Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-11-14


Charlie, with fringe around it. and
written on it in ink, From C. r. to
r. II" and inside was hit of TO-
bscco and an old pipe and letter
q rumple,l oil letter. and when ]
spread it out / saw at The top, "My
dear son."
knew the beggar must of dropped
il, and my heart gave one big thump.-
as thongliit had been turne,t into
| hammer.
Perhaps the story was true, and he
had n mother I shivered all over
and the fire and the candles. and the
nice comfortable smells might as
we'll not heen at all. / was cold aud
wretched.
And over and over again / had to
myself what hal heard our pastors
say so often. ..Never give anything
to chance beggars, my dear friends.
always bestow your aims on worthy
persons,Y before I could get bit
OF comfort. And what an old fool
was TO cry, ] thought, when ]
found nv checks were wet.
But | did net cry long. for as ]
sat there, dash and crash and jingle
came sleigh over the road. aud it
stopped at our gate. And heard
my Charities voice crying. s.IIolloa,
mothei!' And out I went to the
door, anil had him in my arms, my
great, tall, handsome, brown son.
And there he was in his uniftrH.
with his pretty shoulder straps, and
as healthy as il he had never heen
through any hardships. lie had TO
leave me tn put the horse up, and
then i hal lay the fire again my own
hoy And Drusilla, who had been
mp stairs. and had been crying-wlv,
| wonder?-came down all in a flut
| ter--for they were like brother and
sieter--and he kissed her and she
kissed him. and then away she went
to set the table, and the nice hot
things smoked on q cloth as white as
snow; and how Charlie enjoyed them
liut once in the lniist of alt. | felt
frightened feeling come over me, and
know turned pale, for Dru-i!la
sail. Nv hat Is the matter, Aunt Fair
fax"
| said nothing, hut it was this: Kind
% like the ghost OF step, going
champ. champ, over the frozen snOH
kind % like the ghost of voice.
say ils: LET me lie on the fl ,or be
fore your fire, and give me any kind
of crust kind o. like serin some
one that had Il mother dropping down
on the win.ry road and freezing and
starving To death there That was
what it was. But put it away and
only thought of Charlie.
We all drew up before the fire
when tea WAS done, and lie told me
things about the war FL never heard
before. How the soldiers suffered,
and weary marches and short rations
they sometimes hal. And then he
told me how his life had been in dan
! ger; how he had been set upon by
the enemies and badly wouurle,f; and
how at the risk OF his own life Il fel
low sol lipr had saved i'm. and car
ried him away, lighting his way to
camp
ia never have seen you bnt for
him" says Charlie. And if there
is man on earth | love it is Bob Had
1way-the dearest, best fellow. We
have shared each others rations and
drank from the same canieen many
aud many Il time; and ii ever had %
brother could not think more Of
him."
why didn't you bring him home
to see your mother, Charlie?" said |
why. d love him, too, and any
thing / could do for him for the
man who saved my boys life
coulln't he naught. Send for him,
Charlie
But Charlie shook his head and
covered hi, face with his hands.
"MoLlier," said he, Il don't know
whether Bob tiadaway is alive or
dead TO day. While was still in
the ranks he was prisoner--Pd
give my right hand to he able to do
him any good; hut | can find no
:race of him. And he had mother,
too, and she was SO fond OF him.
1 She lives ut Creenbank, poor old
lady My dear, good, noble Bob,
the preserver of my life!" And /
saw Charlie was near crying.
Not TO let us see the tears, he got
up ami went to the mantlepiece. ]
I ia not look around until l heard q
cry:
Great heavens! What is il?"
And | turned and Charlie had the
tobacco pouch the man had dropped
III his hand.
Where did this come from?" said
lie. IL feel as though / had seen q
ghost. l gave this to Bob lladaway
the night he saved me. We soldiers
had not much to give, yon know. and
he vowed never to part with it while
he lived. How did it come here,
moihel?'
And I fell back in my chair, white
and cold. and / said. "a wandering
tramp left it here. Never your Bob
my dear; never your Bob. " lie
r must have been an imposter.
/, wouldn't have turned away person
really in want. Oh! no, no; it's an.
other. pouch, child; not that. or ht
stole it. A tall fellow, with blue
eyes. and yellow brown hair; wonnd
ed, lie said. and going to his mother
at Greenbank; Not your Rob.
| And Charlie stood staring at me
t with clencLed hands; and said he
1T was my Rob. it was my dear old
/. Rob, who saved my life, and yot
5 have driven him ont in such nigh
as this. mother My mother TO us'
t Rob, sor'
e "Curse me. Charlie" said ], "curs'
4 me if you like; I'm afraid God will
4 Three times he came back, tire,
: times asked only for n crust and
i place to lie, and drove him away