratfv ootta ore 60 often "