Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-06-02
SeIeft Story.
THE MAN ATTHED

the door in his face. II blew so could
hardly do it, and the sleet was beating
on the pane, and the bare trees were
groaning and moaning as if they suffer
ed in the storm. IN tramps here, L m
q lone woman; and Pm afraid OF 'enl." !"
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 at the door
knocked not half SO loud as he had
knocked beforehand L opened it hot
and angry. This timeI saw his face,
with yellow brown hair, cropped close,
and great staring blue eyes; and he put
his hand agains6 the door and held it
open.
ma'am," said he.
."rhree miles or more" said /.
"And that is not tavern?'
mo" said /: mo drinks to be got
there; it's Miss Mitten's, and she's set
against tramps as am"
.H don't want to drink, " said the man,
"but do want food. You need not be
afraid to LET me in, ma'am. I've been
wounded, and am not able to walk fa,, ,
and NV clothes are thin, and its bitter
cold. I've been trying to get to my
parents, at Greenbank, where L can
rest until I'm better; and all my money
was stolen from me three days ago.
You needn't be afraid just let me lie
before the fire, and only give 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 it hadn't been that
had seen SO much of those impostors.
The war was just over, and every beg
gar that came along said he was soldier
travelling home, and had been wounded
and robbed. One that had been fool
enough to help, rmped away out of
sight, as he thought, and the1 for
was at the garret window, shouldered
his crutches and tramped it with the
strongest.
''No doubt your pocket IS full of
money" said I, and you only want a
chance to rob and murder me. Go away
with YOU"
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking
shortcake in the kitchen. Just, then she
came to the door and -moLioned with
her mouth to me. do let him stay,
aunty," and if hadn't had good sense
might, but knew better than chit
of sixteen.
500 away W ia you," I said louder
than before. 1 won't have It any
longer.n
And he gave kind of groan, and
took his hand from the latch, and went
champ, champ, through the frozen snow
again; and 1 thought him gone, when
there he was once more, hardly with
knock at ALA faint touch like child,
now. And when opeLed the door he
came quite in, and stood leaning on his
cane. paler than ghost, his eyes bigger
than ever.
ssWell, of all impudence," said I.
He looked at me, and said he, Madam
I have mother at Greenbank. l want
to live to see her. / shall not, if try to
go further tonight"
''They all want to see their mother"
said 1, and just then it came into my
mind that hoped my son Charles, who
had been soldief-an officer he had
got to be, mind you-wanted to see his,
and would soon.
''I have been wounded, as you see,"
said he.
Don't go showing me your hurts"
said L. .'They buy 'em, to go be .ging
with now, so they tell me. 1 read the
papers, tell ye, and I'm principle, and
SOS our clergyman, again givin' any
thing, unless it's through some we'll
organized society. Tramps are my
abomination. And as for keeping you
all night, you can't expect that of decent
folks-go."
Drusilla same to the door, and said
sLet him stay, aunty," with her lips
again, but took no notice.
S. he went, and this time did not
come back, and l sat down by the fire,
and listened to the wind and sect, and
felt the warm fire, and smelt the baking
cakes, in the kitchen stove; and 1 ought
to have been very comfortable, but l
wasn't. Something seemed tuggjng 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 get the sock L had
been knitting for my Charlie, and as
went to get it 1 saw something lying
on the floor. 1 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, &C. +. to
r. H., "and inside was a bit of tobacco,
and old pike, and a letter; and when L
spread it out l saw at the top, My dear
son.n
Iknew the beggar had dropped it,aud
my heart gave one big thump, as though
it had been turned into a hammef.
Perhaps the story was true, and he
had mother. Ishivered 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 again had to say
to myself what bad SO often heard
my pastor say. .'Never give any thing to
chance beggais, my dear friends; always
bestow your aims on worthy persons,
though weil-ofganized societies, before
/ could get lit of comfort. And what
an old fool l was to c.y, 1 thought,
when found my cheeks wet.
ButI did not cry long for, as set there
dash and crash, and jingle came a sleigh
over the road, and it stopped at our gate
and 1 heard my Charles voice crying
"Haito, mothef:' And out I went to
the door and ha him in my arms, my
great, tail hand me brown son. And
there he was in lis uniform, with his
pretty shoulder 3traps, and hearty as is
he had never beeu through any hard
ships. He had to leave me to put his
horse UP, and then L had by the fire
again my own boy. And D.dsilla,
who had teen up staiIs and lad been
cryipo-why, L wonder-came down all
in a flutter-for they Were bro.ner and
him, and then she went to set the table,
and the nice hot things smoked on a
cloth as white as snow; and how Charlie
enioyed them. But once. in the midst
OF all, / felt a frightened feeling
come over me, and L ,know'd I'd
turn pale, fot Dlusllla said, whats
the matter, Aunt Fairfax"
said pothing, but it was this: kind o.
like the ghost of a step. going champ,
champ, over the frozon snow; kind o.
like the ghost of voice saying, "Let
me lie on The floor before the fire, and
give me any kind of crust" kind o.
like seeing some one that had a mother.
dropping down on the wintry road and
freezing and starving to death there.
THAI is what it was, but / put it away