Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-02-28
THE LITTLE OUTCAsT.

thing you give me, cut wood, 60 for
water, and do all your errands."
The troubled eyes of the speaker were
filled with tears. 1t was lad that
stood at the outer door, pleading with
kindly looking woman, who still seemed
to doubt the reality Of his good inten-
tons.
The cottage stood by itself on bleak
moor, or what in Scotland would have
been called such. The time was near
the latter end of September, and fierce
wind ratified the boughs of the only two
naked trees near the house, and fed
with u shivering sound into the narrow
doorway, as if seeking for warmth at the
blazing fire within.
Now and then snow fake touched
with it's soft chill the cheek of the lis
tener, or whitened the angry redness Of
the moor boys benumbed hands.
The woman was evidently 10th to
grant the boys request; and the pecu-
liar look stamped upon his features
would have suggested to any mind an
idea of depravity far beyond his years.
But the woman's heart could not resist
the sorrow in those large, but by no
means handsome gray eyes.
''Come in, at any rate, till the good
man comes home. There, sit down by
the fire; you look perishing with cold, !"
and she drew rude chair up to the
warmest corner; then, suspiciously
glancing at the child from the corner of
her eyes, she continued setting the table
for supper.
Presently came the tramp of heavy
shoes, the door was swung open with a
quick jerk, and the "good man. present.
ed himself wearied with labor. 4 look
of intelligence passed between his wife
and himself. He, too, scanned the boys S
face with an expression not evincing
satisfaction, but nevertheless made him
come to the table, and then enjoyed the
zest with which he dispatched shis
supper.
Day after day passed, and yet the
poor boy begged to be kept "only till
to- m morrow" So the good people, after
due consideration, concluded that so
long as be was so docile and worked so
heartily they would retain him.
One day, in the middle of winter, a
peddler, long accustomed to trade at the
cottage, made his appearance and dis
posed of his goods readily, as if be had
been waited for.
"You have boy out there splitting
wood, see," he said, pointing to the
yard.
sYes; do you know him7'
II have seen him." replied the ped
dler evasively.
"And where? Who is he? What is
he?''
"a jail Bird" and the peddler swung
his pack over his shoulder. "That boy,
young as he looks | saw in court, my
self, and heard his sentence, ten months
He's bad one; you'd do we'll to look
carefully after him.
O.! there was something SO horrible
in the word '.jail," the poor woman
trembled as she laid away her purch asesi
nor could she be easy till she called the
boy in, and assured him that she knew
that dark part of his story.
Ashamed, distressed the child hung
down his head; his cheeks seemed burst
ing with hot blood; his lips quivered
and anguish was painted as wildly on
his forehead as if the words were bran
ded into the flesh.
| "Well," he muttered, his whole frame
relaxing, as if burden had suddenly
rolled off, 81 might as well go to ruin
at once; there's no use in my trying to
do better; everybody hates and despises
me, nobody cares about me; 1 may as
we'll go to ruin at once
Tell me-" said the woman, who stood
off far enough for fight if that was nee.
essary, chow came you to go SO young
to that dreadful place? Where was
your mothar-where?'
COL" exclaimed the boy with burst
of grief that was terrible to behold
90! | hain't any mother! O! hahn
any mother ever since l was baby
If I'd only had mother" he continued
his anguish growing more vehement
and the tears gushing out from hi
strange looking gray eyes, I wouldn
ha' been bound, and kicked, and suf
fered, and laid on with whips.
wouldn ha been saucy, and got knocked
down and run away, and then stole be
cause l was hungry. o! | haint go
no mother; haint got no mother;
haven't had no mother since | was
baby!'
The strength was all gone from tn
poor boy, and he sank on his knees
sobbing great choking sobs, and rub
bing the hot tears away with his poo
knuckles. And did that woman stant
there unmoved? Did she coldly BIZ
him pack up and be of-the Jail bird
No, no. She had been mother, ant
though all her children slept under th
cold sod in the churchyard, she was
) mother still She went up to that poo
J boy, not to hasten him away, but to la.
, her fingers kindly, softl ly on his head
to tell him to look up, and from thence
t forth to find in her a mother. Yes, sh
even put her arms about the neck O
that forsaken child; she poured fror
her mothers heart sweet, womanl
, words-words of counsel and tender
, ness.
o how sweet was her sleep that night
how sof. her piilowl She had linked
poor suffering heart to: hers by the mos
t silken and the strongest bands of love
+ she had plucked some therns from tn
path of little SHINING but strivin
5 mortal.
Did the boy leave her? Never! H
3 is with her still, vigorous, mani
+; promising youth. The unfavorable cas-
f of his countenance has given place t
t an open, pleasing expression, wit
| depth enough to make it an interestin