Middletown transcript., 1875-08-28
Old Uncle Billy.
4 MAN WHO HAD SEEN TROUBLE.

nee steps. Ills olosnee we're 0tQ ano
weIl-worn; his straw hat looked like j,
had seen many summers his boota
were out at the toes, and everything
went to show that time had been hil
enemy.
| We approached him gently. and laid
our hands on the old mans shoulder
and said
"Old man, why those tears ?"
He looked up suspiciously at us,
drew up his leg. brushed off the mud,
and said in voice eloquent with emo
ton
"Hoppersp
We knew at once that he been q
victim Of the grasshoppers, and pitied
him from the bottom Of our heart. In
hours Of suffering, the soothing voice
or the grateful touch ofwomanly hands
will do more toward alloviating the
90
misery of q poor. sorrow-stricken heart,
or heart bowed down with troable,
than the most feeling expression Of
which awkward, uncouth man is capa-
ble in his most sympathizing moods.
But there was no female there, SO we
did the best we could, and invited the
old man home to dinner.
aaI don't know what put it into your
heart to be so kind to me" sobbed the
old man. "Old Uncle Billy isn't used
to it," and he wiped the tears from his
eyes as he walked along the street.
There was . silence for moment or
two, and then be heaved deep sigh, /,
pulled his hat down over his eyes, and
the silence Was broken BY him saying: !:
Would I we're in; the grave. I've
nothing to live for now"
wife and children dead p
.Ya-yaas,' be gasped. sAll gone.'
..How did it happen :" we inquired
aswe filled up his plate for the thir-
teenth time.s
And then Uncle Billy told his story
how he came from Nebraska, and how
be had been eaten out BY the grasshop-
pers, and how he had seen his wife
waste away day by day, for the want Of
sufficient food, until he finally had the
melancholy pleasure Of attending her
funeral, and how the grasshoppers
stopped the funeral procession broke
open the coffin ate up his wife's re-
mains, and chased him across forty
acre lot, sa
.sBy, shiminy ish. dot 50 n piped in
she hired man, Who had been issspipg
nm the kitchen.
eyes, sir; that's as sure as God made
little apples. g.
He went on:
MATTERS became worse and worse,
until one day the 'hoppers tackled my
TIVE youngest children, ate them right
up before my eyes. and I SO weak from
the want Of food as to be unable to lift
my hand to save them!"
"Thats terrible!" we said.
II should say it was;;" and Uncle
Billy bowed his attenuated form, and
shed the bitter binding tears Of q strong
man in agony.
We all joined in the sorrowful wall,
which went up from sympathising
hearts, and we had general wet time
all around. But tears relieved the
soul, and after. the poor old man had
wept awhile and eaten considerable, be
felt better, and had us to 60 up into the
hot garret and hunt around about three
quarters Of an hour, amid the dust and
coBwebs, for the sickle which we re-
membered putting up there last sum-
mer, and then he went out into the
front yard and commenced cutting grass,
to show how grateful be was for the
kindness rendered.
But be didn't cut more than an acre
or two-not that time. No, the mis-
cradle galoot went off down town with
the sickle, to get it sharpened. he said,
and on his way down stepped into the
pawnbroker's and made . raise Of 25 |
cents. and in less than ten minutes was |
down on the levee as drunk as q lord.
II Cincinnati Saturday Night.