Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1876-04-27
savcIllA's TRAMP.


anncll,A,s rplMp
OHVSSIIAS iNsWp'
..No o.,.u,. n.r. y. .,,a .,,,. H..
.i" "0'0' 's" - 81" '""' '"'
aoos In his faee
Ths wind blew no strong and cold could
hardly pusb il ~but. and tho ulset w.s best.
49, IN. a.. .s. -, . :,
'us Willy Q" 'ne pA"e inc ~'"d how'ea
and moaning \. il tLsy yufr.,ud in Ii.
..o,r
mo Ramps here. l am lone woman,
aud Am afraid Of en-" l repsstod,
Than ,ha mani h.a,,, ss.., ~, III. ,,.xl
'". N
"s"3 away irom 'ne aooF-e"smp.
ohanp.. came through the Alush, and
beard the gate crOsk ~ IL always does, and
hsa. ohAmp. champ, came the man back
again. He knooked ou the doOr--kuOcked ed
not 10 hard e beforehand opened it hot
and angry. This time l SAW his face . pale
ghoAs Of face. with yellow brown lair,
cropped close and he had put hia hand
against the door and held ii open.
"How far 10 it to the next house.
nA'am ]" said he.
"Thfse miles or more," said.
and that's not tavern ~ he continued.
~No," said /; ''no drinks TO be Kot there.
lss Aias Hittsn's, and slls IL ~ sst syAilst
sraaps q ! an." g.s. 80
"I don't want TO drink" said the man.
"You nssd not be afraid 70 lot me in,
ua'am. I've bsen wounded, aud Am not
ahae 20 walk far; my clothes are thin, aud
ies bitter cold. l have been trying to get
70 ~ parents, at 0rsenbAnk, whore l can
reee until am better. Ny money was
seolem from me three days ago; you need
ma ~ SRna1A 20 Iatv a., i,,.k la
me ns before your fire, and only give me q
cruss OF bread TO keep me from starving,
aud the Lord will blsss You for it.
And tlen he looked 1t me with his mild
blue eyes. In way that would have made
NJ do Il. IL IL hadn't been that had seen
too much Of these imposters. The war waA
Just over, and every beggar that came along
said that ho was soldier, travelling home,
aud bad been wounded And robbed. One,
ehas had been fool enough to help,
limped away out ~ sight, ~ he thought,
And then (for was At the garret Window
he ehouldsred his orutches and tramped 1t
with the strongest.
mo doubt your pocket is full OF money!"
said ], "and you only want chance to rob
and murder mo. Go away with you!"
DfuaallA that's my niece, was baking
shoft-cakea 10 the kitchen. Just then she
ssns noun 70 the ne. door, and m0'i0n'd with her
''Oo Let him stay Aunty;" and II l
hadnt sense, might, but l knew better
than . child OF sixteen.
go away with you," said louder than
before. II won't have this any longer"
He gave kind Of = groan, aud took his
hand from the latch, and went champ,
champ, through the frozen snow again; and
l thought him gone, when there WAS once,
hardly With . knock 81 all-a faint touch
door he came quite In, and stood leaning on
his cane. pale - ghost his eyes larger
than ever. "Woll, Of all impudence |" said
l. He looked at me and sxid
''Ma'am have neither at Greenbank.
l want to live to see her. shall not II /
try 70 20 further to night"
''rAey al want " roe their mothers"
replied; and Just then 1t came to my mind,
that hoped my son Charles, who had baen
. soldier IAN ofioer lie had rot to be, mind
you-wantsd 70 see his, and would, soon.
II have been wounded, YOU see, 4" said lie.
"D0n't 70 showing your hurts" SAID l
''thsy buy them, 10 they told me-, 70 20
begging with now, 1 read the papers, l tell
70, and I'm principled- our clergyman
-agAins. giving anything, unless it il
through some we'll organized society.
TrAmps are my AbominA Ation; and for Keep
Lug you ali night, you can't expec; that Of
DruoilIa came TO the door and said, .let
him stay, suuty." with her lips again; but /
took NO notice. 30 he went, this time, and
did not come back; and rat down by the
tire and listened to the wind and slset. aud
felt the cheerful warmth, smelt the baking
cakss and stewing apples, aud the tea draw.
Ing on the kitchen stove. ought to have
bean comfortable, but wasn't. Something
ueemed 70 be tu0sipg 4 INV he -, rxvS
tbs nre poke, 9ot another candle 10 cheer
mysslf BY, and went to knitting for my
Charlie. Az went to get it, saw come.
thing lying on the floor, and p,oked il up,
II was an old tobacco pouch, ever 30
much like the one gave to Charlie, witt,
fringe around 1t, and written on it in ink,
"B. r. to r. H." Inside was . bit of to.
bscco, an old pipe and q letter, When l
spread It out saw at the top "My dear
s0n," knew that the bexRsr must have
dropped It, and my heart gave one big
thump ~ though it had turned into ham.
uasr,
Perhaps the story was true-and he had
. mother. shivered all over, And the ire,
the candles, aud the nice comfortable smell,
might not have been at all; for l WAS 90
cold and wretched. Over aud over again
had % uay 10 myself, what i had heard nv
usstor say 40 often. "Nsyer give snytLins
70 clapoe beRssrs. nv dear friends; slways
bestOw your aims on worthy persons,
throuah veil Organized societiss." before /
could get 4 BIZ OF comfort; and what An
old fool / was to cry. / Thought, when /
found my cheek wet. But 1 did not cry
long; for ~ l sat there, crash and
juggling came . sleigh over the road. It
Ohnrlie's voice oryine:
"Hello. mother I"
Aud went TO the door and had him IN
INV arma-my great. tall. handsome brown
son. Thoro he was In bis pretty shoulder
strHps. and a. hearty a. II he had never
been through sny hsrdships, He had to
leave me 70 put his horse away, and then 1
hsd by nv fire AGAIN NV own dear bow.
Druoilla, VINO had been up stairs. and had
a fiuessf-for they are like brother and Sis
ter-end he kissed her, and she him; then
nvav ahe vant 10 set the table and the nice
Lot thinrs .moked on a clotb ss White "a
snov. OharIie aid iustice to chem and en-.
loved the meal. But then . Frightened
feeling came over me, aud i know I'd turned
pale. Tor Drucilla vsid
WWhss n the mstter. auntisp"
snsWersd "nothina." but IL was this
Kind a Iike the ghost Of a step. going
champ. ohsmp. over the frozen snow:
Find q iike tbe ghost Of a voice, saving
uI.st ma isv m the foor bsfora yonr fra
and 9ivo ma anv Kind of orust.H kind a
iiks sssing some one who had q mother,
Irnpnine down on the frozen anow 10 die
ANA the p,tilsss peltiugs of the sleet and
sAorm upon tLat p,tile.s niuht. free zinv and
starving there.
and nn,v thomyht Of Chsrlie Wa draw m
toosthsr by tiss Are when tsn vaa done and
M told "a thiru. .hort tha w.r naver
ns.rd hasora Hov tbs soidiars sufYared
nnd whst wesry marches md short rsuons
thsv .om.simas hsa He told ma how his
ma hsd bean sought sfter. aud he WAS
haS,v vnnnded. AMI how at the risk of h,s