Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-03-21

4 light of recognition broke over
Everard's face, and he clasped the Of,
fered hand with a cordial greeting
1T is no wonder that YOU dill not
recognize me-" the man sad; thanks
to you, | make rather different
figure to what | did on the moor. Bur
yours is face not to be Forgotten"
you ere doing well, apparently,
SmithSon."
81 have linen-draprr'S shop, and
married good girl, and we have two
little ones, and we pay our way" lie
replied.
replied. If you are going my way
| was juSt strolling up the hill for
breath of arI will tell you all
about it. You know, doctor, l could
never have had the courage To face
the world again, but for you. Your
words were always in my ears, The
only atonement we can make il to
accept the consequences manfully and
conquer them 1t was uphill work.
and ! was often ready to throw up
the sponge; but | stuck TO it, and
got through. Everybody knows my
story, but they have mostly forgotten
it. Many Il time when ! was ready
to give up and take to lying ways and
hiding and going to the dcuCe again,
| remembered how you, an honorable
gentleman, who never did wrong. trust
ed and respected me in spite of all,
and | thought, IF he can respect me.
others Will, and | held on. You re-
member the Putney Slogger?"
"Poor Slogger! he had good Heart
Jim"
'IIe goes straight now, and says it
was you that heartened him to it,
He has a green-grocer's cart, and deals
fair"
SmithSon had been Il clerk in a mea-
camille office and, falling into diSslp-
ated ways and consequent debt, helped
himself to petty sums, which gradually
grew larger, UNTIL the usual end Of
such course was reached an APP
pcarance In the prisoners dock and
4 sentence of penal servitude. He was
barely twenty when Everard made his
acquaintance at DartmoOr, and a more
hopeless human being than he did not
exist. He had been brought up by
AN uncle, who now washed his hands
of him forever. Everard pitied the
miserable lad, won his affections and
confidence, showed him how he could
shorten his term by good conduct, inn
pressed upon him that one fault need
N, 1Alitrl,E n
him TO achieve a new reputation.
When he got his ticket-of-lcave he
boldly offered his services in shops
and offices at a low price. in consider
alton of his anteccdcnts, and, after
many rebuf1s and much privation dur
ing a time when he kept himself alive
by casual manual labor. by dint Of
persistence and watching the time
when employers We're short handed. he
got himself taken on as assistant in
Il draper's shop. for which he had done
crrandS and odd jobs.
Here he suffered much from the
taunts and practical jokes Of his fell
low-Shnpmcn, who managed to get
hold of his history, the truth Of winch
he did not deny Did any petty dis
honesty occur, suspicion turned 1T
once to the .ial-bird; nay was any
thing lost III was laid to his account.
More than once he was on THE point
Of being taken into custody, when his
innocence was proved: and once the
roasting and sending to Coventry he
underwent ut the hands of his COM
radcS had become SO intolcrablc that,
in his desperation, he offered to fight
each man separately, in order of sen
iority, on THE condition that the CON
QucrNd were never again to allude to
his unfortunate past. His challenge
was refused on the ground that no
man could Sully his hands by fight
ing him, but ono or two Of the better
disposed from that day dropped the
cruel tyranny; others followed their
example. and SmthSon gradually earn
cd Il character and received full sa-
larry.
Then he saved money, and, having
gained the affections of Girl in the
millinery department of his house, felt
THAT he had won the battle Of life.
They put their savings together and
started in an humble way on their
own account, and now they lad a large
establishment, and paid their way.
They did not. OF course, parade smith
sons anteccdCnts, but they We're de-
trrmined to have no conccalmentS,
and intended that their children, when
of tit age, should know the whole
story Smithson now related to Ever
ard how. mindful Of his own desperate
struggles and misery on leaving prison,
he tried to lend others a helping hand.
10y giving them employment. 1t was,
however. found extremely cult TO
mix them With people of good repnta-
tiun The end of 1t was that his entire
staff both of house and shop, con-
sisted 81 criminals, MI Of whom were
surpassed 10 ignore the antered"ntS Of
the others, AMI many of whom be-
liryrd tho others tn be spotlNSS Many,
whom he was unable 10 employ him
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