The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1879-06-26
TURNED FROM THE DOOR.

door IN his face. The wind blew so
could hardly do it, and the sleet was
beating on the panes, and the bare trees
were groaning and moaning rs they suf-
fcred in the storm. "No tramps here;
I'm lone woman, and I'm afraid Of
EN-"
Then the man / hadn't seen yet, for
the dark, went away from the door.
Champ, champ, champ, came the man
back again, and knocked on the door
/ knocked not half so loud as lie did be
fore-and ] opened it hot and angry.
This time / saw his face-a pale ghost of
a face-with yellow brown hair, cropped
close, and great, staring blue eyes, and
he put his land against the door and
| held it open.
o,How hear is the next house, ma'am ?"
| said he.
"Three miles or more" said /.
Ono, said I; no drinks to be got there;
it is Miss Mitten's, and she's as set agin
tramps as I am
Il don't want drink" said the old
man, "though | 90 want food. You
needn't be afraid to let me il ma am. I've
been wounded, and am not able to walk
/ far, and my clothes are thin, and its
bitter cold. I've been trying to get to
my parents at Greenbank, where I can
rest till I'm better; and all my money
was stolen from me three days ago. You
needn't be afraid; let me lie just before
the fire, and only give me a crust, the
stalest crust, to keep me from starving,
and the Lord viii bless you fer it.
And then he looked at me with his
mila blue eyes in a way that would have
made me do it if it hadn't been I'd seen
so much of these impositions. The war
was just over, and every beggar that
came along said he was soldier travel
ing home, and had been wounded and
robbed. Ono that I had been fool
enough to holp, away ont Of sight as he
/ thought and then-for L was at the gar
ret window w-shouldered his crutches
and tramped with the strongest.
''No doubt your pocket is full Of mon
ey," said I, land you only want chance
to rob and murder me. Go away with
you =
Drusilla, that's my niece, was making
! cakes in the kitchen. Just then she
came to the door and motioncd with her
mouth to me: 'tDo let him stay auntie;"
and if hadn't had good sense 1 might,
but knew better than a chick Of IS.
''Go away with you y says I, louder
than before. 81 won't have this any
longer
And he gave q kind OF a groan, and
took his hand from the latch, and went
champ, champ, through the frozen snow
again; and thought him gone, when
there was once more hardly with knock
nj ala faint touch like a child's now.
And when | opened the door again, he
came quite in, and stood leaning on his
cane, paie as a ghost, his eyes bigger
than ever.
"WelI, Of all impudence :" said ].
He looked at me and he said: "Mad
am, l have mother at Greenbank. /
want to live to see her. | shall not try
to go any further tonight"
''Thcy all want to see their mothers,
and just then it came to my mind that /
hoped that my sol Charlie, who had
been real soldier, an officer he had
come to be, mind you, wanted to see his
and would soon.
81 have been wounded as you see, !"
sad he.
Don't so a showing me your hurts, ;"
said I; ''they buy 'em, 50 they told me,
to go a begging with now. l read the
paper tell ye, and I'm principled, and
50 is our clergyman ,agin giving anything
unless it's through some well organized
society. Tramps are my abomination.
And rs to keeping you all night, you
can't expect that of decent folks-go -
Drusilla came to the door and said:
''Let him stay, auntic," with her lips
again, but / took no notice.
/ So he went, and this time he did not
come back, and sat down by the fire,
| and smelt the baking cakes and the ap-
| pies stewing, aud the tea drawing on the
/ kitchen stove, and | ought to have been
very comfortable, but / wasn't. Some
thing seemed tugging at my heart all the
| time.
l gave the fire poke aud lii another
candle to cheer myself up, and | went to
my work baslet to get sock [ had been
knitting for my Charlie, and rs / went
to get ii, I saw something lying on the
| floor. picked [ up; it was an old to-
bacco pouch, ever SO much like the one
l gave Charlie with the fringe around it,
and written on it in ink, "From G. L. to
Il. NJ and inside was bit Of tobacco;
and an old pipe. and a letter, rumpled
old letter; and when | spread it out I
saw on the top, "AIy dear son.
I knew the beggar must have dropped
it, and my heart gave one light thump,
as though it had been turned into ham,
mer.
Perhaps the story was true and he had
s mother. / shiyered all over, and the
fire and candles and the nice comfortable
smells mi ght as well not have been at ALL
| was cold and wretched.
And over and over again had | to say
to myself what l heard our pastor .say
often: ''Never give anything t. chance
beggars, my dear friends; always bestow
your aims on worthy persons, through
well organized societies." before | could
get bit of comfort. And what an old
I II - r