Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-02-08

Ii was sieeiing fast hveniDg was falling
The streets wcrs almost deserted.
Suddenly voice at my elbow said, 81
am no, III for work, and have eaten n, thing
TO day"
looked at the speaker. He was an abe.
bodied nan, but had lost both arms by am.
putation; no was evidently = discharged
soldier. lie was pale, too. as II from recent
Sickness OF from scanty food. he had on
On I'D, thscadbass coat
My first impulse vas 10 give him some
thing. But my coat Was buttoned tight; I
could not sssily inhibition II and continue to
hold ny umbrella and book and, 10 Gov o
I'll. the street car, for which had BEEN
waiting. y that moment came up.
~ haven't nothing to- day." said. tusa>
ine from the man and beck0 ning to the
driver.
heard sigh 90 I turned. aud was on
the point Of reconsidering my decision but
| rcvected that il ] missed this Car | should
have to wait ten minutes in the road. BE.
Sides said TO myself, somebody else will
be sure to give him something
But my heart smote me when, on looking
after the man. saw him 90 sadly down
the street with bent head. Once | thought
Of stopping the car, oyertaking the man,
| and giving him hall dollar, But while |
hesit4tcd tho car passed the corner and he
was out OF sight IL was too late.
did not eat my dinner that day with
the usual appetite. could not get ths,
van face out oi my mind. At times the
vic,u,is seemed to choke me. What il he
| really was starving. and 40 one would help
him
All through the evening the mans look
haunted me. Ia vain my little daughter.
seeing ns distracted, sang her swestcs,
ballads. In vain my wife sought to cheer
me up, Is she said. even dreamed Of the
man. II had known where to fad him
would have gone the very next day to eati-fy
myself that he had received assistance.
But the impression gradually wore off,
There is 40 much suffering now in the great
cities that almost every one becomes hard
ened TO u. ! persuaded myself, finally,
that the man had been helped BY others
There are SO many societies 10 aid soldiers,
I SAID. II was uncomfortable TO think 9TH
erwise.
One morning, about four days after the
interview, my wife was reading the paper,
when she suddenly laid il down aud ciied
"l!ow shocking"
do not know how II was but | felt q
scdden chill. ! thought instantly Of that
broke my egg
"What 10 II, my dear r
"Oh such horrible story. A discharg.
ed soldier, his wife and children dying Of
starvation. At least the wife il dead, and
one Of the children not expected to live
None have had anything to eat TOR four
days. They were found IN an old out house.
The husband is said TO have lost both arms
at Gettysburg"
My hand trembled 50 much that, long Le.
fore my wife finished, ] had teen compelled
10 lay down my egg unopened. She was
looking at the paper and d d not see the.
| had no appetite after that ] rose i'm.
mediatsly and FASTENED down town, for
was sure this was tho man whose petition
had rejected
went straight to see h.m. had the pa
per in my pocket, aud it directed me TO the
miserable out>housc where the sufferers
had been found
Quite crowd had been collected outside,
but polio man at the door permitted no
oiic W 10 AZ itc hutW inc, boWtVef, tuO
on my expressing my wish, allowed ne TO
eater.
A sheet. furnished by some poor neigh
bors, was spread over . still, waxen face in
the corner; little girl was sobhing beside
it; and . man. bowed with grief, sat a. tho
foot. At tho sou d Of my footsteps he
looked up. II was the same wan face had
rcpelled At the corner Of tho street.
Since that day have never turned away
from old or young who had asked alms.--
Better give To thousand Who are INV orthy
than refuse one who is really in need.