The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-10-21
AS AN EXPERIMENT.

they are not grateful they study to de-
ceiye.
I thought I wonld experiment on this
beggar. It would DO him no harm, and
it would help me to pass away an hour.
One can't study human nature by taking
| a seat in a bay-window and watching the
faces of the people who pass on the side
walk
The beggar had been rebuffed by sew
| eral and I could see look of disappoint-
| ment in his eyes as [ threw myself in
his way and smiled blandly. Coming
| nearer he held out his hand and said in
| woful tones
'sMister, for the love of Heaven, give
me some change Ny wife is sick, [
have seven small chill
I stopped him with a gesture, and
kindly answered
''My dear man, here is a quarter for
you. [ know all about your wife. Poor
thing I am afraid she will never recov
Ell. And your seven children-Lord
bless their poor souls and bodies 1t has
been a hard trial for you as well, and
don't see how you keep up such good
spirits. I wish could give you twenty
five dollars instead of twenty-five cents. %
I was watching his eyes, and I read
| him like book. / was stranger and
he reasoned that had mistaken him
| for some one else, and he hurried away
with the money without speaking anoth
er word.
Keeping my eye on the man / saw him
rebuffed again and again, and presently
I laid my hand on his shoulder and ask
| ed /:
MY good friend, didn't I hear you
ask that man for five cents with which
to buy a loaf of bread %
He hesitated for moment, and then,
thinking that I did not recognize him,
he answered:
ssYou did-you did. I have fever
sore and can't work, and haven't tasted
food for two days"
81 have heard of your case before, I
said, looking him square in the eyes,
'sand I'm willing to help you all I can.
It must be hard for man of your age,
after being familiar with lexury for years,
to be suddenly deprived of wealth and
social position, crippled by disease, and
compelled to live as you are living now.
should think you would sometimes
almost be driven to the point of suicide. -
ah-ahem-well, he STAN
mered as he took the second shinplaster.
He dropped his eyes and I saw that
he felt somewhat ashamed, although
after a moment he rallied, recovered his
assurance, and said, as he walked away
81 s'pose I might as we'll be dead as
alive
[ walked clear around the crowd be-
fore [ found him again. He had made
a pretty good days work of it, and, feel
lug more independent, he was selecting
his victim, choosing men whose liberal
ity or innocence of mind could be read
in their faces. I stood behind him and
heard him say to kind-faced old man !:
f'My wife is dead in the house and I
have no means TO bury her"
The kind-faced man hesitated even
after putting his fingers into his vest
pocket, and said
"Well, it's curious. I should think
that the overseer OF the poor or some
other official would have authority to
bury your wife at the expense of the
| town"
'sThey won't-I've bin to 'em two or
three times, replied the beggar, wiping
his eyes, 'fYou don't know how hard it
is to have dead wife in -
sob, well, here's ten cents" said
the kind faced man, handing over the
scrip, but speaking as if he doubted the
beggar's word.
As the imposter turned away tapped
him on the shoulder and said
"My poor, dear man, how my heart
bleeds for you I stood there and heard
you appeal to that flint hearted miser,
and saw him hand you paltry ten
cents. Can that man have a heart :?
Can he feel for the sorrow of others ?
Can he be less than statue ?''
The beggar's eyes betrayed his sur
prise at seeing me again and I plainly
saw that he was embarrassed.
81 am poor" I continued, keeping my
eyes on him, ''but you are worse off.
Your poor dead wife must have Christian
burial if have to return to Detroit on
foot. Here is twenty-five cents. I am
ashamed to offer you such beggarly
sum but can't spare any more
s'I-ah-ah," he stammered as he
took the money.
eff you were professional beggar /
could detect the fact in your face
said, greatln enjoying his embarrassment.
you are not. One has only to glance
at you to see that you have culture and
refinement, and that you ask aims from
dire necessity. L feel deeply for you,
and I wish [ could be of service in some
way
He limped away without raising his
eyes, and L suspected that L had lost
him. He sat down the steps OF a
grocery for about a quater of an hour,
and then, arguing with himself that I
had departed, he limped into the crowd
again. followed him around and heard
him tell several different stories, and at
length tapped him on the shoulder. He
turned quickly, and, extending my hand,
[ inGuir ed: