The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-06-28
POOR JAMES MYMPER.

nm poor little James. He WASH [
little, and he wasn't poor, so far as
this worlds goods went; nor did those
who called him ''pooF" use the word
In kindness toward the motherless,
neglected boy. He had red eyelids. No
power could brush his hair smoothe,
or keep the knees of his trousers
clean. He had a wonderful faculty
for cutting his fingers and wrapping
them up IN unpleasant looking IA S.
lie always had cold in his head
| At the age of twelve he could barely
read two sy llabIes. His only use in
the world appeared to serve as an
awful example to naughty boys, who
would play with knives, and disliked
soap and water; and for this purpose
ne was used freely. They sent him
to q great big school, where he
did nothing buC get bullied, and
when his father died, and left him
very poor in q new sense of the word
the distant relative who took him in
charge, out of charity, could find no
better employment for him than to
sweep out the Office and run of err
rands. By this time he had ceased
to be ''poor little James" and be-
came poor James Wymper.
He could do nothing good Of him
self, and by some curious perversity
set himself to undo the good others
had done. He had craze for taking
things to pieces, by no means equall-
ed by his capacity to put them to-
gether again. He complained they
did not give him time, and declared
that, this granted, the condition of
the victims of his handiwork could
be improved. Be this as it might
be, every piece of mechanism that
tell in his way, from his cousin s
sewing machine to the great hy drau-
lie press at his protectors works,
were made to suffer.
He had a great aptitude for being
always in the way. He seemed to
be all elbows. He could not move
ten steps, to save his life, without
treading upon some ones toes, or
upsetting something. When you
spoke to him, he always IN fog
''The boy is half idiot" groaned the
cotton-spinner, to whom he was in
debted for home.
At the age of eighteen he had
/ made only two friends In the world,
blacksmith and q cat,-an evil
minded black Tom, who sworc at
every one else, and bit savagely when
any one attempted to put him
through the tricks poor James Wynn
per had taught him. Amateur ham
pering at the forge did not improve
untidy Jim's appearance; and his
cat-not being IN a show-did not
increase his income. He ran his er-
rands for his cousin like a boy, when
he had attained mans estate, until
one day he ran one for himsOf-and
did not come back again.
| Fears were entertained that he had
come to q bad end. The police weI e
put in motion, and rewards offered;
but is friend, the bla ksmith, upon
being pressed, said that he had gone
to "Mereker," cat and all.
I do not think that his relations
were broFen-hearted. 1 fancy thai
good Mr.. Brice the cotton-spinnel
was rather glad to be rid of his wife
cousin, the errand boy. His wife
who was not unkind to the forlorr
LAD in way of her own,-a very cold
way it was,-sighed several times
appropos of nothing, and murmured
Poor james Wymper!'
Five years passed. aud Mrs. Brice
was left widow by no means as well
provided far as she expected to be
Moreover, there was lawsuit about
the will, and squabble in the wind.
, ing up of the partnership. She was
glad to get ''get shut as her defunct
lord would have said, of Manchester
aud seeing au advertisement TO the
effect that widow lady, having
house too large for her, pleasant.
situated on the Thames, was pre-
pared TO share it with just such ;
person as herself, transported hersel
: thither, after due exchange of ref
ences and such-like formaliEes, anC
found no reason to regres what sh
had done.
The other widow docs not figur
) much in this story; and therefore i
7 will be enough to say that she was
: quick, lady-hke woman, rather afrsi,
of her partner In housekeeping, will
{ a daughter aged eighteen who rule,
4 the pair, and made the place YER
, pleasant.
Bessy Jervoice was not petty.-
, Beside her eyes she had not goo,
! feature in her face; but she had
:, | good fiee--earnest and loving, wit
a sub-current of fun running under
Gas streams under the water-Ilies) an
? ripping out constantly. Her 6gur
and her hair were simply perfection
), Her little thoroughbred hands wer
ever busy, and the patter of he
dainty feet was pleasant music
= many a poor cottage.
4 Things went on smoothly at til
= riverside villa until one rainy da,
e when, without a "with your leave" {
0 "by your leave" or letter, or tel
gram, or message, or any other So
t OF preparation, in marches poo
y James Wymper, dripping with rail
}, and splashed with rain up to b
t hat.
eff you please, Cousin Margare
q I've come back, subsiding In h
; low spirited way into au amber sat
, chair, which in two minutes he soal
q ed through and through.
O That was all No excuse, no pet
ton; simple announcement that
had come back, conveyed in a ma
, ner that made it sufficient clear tn
3 he had come to stay. eff You plea
Cousin Margaret, I've como back
y Not another word did he say, al