New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-19
As an Experiment.

knew he was professional beggar ae
saw INN working On the OFT klrts Of the
| crowd. Professional brglars are crest
| Lars; they have no sense Of shame; they are
| Not CRATE u; they study TO decti i've.
/ thought l would experiment on this
beggar. Itwuuld do him 10 harm. AMI II
would help me t, pass away an hour. One
| can't STUDY human nature by taking SEES /
| in bay-winduw and watching the faces o!
the people who pass on the sidewalk.
The beggar had been rebutfed by several,
end | could zee II look of DISAPPOINTMENT in
| his eyes as threw myself ia his way and
smiled blandly. Coming nearer he held
| out his hand and SAID, in wotul tones:
Mister. for the love of Heaven, give me
some chang! My wife is sick, l have seven
| small chill"
stopped him with gesture, and kindly
| answered.
My dear man, here is quarter for you.
know all about your wife. Poor thingi
am afraid she will never recover. And
| your seven children-Lord bless their
poor souls and bodies! II has been hard
trial for you.as we'll, and don't see how
you keep up such good spirits I wish |
could give you s25 instead Of twenty five
cents"
WAS watching his eyes and | read him
like book. l was stranger, and he req
soned that | had mistaken him for some one
else. and he hurried away with the money
without speaking another word.
Keeping my eye on the man saw him
rebuffed again and again, and presently |
laid nv hand on his shoulder and asked:
My good friend, didu't / hear you ask
that man for five cents with which to buy a
oaf of bread}"
He hesiated for moment, and then,
thinking that did not recognize him, lie
answered.:
You did-vou did. | have a fever sore
and can't work, and | haven't tasted food
tor two days"
II have heard of your case before, said,
looking him square in The eyes, "and I'm
willing to help you ali | can. 1t mnst be
hard for man OF your age, after being
familiar with luxury for years and Years 10
be suddenly deprived of wealth and social
position, crippled by disease, and compelled
t. live as you are living now. l should
think you would sometimes almost be driven
to the point of sui ide."
Well-ah-ahem-well," he stammered,
as he took thr second shinplaster.
lie dropped Ills eyes, and | saw that he
felt somewhat Ashamed, although after Il
moment he rallied, recOve ed his assurance,
and said as he wa X ID away:
II s'pose might IS well BIZ dead as alive "
l walked clear around the crowd before
found him sg in, He had made a pref y
GOOD DAYS work OF II, and feeling more IT,
dependent he was selecting his Wet N,
choos NJ men whose liberality or inuuceucr
of mind could be read in their faces. |
stood behind him and heard him " to a
knd-taced old mar:
my wife ia dead in the house, and 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. / should think tina.
the overseer Of the poor or some other Off
nj al ii al. -.
wife at the expense of the town"
They won'U-fvs bin to 'eIn 70 or three
times replied the heggar, wp ng his eyes
You don't know how hard it is 10 hav.
dead wife in"
"Oh, well. here's ten cents" said the kind
faced map, handing over the scrip, but
speaking as If he doubted the beggar's
word.
As the imposter turned away l tappei
him on the shoulder and said:
My poor, dear man, how my heart bleeds
for you! l slood there and heard You an
peal to that tint-bearted miser, and l saw
him hand you paltry ten cents. Can that
man have heart Can he feel for the
soTrows OF others? Gun he be less than a
statueg"
The beggar's eyes betrayed his surprise
at seeing me again, and l III .iLly saw that
he was emb .rrassed.
III am poor" l continued, keeping nv
eyes on him, but you are worse off Your
poor dead wife must have Christian burial
II have to return to Detroit on foot. Here
is twenty-five cents. l am ASHAMED to off r
you such beggarly sum, but l can't spare
any more"
'I-ah-ah," he stammered as he took the
money.
III you were professional beggar could
Oct ct the TACT in y"ur iace," said greatly
enjoying his embarrassment. "You are nov.
MI
you have culture and refinement, and that
you ask aims from dire necessary. feel
deeply Tor you, and l wish could be of
service in some way
H- limped away without raising his ewes.
ami suspected that had lost him. HI,
sat down on the cps of a grocery for about |
quarter of an hour, and then, argu ny |
with himself that had departed, he lmped |
into the crowd again. l followed him |
around and heard him tell 6, veraI different |
stories, and at length tsppd him On The |
shoulder. He turned quickly, and extend
ing my hand, inquired:
How do you do, Mr.. Grot.2"
He held out his hand, drew il back again
and refused to grip me, when l got hold of |
it, -
II heard about your house burning dswn
isst n,gt L" CONTINUED, looking ut him in |
the eye as earnestly ss could. "You have
lost everything, while l, though not wealthy.
have much left. / have be-, n looking for
you all the morning. want TO give You n
small donation in caeh"
He tried his best to look me in the face,
but he couldn't. He was con fr sed, ashamed,
aud vexed, even though he was making
money out of it. As r, leased his hand 10
gtt a. my Wallet he skunk away, and after
long search l found him seated on the
wreck of . csnal boat eating a decayed
orange and wearing q disconsoIate look,
on the bridge l called to him:
"Raxter! Baxte,i I've collect d some
money for you to buy another COW withw
He threw away the orange, muttered
onetning which sounded like "Kussim,"
md hurried off dow n the tow path