The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1868-05-23

y,
said !, sand you only want chance to rob
and murder mo. Go away with you'll"
Dr:si!!!a, that's my neico, was baking cakes
in tho kitchen. Just then sho came to the
door, and n,otioned with her mouth to mo:
'Do let him stay, auntie," aud if hadn't had
good sense might, but knew better than
chit of sixteen.
$50 away with you !" said I, louder than
before. II 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 frozen snow again;
and l thought him gone, when there he was
once more hardly with knock at ala faint
| touch, like a child's, now
And when opened the door again he came
quito in, and stood leaning on his cane, pale as
ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
Ss"Wcll, of all inpudcncc ~ said 1.
He looked at me, and he said
Madam, have a!mothcr at Grecnbank I
want to live to soc her. s! ull not if try to
go any further tonight"
"Thcy all want to sec their mothers" and
just then it came into my mind that l hoped
my son, Charlie, who had been real soldier,
IN officer he had come to be. mind you, wanted
| to see his, and would soon
~ have been wounded, rs you scc," said he.
"Don't go showing me your hurts" said
! /; "thcy buy 'em, SO they told me, to go
begging with now. Tread the papers, l tell
ye, and I'm principlcd, and SOS our clergy
man, agin giving anything, unless it's through
some we'll organized society. 1ramps arc my
abomination. And rs to keeping you all
night, you can't expect that of decent folks
gow
Drusia came to the door and said:
"Lct 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 tho apples stewiny aud
the tea drawiag theskitchen stove; - and 4.
ought to have been very comfortable, but
wasn't. Something seemed tugging ut my
heart all the time.
gave the fire poke, and lit another can
die to cheer myself up, and went to my work
basket to get the sock had been knitting for
my Charlie and as I wens to get it saw
something lying on tn, 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 it in ink: "From c. f. to r.
H." and inside was bit of tobacco and an
old pipe, and a letter, a rumpled old letter !;
and, when spread it out saw on the top,
my dear son."
know the beggar must have dropped it.
and my heart gave one big thump, as though it
had been turned into hummer
Perhaps the story was true, and he had
mother. 1 shivercd all over, and the fire and
the candles and the nice comfortable smells
might as well not have been at ALL was cold
and wrctched.
And over and over again ilad to say to my
self what heard our pastor say often "Nev-
or give anything to chance beggars. my dear
friends; always bcstow your aims on worthy
persons, through wcll-organized societies" be-
fore could get bit of comfort And what
an old TOOL l was to cry, thought, when
found my cheeks wet
A>"o u'N "oC ely ioils-, DIS 1 StiC tucFc,
dash and crash and jingle came sleigh over
the road, and it stopped Mt our gate, and |
heard my Charles voice crying: "Halloa
mother" And 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 MS hearty
as if he never had been through any hnrdships
He had to leave mc to put the horse up, and
then l had By the fire my own boy. And
Drusia, who had been up stairs, and had been
crying why, l wonder ?-camc down all in
futtcr-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 cloth MS
white as snow and how Charlie enjoyed
them! But once, in the midst of all, felt a
frightened feeling come over me, and know
turned palc for Drusila said "What is the
matter, Aunt Fairfax 7"
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
of n voice saying: "I.ct Inc lie on the floor be-
fore your fire, and give INC any kind of
crust )" kind O like some one that had moth