The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-04-10
THE MANATTHE DOOR.
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

blew SO could hardly do it, and the
sleet was beating on the panes, and the
bare trees were groaning and moaning
as if they suffered in the storm. "No
tramps here; I'm lone woman, and l
am afraid of EN-"
Then the man l hadn't seen yet, for
the dark, went away from the door.
Champ, champ, champ, came the man
back again and knocked on the door
knocked not half as loud as he did be-
fore-and l opened it, hot and angry.
This time l saw his face-a pale ghost
of face-with a yellow brown hair,
cropped close, and great staring blue
eyes, and he put his hand against the
door and held it open.
"How near is the next house ma'am?'
said he.
"Three miles or more," said /.
"And that is not tavern9"
NO. said l; "no drinks to be got
there; it is Miss Mitten's, and she's as
set agin tramps as l 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 its
bitter cold. I've been trying to get to
my parents at Greenbank, where can
rest till Pm better; and all my money
was stolen from me three days ago. You
needn't be afraid; let me just lie before
the fire, and only give me a crust, the
stalest crust, to keep me from starving,
and the Lord will bless you for it,"
And then he looked at rue with his
wild blue eyes in a way that would
have made ME do il, if it hadn'G been I'd
seen so much of these 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 thonght, and then-for
was at the garret window-shouldered
his erutches and tramped it with the
strongest.
"No doubt your pocket is full of mon
ey," said /, "and you only want a chance
to rob and murder ME. Go away with
your
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking
cakes in the kitchen. Just then she
came to the door, and motioned with
her mouth to me: "DO let him stay,
auntie;" and if hadn't had good sense
| might, but knew better than chick
ST sixteen.
$50 away with You" says l, louder
than before. 81 won't have this any
longer"
And he gave kind of groan, and
took his hand from the latch, and went
champ, champ, champ, through the fro
zen snow again; and l thought MIN gone,
when there he was once moIe hardly
with Il knock at ala faint touch like
a child's now.
And when opened the door again he
came quite in, and stood leaning on his
caue, pale as a ghost, his eyes bigger
than ever.
"Well, of all inpudence.' said |.
He looked at me and said: MADAM,
l have u mother at Greenbank. want
to live to see her. | shall not if try to
90 any further tonight"
They all want TO see their mothers"
and Just then it came into my mind that
| hoped my son Charlie, who had been a
real soldier, an officer he had come to he,
mind you, wanted to see his, and would
soon.
81 have been wounded, as you see,"
said he.
"Don't go a showing me your hurts"
said l; "they buy 'em, so they told me,
to 90 begging with now. l read the
papers, tell ye, and am principled,
and SOS eur clergyman, agin giving
anything, unless it's through some we'll
organized society. Tramps are my
abomination. And as to keeping you
all night, you can'texpect that ofdecent
folks-gow
Drusilla came to the door and said:
LET him stay, auntie," with her lips
again, but took no notice.
So he went, and this time did not
come back, and sat down by the fire,
and smelt the baking cakes and the
apples stewing; and the tea drawing
on the kitchen stove; aud | ought to
have been very comfortable, but l was
not. Something seemed tugging at my
heart all the time.
gave tue fire poke, and lit another
candle to cheer myself up, and / went
to my work-basket to get the sock l
had been knitting for my Charlie, and
as | went to get it l saw something lying
on the floor. l picked it mp. 1t was an
old tobacco pouch, ever so much like
the one | gave Charlie, with fringe
around it, and written on it in ink:
"From G. f. to K. H." and inside was
bit of tobacco and an old pipe, and a
letter, rumpled old letter; and when
| spread it out saw on the top, "My
dear SON.
| knew the beggar must have dropped
it, and my heart gave one big thump,
as though it had been turned into a
hammer.
Perhaps the story was true, aud he
had mother. ! shivered all over, and
the fire and the candles and the nice
comfortable smells might as we'll not
have been at all. | was cold and
wretched.
And over and over again had to say
to myself what heard our pastor say
so often "Never give anything to
chance beggars, my dear friends; al
ways bestow your aims on worthy per-
sons, through well-organized societies" !"
before could get bit of comfort. And
what an old fool was to cry, thought,
when found my cheeks wet.
But did not cry long. for as 1 sat
there, dash and crash and jingle came a
sleigh over the road, and it stopped at
our gate, and heard my Charles voice
crying, "Halloa, motherw Aud out /
went to the door, and had him in my
arms-my great tall, handsome brown
son. And there he was in his uniform,
with his pretty shoulder straps, and as
hearty as he never had been through
any hardships. He had to leave me
to put the horses up, and then l
had by the fire my own son. And Dru-
silla, who had been up stairs and had
been crying-wby, 1 wonder f-came
down all in ffutter-for they were like
brother and sister-and he kissed her
and she kissed him, and then away she
went to set the table, and the nice hot
things smoked on a cloth as white as
snow; and how Charlie enjoyed them!
But once, in the midst of all, felt q
frightened feeling come over, and 1
know turned pale, for Drusilla said,
What is the matter, Aunt Fairfax
said nothing; but it was this: Kind
O. like the ghost of step, going champ,
champ, over the frozen snow; kind O.
like the ghost ola voice saying: "Let