Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-02-06

the war-an officer he had got to be
mind you-wanted to see his, ant
would soon.
II have been wounded, you see,'
said he.
Don't go showing me youi
hurts" said 1 "they buy them, SO
they told me, to go begging with
now. l read the papers, l tell ye,
and I'm principled, SOS our clergy.
man, against giving anything unless
it's through some well organized So
ciety. Tramps are my abomination,
and as for keeping you all night,
you cannot expect that of decent
folks-so 60"
Drusilla came to the door and
said, ''let him stay, aunty," with
her lips again, but l took no no.
tioe.
So he went this time, and did not
come back; and l sat down by the
fire and listened to the wind and
sleet, and felt the warm fire, and
smelt the baking cakes and the APP
pies stewing, and the tea drawing
on the kitchen stove, and l ought
to have been very comfortable, but
| wasn't. Something seemed tug
ging at my heart all the time.
gave the fire a poke, and lit an
other candle to cheer myself by, and
l went to my work basket to get the
sock l had been knitting for my
Charlie; and as I went to get it |
saw something lying on the floor.
l picked it up. 1t was an old to-
bacco pouch, ever so much like the
one l gave Charlie, with fringe
around it, and written on it in ink,
&c. f. to r. H." and inside was u
bit of tobacco and an old pipe and a
letter; and when I epread it out l
saw at the top, my dear SON." l
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 mother. l shivered all over
and the fire and candles and the nice
comfortable smell might as well not
have been at all, | was 80 cold and
wretched.
And over and over again had to
say to myself what l had heard our
pastor say so often: "Never give
to chance beggars, my
but always bestow your
aims on worthy persons, through
we'll organized societies." before l
could get a bit of comfort. And
what an old fool ] was to cry, I '
thought, when | found my cheeks {
vet. t
But | did not cry ltng, for as l l
lat there, hash and crash and iing-
ing came sleigh over the road,
nd it stopped at our gate, and l
leard my Charles voice crying, {
Halo, mother~ And out | went Il
o the door and had him in my II
rms-my great, tall, handsome,
rown son. And there he was In
is uniform, with his pretty shoul-
er straps, and hearty as if he had IL
ever been through any hardships.
Ie had to leave me to put his horse 81
p, and then had by the fire again o.
~ own boy. And Drusilla, who HI
ad been up stairs, and had been g
rying-why, l wonder--came 81
own in a huttcr--for they were TT
Ike brother and sister-and he W
Used her, and she kissed him, and in
way she went to set the table, and hi
le nice hot things smoked on a al
oth as white as snow; and how o7
harlie enjoyed them! But once fir
! the midst of all | felt fright
1ed feeling come over me, and I
moved I'd turn pale, for Drusilla til
nd, "What is the matter, Aunt hi
airfax ?" sa
I said Nothing" but it was this; to
ind O like the ghost of a step, TO
Ding champ, champ over the fro &c
N snow; kind O. like the ghost Of F'
voice, saying, ''let me lie on the pa
oor defore your fire and give me
ny kind of a crust:' kind O. like or
eing some one who had a mother, int
'opping down on the wintry road, his
I'd freezing and starving to death ha
ere. That was what it was, but l we
1t it away, and only thought of
larlie. sal
We drew m topnther bv the fire. sill