The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-04-25
A GUARDIAN ANGEL.

GUAkWlAN ANUEUs
1t is sai1 every newborn child has
guardian angel appointed expressly to
attend it during all its earthly life. and
to do whatever such angelic ministry can
accomplish to aid it to be fit associate
of the white.winged company in the great
hereafter. These attending spirits are
never visible 10 our eyes, and their pres.
ence does not kindle in our hearts very
warm glow of love for their timely help
even in the hour of our greatest need.
But we have seen some ministeriDg
spirits, wearing the flesh and blood of the
race, in whom the angel was not all
concealed, and it has occurred to us that
it might be a pleasant introduction to
present one of these to our readers.
David Williams was a Welsh mechan-
ic, many years in this country, great
respecter offolk-lore and homely super
stitions, little easy.going in bis indus.
tria! habits, and altogether too fond of
what is known in the internal revenue
law as distilled spirits." His wife Jane,
whose father was a countryman of her
husband, Inherited from her Scotch moth
er stern and uncompromising intoler.
ance of anything approaching to shift
lesaness, and sharp way of using her
tongue that was apt to leave little sting
in her speech. David had his dreams
and omens, and would stay away from
his work whole hours in the morning,
when warned by either Of these that the
day VAS not suited to industry. The
interval was not passed, however, at
home, but in the neighboring saloon,
where much of his hard earnings were
worse than wasted oyer the two familiar
bar.
If flame had been tender and winning
she might have done more than she did,
perhaps, to correct this vice in her hus-
band, but the singing rebuke and angry
prodding only made the matter worse.
David was rare workman, and before
he INDUCED so freely had come to be
foreman in one room of the shop where
he vas employed; but this evil habit
made it only question of time when he
would lose that promotion. One night
he had seen in his slumbers snake and
goose together, and the union was too
forbodiDg for his philosophy so the
next morning he went to the saloon in.
stead of the shop. His wife suspected
this, and with her usual resolution, she put
on her bonnet and shawl and followed to
the liquor-seller's in search Of him.
When she found him, glass in hand and
not little incbriated, she berated both
him and the saloon.keeper sorely. To
escape her bitter speech poor David fled
to the shop. He was in no condition to
work, and as soon as he made bis i'll.
advised appearance his doom was sealed.
The senior Of Piper & Go. had seen him
staggering in, and calling him to the
counting house, told him in plain terms
that q man who had no control of himself
was not fit to control others, and he was
therefore discharged on the spot.
The wife secretly blamed herself some
what for this result of her morning raid
on the saloon, and succeeded in having
her husband accepted as common
workman, but under a, new foreman.
David's spirit chafed at this, and his
visits to the saloon was more end more
frequent. The wife would try to control
his earnings, but when he had no money
he would get the liquor on trust, and
altogether his affairs were growing worse
and worse. Just here ne will introduce
to our readers sweet. thoughtful face,
very pale but with winsome look about
the mouth and in the dark blue eyes, as
we saw it framed in the window Of that
cottage home. She was the only child
of the house--called jamie after her
mother-and had then slight, thin
form for girl of eleven years.
What she had done or essayed to do
70 stay her fathers downward course up
to this we cannot say, for we never knew
her before this sad hour, when her mother
lay dead after only few hours illness,
and she was at the window watching for
his returning footsteps. He was not
himself when he came in, but she led
him up to the bed and the sight of the
lifeless face on the pillow quite sobered
him. After the funeral he would go to
work, and asked jamie, who was now
his little housekeeper, to put up his din.
ner for him. II will bring it to you"
was her quiet answer. he looked inquir.
ingly into the dark blue eyes fixed on
his face, and he saw all that was meant
in this quiet answer. She knew how he
had spent his "DothiDgs," and as far as
she could help it, there was to be no
more of such miserable waste.
When he was ready to so she had her
little hat in her hand, too, and to his
question, "Where to now, lassie? ?" she
pleaded in answer, "Let me 60 with you
father, to the shop?" He could not say
to her nay, but as they neared the saloon
where he always took his morning dram.
David paused a moment and said, "Run
on, jamie, and i will overtake you st the
corner" to which the little girl, clasping
his rough brown hands tightly with both
of hers, and twining the wee fingers
around his, replied lovingly, eve are sll
alone in the world now, papa: don't &c
anywhere you would be ashamed to have
me go with you'll" He took a step OF
two onward and said, irresolutely, II an
afraid can't go by, I am 80 used te
going in" But she would not yield, and
only answered, "Hold harder to my hand
,na 3.,,t WIND = n ,r;l1 ha over an much