Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1868-01-29
A MAN AT THE DOOR.

| lug anu moaning as III tney SuIereu III tn6
| storm.
mo tramps here, I'm a lone woman, and
| I'm afraid of EN-
Then the man / hadn't seen yet for the
dark, went away from the door-champ,
champ, came through the slush, and |
heard the gate creak, and then champ,
champ, came the man back again. and he
knocked on the door-knocked not half SO
| loud as he had beforehand [ opened it, hot
and angry This time | saw his face,a pale
ghostly face, with yellow brown hair crop
! ped close, and great staring blue eyes; and
he put his hand against the door and held
it open.
How far is it to the next house, ma ami"
said he.
Three miles or MORE" said l.
And there is no tavern?''
NO" said L mo drinks to be got
there; it's Miss Mitten's; she's as Set "a
gaiust tramps as | am.
II don't want to drink: said the man,
''but | want food You needn' be afraid
to let me In, Ma am. I've been wound
ed, and am not able to walk far, and my
clothes are thin, and it s bitter cold. I've
been trying to get to my parents at Green
| bank, where | can rest until [ m better, and
all my money was stolen from me three days
ago. You needn be afraiI; just let me lie
before the fire, and give me a crust to keep
me 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, if i hadn t seen
SO much of those imposters. The war was
just over, and every beggar that came along
SAID that he was q 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, aud then,
for | was at the garret window, shouldered
his crutches, and tramped it with the strong
est.
NO doubt your pocket is full of money"
said L, and you only want chance to rob
and murder me- Go away with you.
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking
cakes in the kitchen. Just then she came
to the door and motloned with her mouth
to me, DO let him stay, aunty," and if L
hadn' good sense | might, but l knew bet
ter than chit of seventeen.
$50 away with you, says /, louder than
before. / won't have this any longer.
And he gave kind of groan, and took
his hand from the latch, and went champ,
champ, through the frozen snow again and
| thought him gone, when there he was
once more, hardly like a knock at ala
faint touch like a child S now.
And when [ opened the door he came
quite in, and stood leaning on his cane, pale
as a ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
well, Of all impudence said |.
He looked at me, and said he, Madam,
| have mother at Greenkank want to
live to see her. | shall not if [ try to go any
farther tonight.
''They all want to see their mothers,
said |, and just then it came to my mind
that | hoped my son Charles, who had been
a soldier-an officer he had got to be, mind
you-wanted to see his, and would soon.
Il have been wounded, as you see, said
he
Don't 60 showing me your hurts,
said / ''they buy EN-, so they told me, to
go begging with now. l read the papers, l
tell ye, and l IN principled, So s our clergy
man, agin giving anything, unless it's
through some well organized society.
Tramps are an abomination. And as for
keeping you all night, you can't expect that
of decent folks-gol"
Drusilla came to the door and said Let |
him stay, aunty, with her lips again, but
L took no notice.
SO he went, and this time did not come !
back, and | sat down by the fire, and listen |
ed to the wind and sleet, and felt the warm
fire, and smelt the baking cakes and the ap-
Piles stewing, and the tea drawing on the
kitchen stove and l ought to have been |
comfortable, but | wasn't Something |
seemed tugging at my heart all the time.
| gave the fire poke, and lit another |
candle to cheer myself by, and | went to my |
work basket to to get. the sock | had been knit
ting for my Charlie and as [ went to get !
it | 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 written on with |
ink. &C. Z. to r.. H. and inside was bit |
of tobacco and an old pipe, and a letter;
and when [ spread it out L saw at 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 hammer.
Perhaps the story was true, and he had a
mother | shivered all over, and the fire
and the candles and the nice, comfortable
smell might not have been at all, / was SO
cold and wretched. And over and over a
gain [ had to say to myself what had heard
our pastor say so often: Never give any
thing 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 an
old fool [ was to cry, / thought, when L
found my cheeks were wet.
But | did not cry long, for as [ sat there,
hash and crash, and jingle came sleigh O.
yer the road, and it stopped at our gate, and
[ heard my Charles voice crying, Halo,
mother % And out [ went to the door and
had him in my arms, my great tall, hand
some son. And there he was IN his uni
form, with his pretty shoulder straps as
hearty as if he had never been through any
hardships. He had to leave me to put his
horse up and then | had by the fire again
my own boy And Drusilla who had been