The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-04-02
= PITIFUI. TALE.
Th" Champion GrnsshOHper
Sufferer.
From the Detroit Free Pre-,

rom the Detroit rec Pres
lie looked into the waiting room
at the Central depot yesterday, saw
an elderly couple there waiting TO
go out west, and then, after making
sure that the special policeman was
not around, he entered the room.
lie was man who had seen 9TH
err days that was plain.
His plug hat was years old, his
coat collar shown with age and
grease, and there was no collar on
his neck. A policeman would have
mentally recorded him q "Yag"
without moments hesitation, and
the fellow would have stood q
chance OF being trotted 10 the Cen
trail station.
"My good friends" he COM
menced as he approached the inno-
cent old couple from Vermont, "fOr
heavens sake help me a little,"
"Who are you? ?" asked the hus-
band, struck with the bummer's
lonesome voice and general hard
look.
Names OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
hoppers!" replied the man, turning
away his head as if deeply affected.
''8e you one of those poor unfor-
Inmates who were almost eat MP by
grasshoppcrs 2" exclaimed the wo-
man, her sympathies all aroused.
"The same, madame" sighed
Jones, chad to leave the state-go-
ing to New Hampshire-got as far
as here and money gave out!
Heaven only knows what'll become
of us!'
care you married ?" she asked.
Eyes 'um-,wife and nine child
rem; they're out hero on the COM
mons in a wagon, all sick and shiv-
ering with the coldi"
give hearn about them grasshop-
pers were they very thick ?" asked
the man.
"Thick 2" echoed Jones. "you
couldn't tell the difference 'twixt
day and night. and the roaring of
their wings made us deafw
"MY erasmus! bnt wasn't that aw-
tul z" sighed the woman.
Il had a hundred acres of corn,
fifty of wheat, thirty of oats-niee
meGdOw-lots of fruit, but the
grasshoppers made a beggar of me
in five hours :" continued Jones.
"They cat the stuff right up, did
they ?"
Eat! Why, the farm looked as
If fire had passed over it: They
took everythiug-even chewed mp
log chains. L timed 'em on one
hundred rods of fence. and every
mouthful of it wentin thirty-seVen
minutes by the watch"
al never heard of the likes :" said
the man.
"There's folks east here who don't
believe it," continued Jones ''bnt
it's solemn fact that the grasshop-
pers chewed up iron wedges, gnaw-
ed the boards oTn the barns, bit
piOw points all uP,- land if we hadn't
hid our horses in the cellar, they'd
have been minced, surei"
"And you had to leaye:"
"Hes, sold my land for Sll, got
my family into the wagon, and
started east. ben one hundred and
eighty days coming this far, and
buried two children on the way.
Lor' only knows what's 10 become
of us. l wish was ia this river
out there then my heart wouldn't
be burstin' with grief and trouble !"
''POor man" sighed the woman.
'tEbeneZer, let's give him two dol
lars"
1.-TWO dollars is Pile Of money"
unused the man.
"But it's an awful sad case, Eben-
eZer-nuf to tech a heart of flint"
1.-THE Lord loVeth cheerful Civ
er," added Jones, a. he drew his
sleeve across his nose.
"Wall, l s'pose it's a hard case,
we won't be any poorer for giyin'
two dollars said the husband as he
pulled out his wallet and handed
out 50 bill.
"Thanks, my kind friend re-
piled Jones, 81 hope you will never
see the trouble I'm having. This'H
buy medicines and provisions, and
kinder help us-aloDg like, and feel
as if l could throw my arms
around ye and hug We for yer kind
ness."
'That's all right" said the hus-
band.
81 wish it was ten,' added the
woman as she shook Jones' out-
stretched hand.
He slid out, and ten minutes af-
terward might have been seen in a
Front street saloon, pouring bad gin
out of tall decanter and remarking
to the bar-keeper:
''Say, old pard, was it in Virginia
or Kansas that the grasshoppers was
so thick ?"