The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-06-08
A Wanderer from the Frontier

AS he sat on the steps of the City Hall,
head in his hands, one could not help but
notice him. He wore coat of wolf
skins. bearskin cap, buckskin breeches,
and his grizzly hair hung down on his
shoulders in tangled mass. He had
driited east from the wild frontier, and
he had fallen sick No one knew for a
long time what allied him, as he would
not reply to inquiries but finally, when
a policeman shook his arm and repeated
the inquiry, the man slowly lifted his
head and replied
Pm played ~
His face was pale and haggard, and it
was plain that he was going to have an
attack of fever. He was sent to the hos.
pital for treatment, he making no iuqui.
ries and answering no questions. This
was month ago. He had his personal
effects in sort of sack These were a
breech.loading rife, hatchet, knife,
and several other articles, and when he
had been laid on bed in one of the
wards, he insisted that the bag be laid
under his head. They offered him medi-
cine, but he turned away his face, and no
argument could induce him to swallow
any.
But you are sick, man" said the doc.
tor, as he held the medicine up.
"Cuss sickness - replied the old man.
And you may die -
"Cuss death ~
lie grew worse as the days went by,
and was sometimes out of his head, and
talking strange talk OF Indian fights and
buffalo hunts, but not once did he speak
Of family, friends, or Of himself, He
would not let them undress him, comb
his hair, or show him any attentions be.
yond leaving his food on the stand. A
raging fever was burning up his system,
and when the doctors found that the old
man would not take their medicine, they
knew that death was only matter o!
days
He must have had an iron constitution
and heart like a warrior, for he held
death at arms leugth until the other day
When it was seen that he could last but
few hours longer, the nurse asked him
If clergyman should be called.
"Cuss clergyman :" replied the old
man, those being the first words he had
spoken for three days
However, two hours after his mind
wandered, and he sat up in bed and call
ed out
II tell ye, the Lord isn't going to b.
hard on fe!ler who has fit Injuus :"
He was quiet until an hour before his
death, when the nurse made one more
effort aud asked
will you give your name?
"Cuss my name - replied the old man
Have you any friends? ?"
"Cuss friends !"
do you wish to send your ihipgs tt
any one ?"
"Cuss any one e.
"Do you realize" continued the nurse
that you are very near the grave ?"
! "Cuss the grave was the uIvuu, vuvu.
reply.
No further questions were asked, anc
during the uext hour the strange old mar
dropped quietly asleep in death, utterin@
no word and making no sign. When they
came to remove the clothing and prepare
the body for the grave, what do you sup
pose they found, carefully wrapped il
oil-skin and laid on his breast? A da
guerreotype picture OF little girl
was taken years and years ago, and whel
the child was five or six years old. Th,
face Of the little one was fair to ool
upon, and the case which held it hac
been Scared by bullets. There were
dozen scars Oh the old mans body t
prove that he had lived wild life, bu
there was not line among his effects tt
reveal his name, or the name OF the chile
whose picture he had worn for years anC
years upon his breast. Who was she
His own darling, perhaps. lie woult
not have treasured the picture SO CAREFUL,
unless there was love in his heart.
No one would have believed that wolf
skin coat covered heart which could fee
love or tenderness, but it did. He nigh
have been returning home after years o
weary wandering, or he might have lef
the frontier to be sure Of a Christian
burial, and hoping that no unsympathet
eye would fall upon tho picture.
Some said keep it. hoping to make i
identity the old man, but others laid
back on the battle.scarred breast whicl
had preserved it so long, and it was ther
yesterday when they buried him.