Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 September 1881 — EDWARD MILLS AND GEORGE BENTON. [ARTICLE]

EDWARD MILLS AND GEORGE BENTON.

A TALI BY MASK TWAIN. These two were distantly related to each other—seventh 'cousins, or something of that sOrt- ( While still babies they became orphans, and were adopted by the Brants, a childless couple, who quickly grew very fond of them. The Brants were always saying:."Be pure, honest, sober, industrious and considerate of others, aifd success iu life is assured.*’ The children heard this repeated some thousands of times before they understood it ; ; they could' repeat it themselves long before they could repeat the Lord’s prayer; it was Tainted over the Nurserydoor,and was about the first thing they* learned to read. It was destined to become the universal rule of Edward Mills’ life. Sometimes the Brants changed the wording a little and said: "Be paire, honest, sober, industrious, considerate, ana you will never lack friends,”./ Baby Mills was a comfort to everybody about him. When be wanted candy and could not have it. be listened to reason, and contents himself without it When Baby Benton wanted candy he cried for it until he got it. Baby Mills took care of his toys. Baby Benton always destroyed his in a very brief time, and them made himself so insistently disagreeable that in order to have peace in the mouse, little Edward was persuaded to yield up his playthings to him. When th? children were a little older Georgie became a heavy expense in one respect; he took no care of bis clothes, consequently he shone frequently in new ones, which was not the ease with Eddie The boys grew ap&ce. Eddie was an increasing comfort; Georgie an iucrea«ing\soiicitude. It was always sufficient to say in/ answer to Eddie’s petitions, "I would rather you would ' not do it ’—meaning swimming, skat- ] ing, picnicing, berrying, circusing, and i alhaorts of things- which boys, delight ! iny But no answer was sufficient for . Georgie; he had to be humored in bis j desires, or he would carry them with a ' high . baud. - Naturally, no boy got 1 more swimming,skating, berrying etc-, than he; no boy ever had a better time. The good Brants -did not allow the boys to play out after nine o’clock in summer evenings; they were sent to be«| kt that hour. Eddie honorably remained, but Georgie usually slipped out of the window towards 10 and enjoyed himself'until midnight It seemed impossible to break Georgie of tLis bad habit, but the Brants managed it at last by hiring him with apples and ■ marbles, to stay iu. The good Brants gave all their time and attention in vain endeavors to regulate Georgie; they said, with giateful (ears in their eves, that Eddie needed no efforts of theirs, he was so good, so considerate, and.in all ways so perfect By and by the Loys were big enqugh to work, so they Were apprenticed to a trade. Edward went volun tariaiy; George was coaxed and and bribed. Edward worked hard and faithfully, aud ceased to be an expense to the good'Brants; they praised him, so did his master; but George ran away, and it cost Mr. Brant bot.i money aud trouble to hunt him up and get him back. By aud by he ran away again—more money and more trouble. He ran away a third time, and stole a few little things to carry with him. Troubleami expense for Mr. l-rant once more, besides, it was with the greatest difficulty that he succedcd in persuading the master to let the youth go unprosecuted for the theft. ’ - Edward worked steadily along, aiid in time became a full partner in hie master’s business. George did not im- • prove; he kept the hearts of his • aged benefactors full of trouble and iheir hands full of inventvie activities to pro tect hipa from ruin. • Edward, as a boy -had interested himself in Sundayschools, Debating Societies, Penny missionary affairs, anti-tooacco or-ganixnXjfons.auti-profanity associations and adi such things; as a man he was a quiet but steady' and reliable helper in tlie’Cdureli, the temperance societies w 4 kll movements looking to the aiding and uplifting of men. This excited no remark, attracted no aitention, for it was his "natural.bent.” Finally the old people e died. The will testified their loving pride iu Elward, land left their little property to George.— because he "heeded’it;” whereas, "owing to a bountiful Providence.” such was noj the case with Edward. The property was left to George conditionally; he must buy out Edward's partner .pith it, else go to a benevolent organization called the Prisoner’s Friend Society. Th 6 old people left a letter, iu which they begged their dear son Edward to take their place and watch over Qeprge.aud lielpand shield him as they had done. Edward dutifully acquiesbed, and George became his partner in the business. He was not a valuablejpartner; he had been middling with dnuk beforejhe soon developed iuto a constant tippler, now. and his- flesh aud eyes sbowid the fact unpleasantly. Edward, had been courting a sweet' and kindlv spirited girl for some time. They loved each other dearly, and . But about this period George began to haunt her fearfully and imploringly, and at last she west crying to Edward and said her high and holy duty was plain before her—she must not let her —she must notlethcr own selfish desires interfere with it; she must marry' "poor George” and "reforih him.” It would break her- heart, she knew It would, and so on; but duly was duty. 80 she married George, and Edward's heart came very near breaking, as well as her owu. However, Edward recovered. and married another girl—a very excellent one she was. too. Children came to both families Mary did her he nest best to reform her irusLand, but the contract was too large. George went on drinking, and I y aud by he fell to misusing her aud ♦no it tie ones sadly. A great manvgood people strove with George—they . were always at it,in- fact—but he calmly took such efforts as his due and their duty, and did not mend his ways. He added a vice,’ presently—that of secret Em bling.' He got deeply in debt; he rrowed money on the firms credit,as quietly as he could, and carried thia system so far and so successfully that one morning the Sheriff took possees- ' ion of the establishment, and the two cousins found themselves penniless. fimes were hard,now,and they grew worse. Edward moved his family- into a garret, and walked the streets day and night, seeking work. He begged for it, but it was really not to be had He was astonished to see how soon his face became un welcome;he was astonished and hurt to see how quickly the ancient interest which people had In him faded out and disappeared, Htili, be must get work; ao he awaOogred hb

