Weekly Trinity journal., 1867-12-14
The Man At the Door.

The Man At the Door.
"No tramps here" said l, and shut the door
in his face, did. The wind blew so could
hardly do it, and the sleet was beating against
the panes, and the bare trees moaned and groan-
ed as if they suffered in the storm. "No tramps
here ) I'm a lone woman, and m afraid OF en-"
Then the man hadn't seen yet for the dark,
went away from the door, champ, champ, champ,
creak as our gate always does and then champ,
champ, champ, the man came back again, and
he knocked on the door-knocked not half so
loud as he did beforehand l opened it hot and
angry. This time saw his face a pale ghost of
face, with yellow-brown hair cropped close,
and great staring blue eyes and he put his hand
against the door and held it open.
How far is the next house, ma am ?" said he.
|" Three miles or more" said I.
"And that is not q tavern?'
"No," said 1, " no drinks to be got there its
Miss Mtten's, and she's as set agin tramps as
am.'
81 don't want drink" said the man, though
do want food. You needn't be afraid to let me
in, ma am I've been wounded, and am not able
to walk far, and my clothes are thin and it's pit
ter cold. I've been trying to get to my parents
at Greenbank, where can rest until am better,
and all my money was stolen from me three days
ago. You needn't be afraid let me just lie be-
fore the fire, and only give me a crust, the
stalest crust, to keep from starving, and the
Lord will bless you for it.
And then he looked at me with his mild blue
eyes in way that would have made me do it il
had not seen so much of those impostors. The
war was just over, and every beggar that came
along said he was a soldier, travelling home, and
had been wounded and robbed. One that had
been fool enough to help, limped away out Of
sight, as he thought; and then, for was at the
garret window, shouldered his crutches, and
tramped it with the strongest.
"No doubt your pocket is full of money" said
/, 'and you only want chance to rob and mur-
der me. Go away with you r'
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking short
cakes in the kitchen. Just then she came to the
door and motioned with her mouth to me, "do
let him stay, Aunty," and if had not had good
sense l might, but knew better than chit of
sixteen.
sGo away with you,'' says l, louder than be-
fore. 81 won't have this any longer"
And he gave me kind of groan, and took
his hand from the latch, and went champ,
champ, champ, through the frozen snow again !;
and 1 thought him gone, when there he was
once more, hardly with knock at ala faint
touch like child's now.
And when l opened the door again he came
quite in, and stood leaning on his cane, pale as
ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
" Well, of all mpudence p' said /.
He looked at me and said, " Madam, have a
mother in Greenbank. Iwant to live to see her.
shall not, if try to 60 any further tonight
I" They all want to see their mothers" said ;
that my son Charlie, who had been real SOL
dier, and officer he came to be, mind you, would
want to see his, and would soon.
/" I have been wounded as you see," said he.
"Don't 60 a showing me your hurts" said |,
I" they buy EN-, so they told me, to 60 begging
with now. read the papers, tell ye, and I'm
principled, and SOS our clergyman, again CIV
ing anything unless it's through some well or
ganzed society. Tramps are my abomination.
And as for keeping you all night, you can't ex-
pect that of decent folks-go."
Drusilla came to the door, and said, " Let him
stay Aunty," with her lips again, but took no
notice of it.
So he went, and this time did not come back
and sat down by the fire, and listened to the
wind and sleet, and felt the warm fire, and smelt
the baking cakes and the apples stewing, and
ought to have been very comfortable, but was
not. Something seemed tugging at my heart all
the time.
gave the FIRE poke, and lit another candle
to cheer myself up, and l went to my work
basket to get the sock I'd been knitting for my
Charlie; and as went to get it saw something
lying on the floor. picked it up. 1t was an
gave Charlie, with fringe around it, and written
on it in ink, &c. F. to R. H." and inside was a
bit of tobacco, an old pipe, and letter, an old
rumpled letter, and when spread it out saw al
the top, "My dear son.
knew the beggar must have dropped it, and
my heart gave one big thump, as though 1t had
been turned into hammer.
Perhaps the story was true, and he had a
mother. / shivered all over, and the fire ana
the candles and the smell of nice comfortaoies
might as we'll as not been at all. was cooi
and wretched. ,s
And over and over again had to say 70 ny DE- Sc"
what | had heard our pastor say 50 o''vu NV
"Never give anything to chance Dess1n ss1n,s IN
dear friends; always bestow you! si"e .o.;e.
worthy persons, through well-organiesst. And
ties y before could get bit OF com,ol' hen
what an old fool was to cry, tnous"''
found my cheeks wet. r., az sat there,
Rut did not cry long, for, .: 80 ovsr ,be
dash crash and jingle came s haord nv
road and stopped at our gate anu u.h.. -, And
Chsr,;e,s voice crying, " Haiios' mo'ne, ~.
~ went TO the door, and hao MIN IN my a,ms,
oa' ,.st tall. handsome, brown son. And there
my go; IN his uniform, with his pretty shoulder
n.sars nc and as hearty as if he had never been
.hranrh any hardships. He had to leave me to
mt the horse up, and then had by the FIRE my
own boy. And Drusilla, who was up stairs, had
beeu CRYING, why / wondered? She came down
all in futter, for they were like brother and