Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-09-12

lOuStls .. : - W. /
And he gave 8 kind Of groan, and took
his hand from the latch, and went
champ, champ, champ, through the
frozen snow again, and ] thought him
gone, when there he was again, with
hardly a knock st ALA faint touch ike
chlld's now.
When Il opened the door again, he
came quite In, and stood leaning on his |
cane, pale as ghost, and his eyes bigger |
than ever, -irTs ATFIE .ff4Ft
NtWeil, OF all impudence,' said |. y I
He looked AZ me, and said he,
Madame, have mother at Greenbank.
want to live to see her | shall not, II
| 90 any further tonight, ....... ........s.
They all want to see their mothers,
said |, and just then IL came into my
mind that hoped my son Charlie, who
had been real soldier, and officer he
had come TO be, mind you, wanted 10 see
his mother, and would soon. r ......
Il have been wounded as you see,
said he. ..st...,, 49,.
'4 Don't 90 to showing me your hurts,
said /. They buy 'em so they told me,
TO goa begging with. / read the pa
pers, tell ye, and I'm principled, and
SOS our clergyman, agin giving any
thing unless it is through some well or
| ganized society. Tramps are my abom-
/ inatiou. And as for Keeping you all
night, you can't expect that Of decent
| folks--gop ..t. ... .. -.
| Drusilla came TO. the door, aud said,
| Let him stay, aunty,' with herlips again,
I but took no notice.
So ne 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 sppleS stewing, and the
tea drawing on the kitchen stove, and |
ought to have been very comfortable,
but I wasn't. Something seemed tug
Cling away at my heart al the time.
! / gave the fire a poke, and lit another
candle to cheer myself up, and went to
my work basket to get the sock I'd been
knitting for Charlie, and as went to get
1t saw something lying on the floor. /
picked it up. 1t was an old tobacco
pouch, ever so much like the one gave
| Charlie with fringe around it, and writ
ten on it with ink was, From G. F. to
&. H. and inside was 8 bit Of tobacco
and an old pipe, and 8 letter, rum
| pied letter, and when spread it out at
the top saw my dear son.
l knew the beggar must have dropped
1t, and then my heart gave one big
thump, as If it had been turned into 8
hammer.
Perhaps the story was true and he
had a mother, | shivered all over, and
the fire and candles and nice comfortable
smells might as well not have been at
all. was wretched and cold.
And over and over again had to say
to myself what I'd heard our pastor say
so often, Never give anything to chance
beggars, my dear friends; always bestow
your aims on worthy persons, through
well organized societies, before l could
get bit OF comfort. And what fool
was to cry, thought, when found my
cheeks so wet. .r.'. .....
| But did not cry long; for, as / sa
there, dash and crash and Jingle came 8
sleigh over the road, and it stopped g.
our gate, and heard my Charles voice
crying:
'Hallao, mother
And went to the door, and had hin
in my arms, my great, tall, handsome
| brown son.
And there he was in his uniform, witt
his pretty shoulder straps, and as hearty
as II he never had been through any
hardships. And Drusilla, who had beer
up stairs, and had been crying,--why,
wonder ?--came down in q futter, fol
they were like brother and sister, and h
kissed her, and she kissed him, and ther
away she went to set the table, and thu
nice hot things smoked on cloth white
as snow; and how Charlie enjoyed them
But once, in the midst Of all, / fell
frightened feeling come over me
and | knew turned pale, for Dru
silla said, What is the matter, Aun
Fairfax?' ...sl.s
I said nothing, but it was this: KinC
O. like the ghost of step, going champ
, champ, champ over the frozen snow
kind O. like the ghost OF avoice, saying
Let me lie on the floor before your fire
! and give me any kind OF a crust to eat
kind o like seeing some one who had ;
mother, dropping down on the wintr,
road, and freezing and starving to dealt
, there That was what it was. But
put it away and thought only o
Charlie. -..s..
We drew up together by the fire, whel
tea was done, and he told US thing
about the war I'd never heard before
How the soldiers suffered, and wha
weary marches and short ratioDs the,
. sometimes had. And then he told nj
, how he had been set upon by rebels anC
badly wounded, and, how at the risk o
his own life, fellow-soldier had saveC
!, him, and carried him, fighting his path
back to camp.
I'D never have seen you but for him
said my Charlie, 'and if there is maj
{ on earth that love, it is Rob Hadawa,
s the dearest, the best fellow. View
shared each others rations, and dranl
!, from the same canteen many and man,
t time, and if ever l had a brother,
q couldn't think more of him.
:, Why didn't you bring him home t,
r see your mother, Charlie?' saidI. Why
y I'd loved him too, and anything l coult
/ do for him--for the man who saved IN,