Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-02-15
81 WAS A HuHGERED.',

1t was sleeting fast. Evening was fall
ing. The streets were almost deserted.
Suddenly voice at my elbow said, /
am not fit for work aud have eaten nothing
to-day.
! looked at the speaker. He was an
able bodied man, but had lost both arms By
amputation he was evidently a discharged
soldles. He was pale, too, as if from re
cent sickness, or from seanty food. he had
an old threadbarc coat.
My first impulse was to give him some
thing. But my coat was buttoned tight |
could not easily unbutton 1t and continue TO
hold my umbTaella and book and 10 crown
all, the street ear for which had been wait
ing, at that moment came up.
i haven nothing to-day, said turn
ing from the man and beckoning to the
driver.
| heard sigh, as / turned and was on
the point Of reeonsidering my decision, but
| reflected that If | missed this ear | should
have to wait ten minutes 10 the road. Be
sides. ] said tnySais s'zamehody else
VIII be sure to give hin something
But my heart sm0te me, when, on look
Ing after the man, / saw him 20 sadly down
the street with bent head. Once / thought
OF stopping the car, 0vortaking him aud CIV
ing him half dollar But while | hesita-
ted the ear passed the corner, and he was
out Of sight 1t was too late
did not eat my dinner that day with the
usual appetite could not get that wan
face out of my mind. At times the yituals
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. la vain my littie daughter,
seeing me abStraeted. sang her sweetest
ballads. In vain my wife Sought to cheer
me up, as she said | even dreamed of
the man, If had known where to fnd
him | would have gone the next day. TO sat
lsiy myself that he had received assistance.
But the impression gradually wore off,
There Is so much suffering now in great cit
les that almost every one becomes hardened
to It. l persuaded myself finally that the
man had been helped by others. There
are so many societies to aid soldiers. | said.
1t was uncomfortable to think otherwise.
One morning, about four days after the
interview, my wife was reading the paper,
when she suddenly laid it down and cried,
How shocking.
| do not know how it was, but I felt
sudden chill | thought instantly of that
man wan face. But ! said carelessy, as !
broke my egg.
What is 1t my dear
oh such a horrible story. 4 dischar-
ged soldier, his wife and two children. dy-
ing Of starvation At least the wife is dead
and one Of the children uot expected to live.
None have had anything ts ca. for foaI
days. They were found in an Old 0at-housc.
The husband IS said lo have lost both arms
at Gettysburg.
My hand treml'ed so much that long be-
fore my wife finished, had been compelled
TO lag down my egg unopened She was
looking at the paper md did not see me.
/ had no appetite after that l rose i'm
mediat1i Is aud Aa~teu.d down town, for
was sure this wa the man whose petition /
had rejected.
l went stfaight to see him. | had the
paper in my pocket, aud it directed me TO
the miserable out house, where the suffer
ers had been found
Quite a crowd had Jecn collected on the
outside. But policeman al the door per
mitted ~ one to .oin. Tie knew me, how
ever, aud on my expressing ms wish, allow
ed me 10 enter.
\ sheet, furnished By some poor neigh
Dor, was spread over still waxen face in
the corner; a little girl was sobbing beside
it and man bowed With grief sat at the
foot At the sound of he footsteps he
looked up. It was the same wan face |
had repealed at the corner of the street.
Since that day / have never turned away
from old or young who bad asked aims.
than refuse one who is really in need.