Litchfield enquirer., 1878-05-16
JERICHO JIM.
BY ROSE TERRY COOKE.

Say, HOW, u16Tlu l0s ! aAA AoAA so smart as look to be. kin do moro than four things to help ye, and am kinder unlucky jess now. Mothers dead, ye see, nd"
 Here the simple creature blubbered honest ly, and drew his ragged sleeve across his eyes. Mrs. Ellery relented. "Well, who be ye, any how? Where dye come from ?"
 "'Ho, Jemimy! Where dye come from?
 Flat fsh'n founders where dye come from? Jericho Jim; come from Jericho straight, Tuesday mornin No place for Jim there. Dad broke his neck last winter drunk as David, nd slipped up, n the sled fixed him out agoin over him mother she cried some, but he was dead, anyhow; and with sort of furtive grin on his thin sallow face, and spark ln the hitherto vacant eyes, Jericho Jim sent his stick spinning in air and caught it again dex- terously.
 s'Where be yeagoin to?" inquired the old woman again, resting on her br0om-handle, and looking over her spectacles at the queer creature before her.
 "pm goin' here, marn. They said suthin' bout the poor house down in Jericho; sol quit. Poor-houses afn't clean ;" and he gave a side long glance into the kitchen, neat as lady's parlor. not passing over the clean calico gown and stainless cap of goed Mrs. Ellery.
 'That's so ; they're dirty holes. We'll, you come in and set down. I'll give ye some vittles J see to ye."
 So Jericho Jim was set down to an abund- ant supper of beans, biscuit, pie and ginger bread, and plenty of hot tea, and proved be- yond doubt that he was hungry. When Deacon Ellery came home he growled ] little at the new inmate of his family, more because it was his way to growl than because he meant it ; for his keen eye for business dis cerned in Jim an inexpensive helper whom his increasing years and rheumatism made well come if not needful. Somebody was once overheard by this worthy man to ask Why does Deacon Ellery alters go grumbling round like an old gobbler ? and the deacon saw fit to answer for himself, to the great confusion of the inquirer, who had not seen him coming. Why, ye see, 1 hay ter; sos to average things "Wife's erful smoothly comftable as as punkin in a cornlot alters a snilin' and chirpin'; nd it stands to reason all m'lass- es ain't good for this world; s got to be some grind, so do the grindin'." With which ex- position of his unconscious heathenism, the Deacon gave grunt and walked away. He was better than his words, however, for his heart was warm and his head clear and poor Jericho Jim soon found that his new home was haven of rest for his weary body, and did his very best to reward the sheltering goodness that fed and clothed him, and beam ed on him like sunshine, in kind looks and words.
 ''I declar for't' grumbled DeaconEllery, ''it beats all to see that fellerwork ; 1 dono wheth- CT he's fool or not. See him 2 pitchin' into the wood-p mother Well, ye'd say there warnt no better feller to pile wood betwixt here and Danbury: but yesterday when he was sawin', all of a sudden he stopped short, an jumped the fence'n lay down in the sun shine nd kicked his heels. 'Jim,' says l, what be ye stoppin for ? Sos to grow, says he cooler'n cucumber. 'Grow' saysI. Yes, ses ], Its reel growin' day ; the ain't a heap sech days; sun shinin', birds singin', wind blewin' real soft kinder stunted; Dea- con 1 want to grow whilst 1 can there's more'n forty days in the wilderness to work, ye know We'll, if didn't let him be Faint no use a'talkin' to him when he gets a curus notion like that holt on him."
 ''There's somethin to most of his notions, that's fact, responded the old lady. 1 kinder wonder whether or no he ain't got the right ont, Mr. Ellery. Mebbe ef we'd took more sunshine along back, you an me wouldn't ha' been so dreadful rheumaticky."
 'He's queer genius anyhow, "muttered the Deacon, walking off, but it was to be Ob- served after this that the old man sat in the doorway more than he ever had before, and that his wife let in all the sunshine into her bedroom and kitchen that the small green paned windows allowed. If they were too old to be cured of rheumatism, at least the rooms grew cheery and the air sweet, and spec tacles did them more good than usual.
 They would neither have read or remember ed hygienic treatise on the benefits of sun and air, but they had sense enough to accept the homely wisdom of Jericho Jim, and brains enough not to let carpets stand between them and comfort.
 Before many months Jim became a sort of neighborhood courier he peddled milk for the Deacon, and dispensed with his quarts and pints all the news of the village. Many good wife and mother waited eagerly for his con- ing, and ran out with her apron over her head, not merely for the pitcher of fresh, sweet fluid, but to hear about "Mis' Aliens sick baby, or Jones's grandmother who broke her leg, last week, or Sary Penny's company from York and it was strange enough to see how quaintly nddeftly Jim fitted his story to the nearer, with the curious instinct that some times dwellS in the souls of those whom we conceitedly call half-witted, he seemed to comprehend the characters he met, to under stand their wants and their ways; and many was the word in season carelessly dropped from his lips that did blessed errand, all the more because it was uttered by the foolish ness of man."
 ''Did you stop to Harris's to-day ?" inquir- ed the Deacon, as Jim rode up to the door one frosty morning, with clattering empty cans.
 "Well expect did"
 'Lef' the quart, spose, n didn't get noth ing for it?"
 ''No, sir I give 'em something to boot. Ole Harris came to the door fort, she's done up. Doctors gig was stannin' there, and he was cus up to the winder mixin mess, n ole Harris sez Be you Ellerys fool ?' ''Yes, be, you bet sez l, booty cherk. Then he larfed rough as bark. Give us a quart, sez he; haint got no change to-day. Well, says 1; it ain't no matters longs ye're tn hum. Deacon's willin to trust folks't stay tu hum. He looked orful beat and mad, and see the doctor larin but he took the milk, and l whipped up, tell ye.
 Jericho Jim never knew that Tim Harris staid at home through his wifes long illness, simply to be sure, since he had no money to bny it with, that the delicate baby, sole survi- or of six, should have it's regular food; for drlnkard and idler as he was, he had pas sionate, reasonless fondness for his children and when one after another they, died he sought fresh consolation at the whiskey shop. But this one lived, thanks to it's sudden wean- ing from its heart-broken mother, whose bit ter troubles and meager food had poisoned even the draught of life for her babies, and sent them to untimely graves. While she lay helpless and raving with fever for nine weeks, Tim Staid at home, nursed her as well as he could, tended and fed the baby, who learned to cry for him. instead of at the sight of him as all tie others had, and getting fat and rosy on the yellow milk that Jim brought daily in little pail from Deacon's Alderny, wound it. self round the fathers heart, kept. him with bands stronger than iron from his evil haunts, taught him to live without his stimulant, at least for so long; and established a hold on him never lost. It was little Rosy Harris who in after years coaxed her father into good hab- it's, and made her mothers last days bright and calm but it was Jericho Jim who began the good work with his unauthorized statement of the Deacon's willingness to trust man who stayed tu hum."
 Curious enough, too, were Jim's peace making propensities. Those clouded or stray ing minds sometimes take certain elfish de- light in mischief, but his desire and delight was peace. Miss Nancy Vance was a thin and spiteful little old maid, yet gifted with good deal of sense, and tolerably reasonable about half a mile from her little brown house, where she lived with bed-ridden mother, and did tailoring, lived the Widow Pyne, noisy,