The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-02-15
POOR JAMES WYMPER,

When he was child they called hin
"poor little James" He wasn't little, ant
he wasn't poor, SO far as worldly good
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, o
keep the knees of his trousers clean. HI
had a wonderful facility for cutting hi
fingers, and wrapping them up in unpleas
ant-looking rags. He always had a cole
in his head. At the age of twelve hs
could barely read two syllables. His only
use in the world appeared to be to serve as
an awful example to naughty boys, who
would play with knives and dislked soar
and water; and for this purpose he wa.
used pretty freely. They sent him to big
school, where he did nothing but get built
ed; and when his father died and left him
very poor in a new sense of the word, the
distant relative who took him in charge
out of charity could find no better employ
ment for him than to sweep out the Office
and run Of errands. By this time he had
ceased to be "poor little James," and be-
came poor James Wymper.
He could do nothing good of himself, and
by some curious perversity, set himself to
undo the good that others had done. He
had craze for taking things to pieces by
no means equalled 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 vic
tins of his handiwork would be improved.
Be this as it might be, every piece of me.
chanism that fell in his way, from his
cousins sewing-machine to the great n.y.
draulic press at his protectors works, was
made to suffer.
He had fatal facility for always being
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 was always in fog. "The
boy is half an IDIOT" groanes the worthy
cotton-spinner, whose bread he ate.
At the age of eighteen lie had made only
two friends in the world, blacksmith and
a cat-an evilminded black Tom, who
swore at every one else, and bit them saw
agely when they attempted to put him
through the tricks which poor James
Wymper had taught him. Amateur ham
mering at the forge did not improve untidy
Jim's appearance, and his cat-not being
In show-did not increase his income
He ran errands for his cousin like boy
when he had attained mans estate, until
one day he ran one for himself, and did
not come back again.
Fears were entertained that he had come
to 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 Mereker," cat and all.
do not think that his relations were
broken-hearted. l fancy that good Mr..
Bryce, the cotton-spinner, was rather glad
to be rid of his wife's cousin, the errand
boy. His wife, who was not unkind to the
forlorn lad in a way of her own-a very
cold way it was-sighed several times apro
pos of nothing, and murmured, "Poor
James Wymper.''
Five years passed and Mrs. Bryce was
left a widow, by no means SO we'll provid-
cd for as she expected to be. Moreover,
there was lawsuit about the will, and a
squabble in the winding-up of the partner
ship. She was glad to "get shut "-as
her defuncted lord would have said, of
Manchester, and seeing an advertisement
to the effect that widow lady having a
house too large for her, pleasantly situated
on the Thames, near Maidenhead, was pre-
pared to share it with just such person as
herself, transported herself thither, after a
due exchange of references and such like
formalities, and found no reason to regret
what she had done.
The other widow does not figure much
in this story, and therefore it will be
enough to say that she was quiet lady
like woman, rather afraid of her partner in
housekeeping, with a daughter, aged eigh-
teen, who ruled the pair and made the
place very pleasant.
Bessy Jervoice was not pretty Besides
her eyes she had not good feature in her
face, but it was a good face, earnest and
loving, with sub-current of fun running
under it, las the stream runs under the
water-lilies,) and ripping out constantly
Her figure and her hair were simply perfec-
ton. Her little thoroughbred hands were
ever busy, and the patter of her dainty
feet was pleasant music in many a poor
cottage.
Things went on very smoothly at the
riverside villa until one rainy day, when,
without with your leave" or "by your
leave" or letter, or Telegram, or message,
or any other sort of preparation, in marches
poor James Wymper, dripping with rain
and splashed with mud up to his hat.
If you please, cousin Margaret, I've
come book, he said, subsiding in his old,
low-spirited way into an amber-satin draw
ing-room chair, which in two minutes he
soaked.through and through.
That was all. No excuse, no petition
simple announcement that he had come
back, conveyed in manner which made it
sufficiently clear that he intended to re-
main. eff you please, cousin Margaret,
I've come back" Not another word did
he say, and relapsed into thinking of some
thing else, as usual.
lnterrogated respecting his luggage, he
replied that it was on the hall-table, and
there, sure enough, was found soddcn
bundle containing soiled fannel-shirt,
pair of slippers, two pipes, cloth cap
without peak, and sailors knife. In
answer to further inquiries he stated that
his means were eightpence, that he had
been living in America, that he had walked
from Liverpool, and that he wanted some
thing to eat. When dried and fed, and
asked what he was going to do, he said:-
g Whatever you please;' and appearing to
consider that all difficulty was thus disposed
of, he went to sleep.
d.. A. D.-... --.