chagrin and toited on in aearchof Ik At last he got a tab of carrying bricks Sa ladder in a nod. and w a irateman in consequence ;but after that nobody knew him -or eared anything about him. He was not able to keep up his dues in the various moral organizations to which he belonged,and had to endure the sharp pain of seeing himself brought under the disgrace of suspension. But the faster Edward died out of public knowledge and Interest the faster George rose in them He was lying, ragged and drunk, in the gutter one morning. - A member of the Ladies’ Temperance Refuge fished him out and took him in hand, got up a subscription for him, kept him sober a whole week, then got a situation for him. An account of it was published. General attention was thus drawn to the poor fellow, and a great many people came forward and helped him toward reform with their countenance and encouragement. He did not drink a drop for twe months, and meanwhile was the pet of the good. Then he fell—in the gutter; and there was general sorrow and lamentation. But the noble sisterhood rescued him again. They cleaned him up, they fed him, they listened to the mournful music of his repentances, they got him bis situation again. An account of this also was published, and the town was drowned in happy tears over the restoration of thef poor beset and struggling victim of the fatal bowl. A grand temperance revival was gotten up, and after some rousing speeches bad been made the Chairman said, impressively, "We are now about to call for signers; and I think there is a spectacle in store for you which not many in this house will be able to view with dry eyes.” There was an eloquent-pause, and then George Benton escorted by a red sashed detachment of the Ladies of Refuge, stepped forward upon the platform and signed the pledge. The air was rent with applause, and everybody cried for joy. Everybody wrung the Rand of the new convert whe'n the meeting was over: his salary was enlarged the next day; he-was the talk of the town, and its hero. An account of it was published. George Benton fell regularly every three months, but was faithfully rescued and wrought with every time and good situations were fouqd for hiiii. Finally he was taken around ’the country lecturing as a reformed drunkard, and he had great houses and did an immense amount of good. He was as popular at home, and so trusted—during his sober intervals—that he was enabled to use the name of,a principal citizen, and get a large sum of money st the bank. A mighty Eressure was brought to bear to save im from the consequences of his forgery, and it was partially successful—he was "sent up” for only two years. When, at the end of a year, the tireless efforts were crowned with success, and he emerged from the penitentiary with a pardon in his pocket, the Prisoner’s. I Friend Society met him at the door | with a situation aud a comfortable ; salary, and all (he other benevolent ! people came forward and gave him advic?, encouragement and help. Edwatd Stills had once applied -to the | Prisoner’s Friend Society for a situaI tion. when in dire need, but the «>ues--1 tion, "Have you oeen a prisoner?” i made brief work of his case. While all these things were going on : Edward Mills had been quietly maki ing head against adversity. He was 1 .still poor, but in receipt of a steady ! and sufficient salary, as the respected and trusted cashier of a bank. George Benton never came near him, aud was never htarft to inquire about him. George got to indulging iu long absences from the town; there were ill ; reports about Jjim, but nothing indit finite. One winter’s night some masked burglars forced . their way into the bank, aud found Edward Mills there i alone. . They commanded him to re- ‘ veal the "combination,” so that they i could get into the safe. He refused. They threatened his life. He said his hir employers trusted him, and he . could not be a traitor to that trust. He eould die if lie must, bnt while he, I lived he would"le faithful;, he would ■ uht yield up the combination.” The burglars killed him. The detective bunted down the o.rim« 1 iuals, the chief one proved to be George I BeUton. A wide sympathy was felt ' for the widow and orphans of the dead .man, and all the newspapers in the land begged that all the banks in the laud would testify their appreciation of the fidelity and heroism of the murdered cashier by coming forward with a • generous contribution of money iu aid of his family now bereft of support. The result was a mass of solid cash amounting to upward of ssoo an average of nearly three-eights of a cent for each bank in the Union. The cashici’s bank testified its gratitude by endeavoring to show (but humiliatingly failed in it) that the peerless servant’s accounts were not square, and that he himself knocked his brains out with a bludgeon to escape detection and punishment. George Betfton was held for .trial. Then everybody seemed to forget the widow ana orphans in their solicitude for po i George Everything that money aud influence could do wasdone to save him; but all failed, and he was sentenced to death. Straightway the Governor was besieged with petitions for commutation of pardon; they were brought py tearful youug girls; by sorrowfuUold maids; by d put aliens of pathetic widows; by shoals of impressive orphans. But no, the Governor — for once—would not yield. Now George Benton experienced religion. The glad news flew all around. From that time forth his cell was full of girls and women and fresh flowers. All the day long there was prayer, and hymn-singing, aud thanksgiving, and homilies, and tears, with never an interruption, except an occasional fivemiuutes intermission for refreshments. This sort of thing continued up to the very gallows, and George Benton went proudly home, in the black can, before a wailing audience <jf the sweetest and liest that the region could produce. His grave had fresh flowers on it every day for a while, and the headstone bore the words under it and pointing aloft: "He has fought the good fight.” "The brave cashier’s headstone has this inscrintion: "Be pure, honest, sober, industrious and considerate, and you will never ” Nobody knotps who gave the order to leave it that way, but it was <so given. The cashier's family are in stringenj circumstances now, it is said; but no matter, a lot of appreciative people, who were not willing that an act so brave aud true as his should go unrewarded, have, collected $42,000 —and built a memorial church with it.