Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-07-10

the morningl, YOU would find the swollen
purple face of what had once been a hand
some Young man, but there was little hope
| that the bleared eyes or thick tongue
would give an intelligent answer. The
porters passing by would push him aside,
| but not roughly The time had been when
| he had been a jolly, generous young fell
| low, and favorite in the office. "YOung
| Rodgers" some one would give YOU his
history in five minutes: Taken to rum
| no chance-poor devil Stokes" (the pro
pretor) scould not turn him out to starve.
so still gave him anominal salary and suf
| fered him to hang about the house, lest he
| should take to worse courses than drink
ing" There were hints, too, of widow
ed mother, away off in the country, who
| had been dependent on him, and a sweet
heart, pretty, clinging little girl, both of
| whom long ago he had abandoned But
| there was nothing to be done. The end.
| through the usual horrors Of delirium
| tremens, was apparently not far of.
One day as Rodgers was creeping to
the nearest bar for his morning bitters, a
man, whom he barely knew by sight, took
| him by the elbow and walked with him
into quieter street. They tell me you
are Richard Rodgers son. he said. Dick
| IlouScIS was the Ouly L 0aQ 1Or
years, and for his sake I'd like to save his
boy. Are you willing 70. me to try?"
| ooh, YOU can try" mutteied the lad with
an imbecile laugh. The nameless friend,
nothing daunted, took himto chamber in
| his own house and put hin to bed There
! he and his sons kept watch and guarded
this poor wretch for months, like pris-
oner, keeping liquor from him, and trying
to supply it by medical treatment. A ply
stefan he employed, but he was not able
| to pay for nurse. ANY one who has had
to deal with victim of mania a-potu can
! guess how difficult and loathsome a task
| he had set himself. Ungrateful enough it
was at first, for Rodgers struggled against
| his tOrmentOrs with the ferOcitv of-iust
what he was-a starving animal. AS rea-
son began to return and his unnatural
strength to vanish he would beg them in
his intervals Of reason not to fail him, but
to work out the experiment either to sue
cess or death. at is my last chance" he
would cry; "for Gods sake be patient"
This friend, with his son, did work it
out through all the foul unmention-
able details, and the end was not
| death, but success. "How soon,n asked
a friend of Rodgers afterwards, "were
you trusted alone?" Mot for two
years" he answered. laughing. Il was
out of Jail, but in Jail bounds Do you re-
member that large, muscular young fellow
| who had desk beside me in the office?
He took it with the condition that he
could leave it to dog me night and day, to
my meals and to my bed. That was the
son of the man who saved me. He was
taken from a lucrative situation in order
that he might become my ,jaier God
| bless him. How | used to curse him /,
| Can't you trust my honor?' | would cry.
Pm not convinced that your honor has
not the consumption the Scotch-Irish
man would say. Wen put no burdens
on it until it has regained its health''
Your friend was wealthy nan, no
| doubt, and so able to give both TIM and
| money to your case?" "On the con .rasy,
he is but the owner of small hat store,
and supports his family out of that. He
is rich or noble only in the deed and spirit
of friendship" All this was years ago
Rodgers is now an industrious, honorable
man, married to his old love, with his
gray-haired mother by his hearth, bring
ing to it the perpetual benediction of
benignant old age, His friend sells hats
makes no speeches nor bruit of any sort
in the world. Nobody has recognized in
him hero. Yet, who for the sake of a
dead or living friend would 90 and do
likewise Men York Tribune