Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-11-05
sTAuNToN, VIRGINIA. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1875

Brown was almost ashamed to speak to
hun now, he began to be SO ragged and
slouchy. And he was ashamed to speak
to Brown. The boys at the office declined
to be hnmbugged by his incidental re-
marks that, as man grew older he dldn't
care for his looks. His efforts to keep his
boots under his chair were distre- sing to
see, and it was enough to make the strick-
en- deer go weep $50 to speak, to see him
figure to keep his back to the wall on ac-
count of those holes in his-but why
dwell on these things? Smith. from a
pleasant, light-hearted man, grew moody
and silent. He made mistakes in his fig
ures; he was seen when alone to fall into
reveries. to mutter to himself, to clutch at
the bald spot on his crown, to sigh and
grind his teeth. And 1t went on at home.
The expenses continually grew, while the
income did not. It was rough, it was
hard. Mrs. Smith grew ashamed of him.
He gradually became shabbier and, shah
bier, until his employer spoke to him
about it. He never went out to lunch
any more. He starved himself. His boots
parted company with their soles one day.
Then his coat fell off. Then his vest.
Then his 49, in fact, little by little, his
raiment went away from him. His wife
ran away with. another man on the day
when he became reduced to state of ma
ture, and couldn't get out Of the house
ran away with a fellow who had money.
A blank succeeds. y,
A few weeks after he was skulking
along the inner side of board fence, try
ing with all his might to look unconcerned
and dressed up, when he knew very well
he hadn't a stitch on his back-nor on his
front either, for the matter of that-and
making dismal failure of it. as he was
perfectly aware, when he heard some one
Call him by his first liame-a familiar
voice, the voice Of a woman, calling him,
s'John!' He stopped and looked timidly
over his shoulder, poor man of a Lady
Godivia that he was, dnd-what did he
see? His wife! p )sitiyely, his wife with
the old lace sacque on, the old hat, the old
gloves. everything as of yore; and in one
hand she carried a bundle of nip in
the other cigar, a paper of chewing to-
bacco, match; on her back was strapped
bundle.
ssHere, my darling boy!" said she,
come back, come back! take your MP;
take it every day; take your smoke: make
a filthy chimney of your dear nose as
/ much as you please; chew, chew and
chew as you feel like chewing, but come
backp Tears choked her voice. SIN
this bundle is a suit of clothes complete.
Put them on. Come back''
He awoke, and behold it was but a
dream. And they lived happy ever after.
AGRAvE IN A TREE correspondent
OF the. Pittshhrg LEADER writes that
there IS a very remarkable and curious
freak of nature on the bank of Casteman
river, about two and half miles above
Confidence, which is well worth thu trou-
BILE of going to see. A short distance from
the river, at the foot of the mountain, SIX
poplars are growing, the space inclosed be-
ing in the shape OF coffin. For about
six feet from the ground the six trees have
a common trunk, or rather root, as it
seems as il the six trees in the inclosed
space had all united solidly and had grown
out of the ground, carrying the earth
above them up along to the height named.
! This root-trunk is tifty-fve feet in circaln-
ference, and the poplars, when they assert
their individuality, are each two feet in
diameter. But now an extremely curious
feature OF this freak Of nature presents it
sell to the astonished beholder. Upon
climbing on the top Of thecommon trunk,
/ it is found that these poplars must have
been planted around a child's grave. The
incloseds space is about four feet long, and
the green grass in the earth three. At one
end is a great stone with an inscription on
it, which. however, cannot be deciphered,
as it is so worn by time. A part of it is
broken off by Che wear and tear of time,
although it would be thought that those
sturdy poplars would be able to protect
this small charge of theirs. No one knows
by whom or when this grave was made.