New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-07
PooR JAMEs wYMPER.
ny ALBANY FoNBLkNoUE, AUTHOR or 9TH
TANGLED sKETs," ETC.

ny ALBANY FoNBLkNQuE, AUTHOR or " TIL
TANGLED sKEIS," ETC.
When be was a child they called hin
"pOor little James, He wasn't little, anC
he wasn't poor, so far as worldly goods
went nor did those who called him poor
use the word in kindness toward the moth
erless, neglected boy. He had red eyelids
No power could brush his hair smooth, OF
keep the knees Of his trousers clean. He
had wonderful faculty for cutting his
fingers, and wrapping them up in unpleas-
ant-looking rags. He always had cold in
his head. At the age Of twelve he could
barely read two syllables. His only use in
the world appeared to be 10 serve as an OK
ample to naughty boys, who would play
with knives and disliked soap and water
and for this purpose he was used pretty
freely. They sent him TO a big school,
where he did nothing but got bullied; and
when his father died, and left him very
poor In new sense of the word, the dis
tRnt relative who took him in charge out of
charity could find no better employment for
MIN than to sweep out the Office and run
Of errands. By this time he had ceased to
DO poor little james" and became poor
james Wymper.
lie could do nothing good of himself, and
by some curious perversity set himself 70
undo the GOOD others had done. lie had
craze for taking things TO pieces by no
means equaled by his capacity to put them
together again. He complained that they
did not give him time, and declared that
this granted, the condition of the victims
of his handiwork would be improved. Be
this as II might be-, every piece Of mechan-
ism that fell in his way, from his cousins
sewing machine to the great hydraulic
press at his protectors works, was made to
suffer
He had fatal 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
co him he was always in fog. "The boy is
half an IDIOT grOaned the worthy cotton
spinner whose bread he ate
At the age OF eighteen he had made only
two friends in the world, blacksmith and
q eat-an evll-minded black Tom, who
swOre at every one else, and bit them
savagely when they attempted to put him
through the tricks which poor James Wynn
per had taught him. Amateur hammering
40 the forge did not improve untidy Jim's
appearance, and his eat-nOt being in a
shOw-did not increase his income. He
ran of errands for his cousin like a boy
when he attained mans estate, until one
day when be ran for one for himself-and
did not come back again.
Fears were entertained that he had come
% bad end. The police were put in mo-
ton and rewards offered; but his friend the |
blacksmith, upon being pressed, said that |
he had gone to MerikeF'-eat and all.
1 do not think that his relations were |
brOken-hearted. fancy that good Mr.. |
Bryce, the cotton spinner, was rather glad
TO be rid of his wife's cousin the errand i
boy. His wife, who was not unkind to the
fOrloFn lad in q way of her own-a very
Gold way It was-sighed several times
apropOs Of nothing, and murmured, "PoOr
James Wymperr'
Five years passed and Mrs. Bryce was
eft q widow by no means so well provided
iOr as she expected to be. Moreover, there |
was a law suit about the will, and q squab-
Die in the winding up of the partnership
She was glad to ''get shut, as her defunct
ord would have said, of Manchester; and
'eeing an advertisement to the effect that
EidOw lady having a house too large for
Ter, PLEASANTLY situated on the Thames,
lear Maidenhead, was prepared to share it
With just such q person as herself trans
sOrted herself thither, after due exchange |
e references. and such like fOrmalities, and
Ound no reason to regret what she had
lone.
The other widow does not figure much in
his story, and therefore it will be enough
o say that she was q quiet, ladylike
woman, rather afraid of her partner in t
housekeeping, with daughter, aged eigh-
cen, who ruled the pair and made the place
cry pleasant. I
Bessy Jervoice was not pretty. Besides
Ter eyes she had not good feature in her
ace; but was q good faee-earnest and '
owing, with a sub-cuTent of fun running !
nder It las the stream runs under the '
water liliesl, and ripping out constantly /
Ter figure and her hair were simply per a
eetion Her little thoroughbred hands t
we're ever busy, and the patter OF her dainty C
Get was pleasant music to many poor il
Ottage. I
Things went on very smoothly at the n
iverside villa until one rainy dav when.
without q with your leave or by your +
cave" or letter, or telegram, or message. I
II any other sort of preparation, in marches :
loor James Wymper, dripping with rain I
md splashed with mud up to his hat. \
you please, cousin Margaret I've h
come pack he said, subsiding in his old !,
.oW SPIRITED way INTO an amber satin draw 4
lngroom chair, which, in two minutes. ba
soaked through and through
That was all; no excuse, NO nat;ticD. !
SIMPLE announcement that he had cona !
BACK conveyed IN a manner which made - =
snthelently clear that he intended to rerns;n
. If you please, cousin Margaret. I've cow
back" Not another word did he saw ana s
Telapsed into thinling of something else
as usual, o'9''
Intenogatedlrespect his baggage. he !
replied that it was on the hall-table, and
there, sure enough, was found sodden
a !
pair Of slippers, two pipes, a cloth cap with
out peak, and a sailors knife. In answer
20 further inquiries he stated that his means
We're eight pence, that he had been living |
IN America, that he had walked from Liver, |
pool, and that he wanted something to eat.
When dried and. fed, and asked what be |
was going to do, he said: Whatever won
please" and appearing to consider that ali
difficulty was thus disposed of, ne went to
sleep.
Poor. Mrs. Bryce was at her wits end
Ordinary hints were. thrown away upon
snch man. When she said she supposed
he was going on to London, he replied: 30
dear, no; he had come from London
When she told him she was only lodger
IN the house, be observed that il was d. very
nice house to lodge in. l have said that
ihe was kind to him in her way when ne
was an errand- boy, and somehow she could /
lot be hard upon him now. There was /
Iomething half ludicrouE, half melancholy.
n his helplessness that disarmed them all /
3essy declared him to be the largest baby 4
he had ever seen, persisted in speaking Of /
i'm as Il, and scandalized the matrons by
lquiring grayelY, after tea, which of them
'as going 10 put Il to bed.
Its rather unkind for you to Jest so,