Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-11-24
The Wild Duck Shooter.

/
commended, but how beautiful the char
acter of the poor! e- --
Call to mind the coolest day you ever
experienced Think of the bitter wind
and driving snow; think how you shook
and shivered-how the sharp, white par
ticles were driven against your face, how,
within doors, the carpets were lifted like
billows along the floor, the wind howled
and moaned in the chimneys, windows
creaked doors ratified, and every now and
then heavy Jumps of snow came thunder.
ing down with dull weight from the
roof. .7t
Now, hear my story.
LIN one of the broad, open plains of
Lincolnshire, there is a long, reedy sheet
Of water,a tavorite resort Of wild ducks.
AT the northern extremity there stands
two mud cottages, old and out of re-
pair
One bitter, bitter night, when the snow
lay three feet on the ground, and cut
ting east wind was. driving and whistling
among the dry, frozen reeds by the wa
ter's edge, and swinging the bare willow
trees till their branches swept the ice,
an old woman sat spinning in one of these
cottages before moderately cheerful
fire. Her kettle was singing on the Goals,
she had a areed candle or home made rush
light OH her table, but the full moon shone
in, and was the brighter light ofthe two.
These two cottages were far from the
road any other habitation; the old
woman was therefore surprised, as she
sat drawing out her thread, grooming an
old north country song, to hear a sudden
knock at the door.
Hwas loud and impatient, not like the
knock of her ncighbors in the other cot
tages; but the door was bolted, and the
old woman rose and shuflling to the win
dow, looked out, and saw a shivering fig
ure, apparently that of youth.
''Trampers," said the old woman sen
tentiouly; "tramping folk be not wanted
here" SO saying, she went back to the
fire, without deigning to answer the
door. -..
The youth, upon this, tried the door
and called to her to leg admittance.-
She heard him rap the snow from his
shoes against her Intel, and again knock
ed as if he thought she was deaf and he
should surely gain admittance if he could
make her hear. ,.....
The old woman, surprised at his audac-
ity, went to the easement, and. with all
her pride of possession, opened it, and
enquired his business.
Good woman" the stranger began, 81
only want a seat at your fire."
@sNay," said the old woman, giving eff
feet to her words by her uncouth dialect,
''thoul't get no shelter here; I've naught
to give to beggars-a dirty wet critter,"
she continued, wrathfully slamming to
the window, ''it's wonder where he
found any water, too, seeing it freezes so
hard body can get none for the kettle,
save what is broken up with hatchet.'
On this, the beggar turned hastily
away.
And at this point in his narrative the
person who told it to me, stopped and
said ..'.
'Do you think the old woman was
very much to blame ?"
''She might have acted more kindly
l replied "but why do you ask ?''
Because" he said, 81 have heard her
conduct SO much reflected on by those
who would have thought nothing of it il
it had not been for the consequences
"She might have turned him away
less roughly observed ,.'
'That is true" he continued, "but in
any case, | think, though we might give
them food or money, we should hardly in.
vite beggars to sit by the fire."
Certainly not" | replied, "and this
woman could not tell that the beggar was
honest."i J'f t.l".' '-
NO." said he. "But l must go on
with my narrative"
The stranger turned very hastily away
from the door, and waded through the
deep snow towards the other cottage
The bitter wind helped to drive him to
wards it. 1t looked no less poor than tho
first, and when he had tried the door
found it bolted, and knocked twice with
out attracting attention, his heart sanl
with in him. His hand was so numb
with cold, that he made scarcely any
noise; he tried again. ,.,- ,,,1 ..'t.....l
A rush candle was burning within anG
amatronly looking woman sat before tn,
fire, She held an infant in her arms, ant
had dropped asleep but his third knocl
reused her and, wrapping her apron
around her child, she opened the door
little way, and demanded what he want
ed.
"Good woman" the youth began, 6,
had the misfortune to fall in the wate
this bitter night, and am SO numbed
can hardly walk" tsae
The woman gave him sudden, ,earnes
look, and then sighed. .-,..,
"Come in" said she, ''thou art so nigl
the size of my Jem, thought at first i
was him come home from sea-"
The youth stepped across the thres
hold, trembling with cold and wet anC
no wonder, for his clothes were complete