Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-03-26
THE GOOD ANGEL.
81 OCTAVE THANET.

You lnow-and, III the third place, I'm
interested in the case itself. think you
may depend l shall not run crooked,
Roger, end I'd little rather you
wouldn't show me up to the Reislings.
1t is a new sensation being respected
morally. give you my word I'll re-
sign and take myself. off to the dogs
alone if l feel the bad fit coming.
1T struck me there was something
different about Jimmy. J couldn t put
my finger ON it, but felt it, just as you
feel when your witness is telling you
the truth. promised, and we had an
amazingly pleasant half hour Then
Jimmy had to betake himself to REFS
ling.
He has been drinking very hard,
said jimmy, but now we have corralled
him III his room and taken all his
clothes away except pyjamas, so he is
just where we want him
THAT evening, as l was waiting for
Mrs. Reisling in their parlor, l had an
interesting insight into Jimmy's meth
DDS. My clients bedchamber was TIE
Eext room, and / could hear him offer
ing Jimmy 800 for a suit OF ready
made clothes.
III tell You something, Mr. 2eis-
ling, responded Jimmy S imperturbable
accents. I am gentleman. Kindly
don't insult me with bribery and cor
ruption. You haven't enough money to
buy suit Of clothes for me. See?'
don't know why I'm so stuck on
you, Reisling whimpered back; 'you're
forever slanging me. Why don t send
you OFF,
Possibly you have drop of sense
left. and recognize l am your only
chance of bracing up and living like
MA and not a dog says Jimmy sweet
". Now you lie down, and I'll sing to
you.
Jimmy had most lovely voice.
That was one reason despaired of him.
When SO much sensibility and tender
ness and indescribable purity of melody
get into voice it generally implies that
the music has scraped the fellows con-
science bare; all the pretty things are
in the voice, and none left in the moral
nature. But that merely my theory
myself, / don't know one tune from an
other without the words. Jimmy did
have AN angelic voice Now he began to
sing. Rock Me TO Sleep, Mother. in his
most affecting manner. Directly there
comes a roar from the bed.
Don't want me to warbler says
Jimmy sweetly.
Want you to sing something lively,
growls the audience.
. You don't need anything lively,
answers Jimmy placidly; what you re-
quire is to have your conscience awak-
ened and your affections touched and
general kind of wish -you-were-dead feel
ing encouraged.
g Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take
" Drop that pillow You'll have to go
without sleeping accommodations if
you hurl them all at me. But anything
to please.
Nelly was a lady; last night she died.
Toll the bell for lovely Nell
" That too melancholy too?
:" See how it sparlles, this drink divine,
But all its brightness our eyes outshinep
"Reisling was quiet now, and he re-
rlained quiet, although Jimmy glided
into Old Folks at Home, and when
Mrs. Reisling entered he wa singing
old fashioned hymns. She said that she
didn t know what she should do nth
out Jimmy, and spoke of him with tears
in her eyes. OF course she knew nothing
about Jimmy's real name or his rela-
tion to my wife. The next morning
Jimmy appeared at my Office again He
was more angry than 1 ever had seen
him, and he explained at length Just
how Reisling had outwitted him and
escaped when he took the inebriate to
drive. 1t was comical to watch .Jimmy's
mounting indignation. Particularly did
he bubble over the drunken cunning and
duplicity of his charge.
They are all like that, said l phil
osophically, and the red climbed up in
to the roots of .Jimmy's hair
Was like that he burst forth
II repeated several episodes which at
the time of action had amused Jimmy
more than his friends. He made no
comment From that Time though, mo
ticed that he got into the way OF com
pairing his own past with Reislings
present. The mischief with RcIsling,
said he once very seriously, is that he
thinks he has good time, while he is
driving his wife crazy with anxiety,
wasting his money and running his
health. Suchrotl But, Lord, ain t he an
object lessonp
:" 1 am hoping he will save you, jim
my, said /, whether you save him CT
not.
Oh. I'm going to save the bloom
ing little cad IS soul, said Jim very sol
EMMY, if only ont Of gratitude That
isn't all; he IS really very fond of me,
and he has sorae mighty good streaLs,
so am bou2a to save him. What he
needs is an almighty scare I wish you
would go round and talk little stiff to
him Il was By this time his duly APP
pointed guardian; you used to talk
uncommonly we'll, Roger, says Jim,
with all the assurance in life, and /