Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-08-03
to diseharge both from custodY-the iuss re,

ward of faiihGuness
Their ancient habit Of going always together
had its drawbacks when they reached mans
estate and entered upon the luxury of court
ing. Both fell in love With the same girl
Each tried to steal clandeStine interviews with
her, but at the critical moment the ether would
always turn up By and by Eng saw with
distraction that Chang had won the girls af.
fecriors; and from that day forth he Ia to
bear with the agony of being n witness to all
their dainty billing aud cooing. But with
magnanimity that did him infinite credit he
succumbed to his fate, aud gave countenance
and encouragement to a state of things that
bade fair TO sunder kis generous heart strings
He sat from seven every evening until two in
the morning listening to the fond toolishneSs
of the two lovers, and to the cC0cussjOn of
hundreds of squandered kisses-tor the priv
ilege OF sharing only one OF which he would
have given his right hand. But he sat patient
Il, aud gaped, and yawned. and stretched, and
lon"ed for two o'clock to come. And he took
long walks with the lovers on moonlight eve
nngs- sometimes trrvPrsiny ten miles. not
withstunding he was usually suffering from
rheumatism. He is an inveterata smoker
but he could not smoke on these occasions.
because the young lady was painfully sensitive
to the smell ni tobacco. Eug cordially wanted
them married and done with it hut although
Chang often asked the momeu;uus question,
the young lady could not gather sufficient
courage to answer it while Eng was by. How
ever, on one occasion. after having walked
some sixteen miles aud sat up till nearly day
light, Eng dropped asleep. from sheer ezhaus
tion. and then the question Was asked and
answered. The lovers we're married. All
acquainted with the circumstances Hpp!auded
the noble brother law. HIS unwaverIng
fathfulncss was the theme OF every tongue.
He had stayed by them all through their long
and arduous courtship; and when. at last,
they were married. he lifted his hands above
their heads, and said. with impressive uncflon.
Bless ye my children. l will never desert
ye!" and he kept his word. Magnanimity
like this Is all too rare iu this cold world.
By and by Eng fell in love with his sisters
iu-law's sister, aud married her. aud ncc that
day they have all lived together, night and
day, in an exceeding socinbiity which is
touching and beautiful TO behold, aud is
something TO rebuke our civilization.
The sympathy existing between those two
brothers is so close and so refined that the
feelings, the impulses, the emotions of the
one are Instantly experienced by the other
W Hcn tut IL SlCh. NilC ONi'Gl - StCN " lt'l
one feels pain the other feels it; whcn one is
angered the others temper takes fire. We
have already seen with what happy facility
they both fell in love with the samc girl
No8 Chang is bitterly opposed to all forms Of
intemperauce. on principle; but Eng is the
reverse; ; for while these mems feelings and
emotions are so cInse " welded their reasoning
tIculties ure unlettered their homyhfs are
Trn ('hou,y lal,p,S to ha Good fIaD, y,'ar
and is hard working nnd enthusiastic sup
porter Of all temp Ferance reforms. But. to his
bitter distress every now and then. Eng gets
drunk, and, OF course, that makes Chang
drunk. too. This unfortunate thing has been
great sorrow 10 Chang, for It almost destroys
his usefulness in his iaVorite field Of effort
AS sure us he is to head a great temperance
procession. Eng ranges up along side of him.
prompt to the minute and drunk Us n lord
but yet not mere dismaly and hopeessly
drunk than his brother. who has not tasted
drop. And the TWO men begin TO hoot and
Yell and throw mud and bricks at the Good
Tcmplurs; and. o? course, they break mp the
procession 1t would be maaiies'ly wrong TO
punish Chang for what Eng does and there
fore the Good Templars accept the rn:oword
situatinn. and suffer in silence and snrr0w-
They have "fically and deliheratriv examined
into the matter, aud fnd Chang bInmeess -
They have taken The two brothers and filed
Chang full Of warm water aud -u"ar and Fog
full Of whisky, and in twenty-five minutes it
wasrot possible to tell which was the drunkest
Both were as drunk as looms. and on hot
whisky punches by the smell Of their breath.
Yet all the while Chnng's moral principles
were unsuiied, his conscience clear and so
all just men confessed that he was not morally.
but only physically drunk By every right
and by every moral evidence the man was
strictly sober and. therefore. il caused his
friends all the more anguish 10 see him shake
hands with the pump and try to wind his
watch with the night key.