The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1867-02-13
II WAS a HUNGERED."

sI' wv ND a. nUNO Eh Eli. vs#484 n8 H
1t was sleeiins first. Evening was fall
ing. The.stteets wese almost deserted,
Suddenly a voice at my elbow said.
am not 6l Tor work and have eatennQ Qth,pg
,o:day..a s salak III ls7sa4.f
Hooked at the speaker. He wasaa able
bodied man, but had lost tbolh arms by am.
pn,ation ;jhe was evidently a discharged
soldier. lie was pale. too. .asN from recent
sickness. or from .scanty food. lie had Oh
an old, thread bare coat. a sH a
Ny 6rst impulse was to give him sope-
thing. But my coat was buttoned i'sh,
could not easily lnbutton il and continue
10 hold my umbrella and bonk and 20
crown all. the street car for which l had
been waiting, ut that moment came up.
Il hayea't anything to-day" ! said,
turning from ne man anil 5eekoalns - The
driver. h f I 6ss .9E 11
( heard = sigh. as turned, aud sasoqn
the point ofrcconsiderng my decision, but
reflected that il Imlssed this car should
have 10 wait ten minutes in the road. I. /" Be-
sides" said 10 myself. !. sOlnebody else
will be sure to give him something"
but my heart smnte me, when, On look
ing aftcrih man, | saw him 20 sadly down
tue street With bent head. Once | thought
Of stopping the car, .overtaking the man,
and giving him bali dollar. But while
hesitated, ,hc car passed the corner, and
lie went out of sight. Ii was too late. sa
did no, eat my dinner. that day. with
the usual appetite. | could MT get that
wan face out Of my mind. At times the
yictuals seemed TO choke me. What if he
really was starving and no one would help
him.
All through the evening the mans look
haunted me. In vain my little daughter,
seeing me distracted. sang her sweetest baIs
lads. In vain my wife sought TO cheer
me up" as she said. l,eyen dreamed OF
the man. Ii | had known where to end
h,m. would have gune the next day, to
satisfy msseli that be had received assis-
tance.
But the impression gradually wore of.
There is 50 much suffering no" IN great CT
tres, that almost every one becomes harden
Ell 10 il, persuaded my self finally that the
man had been helped by others. There
are so many societies 10 help soldiers," |
said. Il was uncomfortable to think other
wisr.
One morniug. about four DAYS after the
interview. my vile was reading The paper.
when she suddenly laid il down, and cried
!" How shocking"
do mot know how il was. but felt a
sudden chill. thought instantly Of that
mans wan face. But said carelessly as
broke my egg.
What is IL. my dear !"
"0h! such horrible story. A disrharg-
ed soldier. his wife and two children, dy-
Ing Of starvation. AT least the wife is
dead, and one of the children not expected
10 I've. None have had any thing to eat in
four days. They we're found 10 an old out
house. The husband is said TO have lost
both arms AZ Gettysburg"
My hand iremhled 50 much that long be-
fore my wife finished. 1 had been COMPEL.
ed 10 lay down my egg unopened. She was
locking at The paper and did not see me.
had no appetite alter that. | rose i'm
,nediately, and FASTENED down town, for
was surs thi, was The man whose petition
hal rejected.
I went straight to see him. had the
paper in my pocket, and il directed me 10
the miserable nut house. where the suller-
ers had been found,
!. Quite a, crowd had been collected out
side. Bata policeman. .at the door permit
ted no one 10 "a in. lie knew me. how
ever. aud on my expressing my wish, al
lowed me 10 enter,
The sheet. furnished BY some poor neigh
Dor. was spread over still waren face in
the corusr, q little girl was sobbing be.
side 1t, and a man bowed With grief sat a.
the font. Al the sound of my footsteps
he looked up. II was the same van face
l,had .repslled at the corner of the street.
Since that day I'hsvs never turned a.
way from old or young who has asked