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

1t with the strongest.
"No doubt your pocket Is full of money!"
said ], "and You only Want chance to rob
and murder me. Go away with you'll"
Drusilla, that's my neioe, was baking cakes
in the kitchen. Just then she came to the
door, aud motioned' with her mouth to me:
DO let him stay, auntie," and If hadn't had
good sense l might, but knew better than q
chit of sixteen.
''Go away with you !" said I, louder than
before. 81 won't have this any longcr.''
And he gave a 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
onco m ore, hardly with knock at ala faint
touch, like child's, now.
And when opened the door again he came
quite in, and stood leaning on his cane, pale as
ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
Jewell, of all inpudcnce !' said 1.
He looked a. me, and he said:
MADAM, have asmotber at Grecnbank.
want to live to see her. g! all not if try to
so any further tonight"
"Thcy all want to see their mothers" and
just chen it came into my mind that l hoped
my son, Charlie, who had been real soldier,
an officer he had come to be. mind you, wanted
to sec his, and would soon.
~ have been wounded, rs you scc," said hc
"Dont go showing me your hurts" said
L; "thcy buy em, SO they told me, to go a
begging with now. Freud the papers, 1 tell
ye, and I'm principled, and SOS our clergy
man, agin giving anything, unless it's through
some we'll organized society. Tramps nre my
abomnation. And MS to keeping you all
night, you can't expect that of decent folks
sol" r.,
Drusilla came to the door and said:
"Let him stay, auutie," 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 stewing au,l
lIshe tea drasvias kisclien ssoye and 4
oughtto have been very comfortable, but
wasn't. Something seemed tugging at 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 tho sock had been knitting for
my Charlie aud as I went to get It'll saw
something lying on tn, floor picked it up.
It 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 r.
H." and inside was bit Of tobacco and an
old pipe, and letter, run,pled old letter ;
and, when 1 spread it out saw on tho top,
sMy dear son.
lknow 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 smells
might as we'll not have been at ALL ] was cold
and wrctched.
And over and over again had to say to my
self what heard our pastor say often "Nev-
cr give anything to chance .beggars. my dear
friends; always bestow your aims on worthy
persons, through wcll-organized societies." be-
fore could get bit of comfort. And what
an old fool was to cry, thought, when I
found my checks wet.
But did not cry long, for, as I sat there,
dash and crash and jingle came sleigh over
the road, and it stopped Mt our gatc and I
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 me to put the horse up, and
then had by the fire my own boy. And
Drusilla, who had been up stairs, and had been
crying | wonder?- ?-camc down all in a
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, I felt a
frightened feeling como over me, and know l
turned pale, for Drusilla said: "What is the
matter, Aunt Fairfax Z"
I said nothing; but it was this: Kind O.
like the g. ost of step, going champ, champ,
over tho frnznn ennw Lind ~ l;Lo tho ,.I...