The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-04-19
A LESSON FOR HARD TIMES.

could not have been more surprised. lt
was press day; l was very busy in my
Sanctum, when | heard the door open
and curious shufning noise followed,
which made me look mp fer moment
from my paper. Ii WAS but for u mo
ment; / saw, Is l supposed, crippled
beEgar. sAunlmg his way ON hls knees
toward my chair. | waved him away
with my haul-"N Nothing for you,
Ssud, re>olutely, a little lmpatently pos
siblv, and turned hack to my desk,
cauGAt up the broken thread, and wound
OF the completed sentence from the edl-
torial distatr But the beggar was not
repelled. He answered something; with
a divided attention could not well make
ont what Nothing for yoa, repeat
ei, somewhat more vigorously than be-
fore. The answer WAS plain enough this
tlne; and in tone that commanded at
tanHon-'' am no beggar, sir.
had gotten 10 the end of my sen
tence nov. Two or three weeks ago /
had been studying the parable Of the
good Samaritan. Perhaps the recollec-
tion ot two very pious men who were IN
50 great d hurry to get 10 the temple
that they could not attend 10 the unfor-
tunate. may have had some influence on
me. ] lald down my pen and went to
the unknown,
He was ON his knees: his legs from his
knees 10 his feet were useless appen-
dages, which dragged after him and
produced the Shuflmg sound which first
attracted my attention His whole body
was disiointed; his arms alternately
hung down ike the wooden arms Of
great toy. and moved about in q gro
tesQue attempt IT gesture-hke the toy
arms when she image Is pulled by the
string from below. When he spoke he
wormed and twisted his head from side
70 side, and contCrted his face with the
v5gor Of his endeayor, Is though the
words were stored below and could be
brought up out of a reluctant throat only
by q wrestling and lnvlnclble viii. But
his eve was clear, his brow high, and his
whole face, wnen II repOse, not unhand
some.
II have got something to sell, sir,
and II Is no humbug. either.
Then | noticed for the first time a
leathern bag slung over his shoulder
With q curious spasmodic twist he dove
into it and brought ont q TN box labeled
. Prof. IS soap: warranted To take
out grease spots, etc, etc. In this as
IN every motion, his arms, and hands,
and fingers. made wild attempts before
they succeeded in their purpose. like
Those of a two or three months old babe
that had not yet come into possession Of
itself.
What brought you into this condi-
tion, my friend p said /, looking down
upon him.
Il was born q cripple, sir" he an
swerei But, he added, quickly, as
though he saw some sympathy in my
face and would refuse il, "you must not
think that / suffer, for l don't / have
10 pam; L IS only weakness; weakness
Of tle spine, the doctors tell me, SO that
l don't have good use OF my arms, or
legs. or faee. But I don't suffer. And
am not unhappy"
could hardly look in his face when he
was speaking, his endeavOrs were so dis
tressingiv lab0red. l rarely give to beg
gars: for tl8t very reason | am always
reluctant t0 turn away any one. from the
gamin who Is sweeping the street cross
ings up who is endeavoring to earn an
honest living. / bought his patept soap
and gave him the price-a quarter He
turned to 90 away; | should have as
soon thought Of offering charity 10 any
other independent merchant as to him,
but | stopped him with a question. II
needed but q very little touch Of sympa-
thy to open his heart He told me his
story. / transcribe il here as well as |
can, but / am painfully aware that it
loses character IN the tr1lnscriblng :
Ny father was q mechanic. / was
always, from my birth, as you see me
now. He supported me till / was twen-
ty-eight But / didn't Ike it. | wanted
to be self-supporting."
/ noted a curious feature Of his Ian
guage. II was that OF one born in the
lower ranks, but self-educated by courses
Of reading outside the literature Of his
companions. thought this at the time:
it was confirmed by a suggestive hint
afterward.
Il told my father He laughed at
me- What can you do 2 said he. /
told him that he could not always sup
port me; he must die some day, and he
had no money. The Lord viii pro-
vide, said he. But that did not suit
me. resolved if / could not have my
own way would run away"
There was something pathetically hui
morous in this picture of a man-boy Of
twenty-eight running away on his knees
from a tyrannical father who despotically
insisted on providing for him. Whether
he actually did run away or not, he did
not tell me, and / did not ask him.
81 bought this recipe for soap. At
first | hired a man to go round with me
and take care OF me, but that did not
pay. Then / went to hotel, and hired
porter to dress and undress me. In
the daytime took care Of myself"
All this and much more-for I am
compressing a long story into q short one
with labored speaking; and labored
listening, too, for it was not always quite
easy to tell what was the word which the
corkscrew brought up. Like an old
cork, it was broken, and often came up
IN fragments. "I never expected to get
married; for i never thought that any
woman whom would have would have
me. But you know, sir, the old pro-
verb Every Jack has his own Gill;
and found my Gill. And / don't be-
heve there is a man in New York that
has got a better wife than have"
The pride with which he said this
and the love that lighted up his eyes I ]
could easily believe him. It must be a
rare woman that could take such man
for her husband; one that she must
dress and undress to the end as she
would sick child. / resolved at once
that if / might / would know that wife.
And don't you imagine that ! am
miserable, sir" he added. 81 seem SO
TO you because you Judge me from youI
point OF view. But [ see many rich
man, and strong man, and would not
exchange with them. have my advan-
tages, too. Society claims great deal
Of you; but it never claims anything OF
me. am independent. +"
Oh, wise philosopher Is there any
philosophy like that Of calm content !:
and / enjoy life; because, don't you
see, sir, | have nothing to do but tc
study how to enjoy ii. !"
Do you go to church p I asked.
"Well, sir, I am a member of the
Baptist church, but since / have moved
away from the old church and gon,
among strangers, I don't go to church
for it might create a sensation, don't you
see p
Well, yesl I did see. I imagined
this creature shutting up the broad aisle