Smyrna times., 1879-08-20
Turned from the Door.

"No tramps here" said l, and shut the
door in his face, did. The wind blew so
| could hardly do it, and the sleet was
beating upon the panes, and the bare trees
were groaning and moaning as if they suf
| fered 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 at the door-knock not half
so loud as he beforehand 1 opened it, hot
and angry. This time l saw his face-a
pale ghost of face-with yellow-brown
hair, cropped close, and great staring blue
eyes, and he put his hand against the door
and held it open.
How near is the next house, ma'am ?"
said he.
"Three miles or more," said J.; ono
drinks to be got there it is Miss Mittens,
and she's as set agin tramps as / am"
81 don't want drink" said the man,
"though l do want food. You needn't be
afraid to let me in, ma'am. I've been
wounded, and am not able to walk far,
and my clothes are thin, and it's bitter
cold. I've been trying to get to my parents
at Greenbank, where l can rest till rm
better; 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 will bless you
for it,"
And then he looked at me with his mild
blue eyes in way that would have made
me do it if it hadn't been I'd seen so much
of these impostors. The war was Just over,
and every beggar that came along said he
was soldier and travelling home, and had
been wounded and robbed. One that
had been foolish enough to help limped
away out of sight, as he thought, and then
for | was at the garret window-shouldered
his crutches and tramped with the strongest
"No doubt your pockets are full ot
money" said |, "and you only want a
chance to rob and murder me. Get away
with you
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking
cakes in the kitchen. Just then she came
to the door and motioned with her moutl
to me. "Do let him stay, auntie," and if
hadn't had good sense | might, but knew
better than a chick of sixteen.
$50 away With your says I, louder thar
before. 81 won't have this any longer"
And he gave kind of groan, and tool
his hand from the latch, and went champ
champ, through the frozen snow again
and thought him gone; when there b
was once more, hardly with a knock at al
a faint touch, like a child's now.
And when 1 opened again he came quit
n in, and stood leaning on his cane, pale as
, ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
Gs We'll, of all impudence T' said /.
He looked at me and said: Madam,
have a mother at Greenbank. | want
live to see her. could not if l should tr
60 any further tonight"
"They all want to see their mothers,
ys and just then it came TO my mind hope
that my son Charlie, who had been rel
S. soldier, an officer he had come to be min
NJ you, wanted to see his, and would soon.
20 81 have been wounded, as you see, sal
10 he.
% "Don't go showing me your hurts" sal
80 / "they buy 'em, SO they told me, TO go
81 begging with now. l read the papers,
'55SS tell ye, and I'm principled, and so is oil
Is clergyman, agin giving anything unless ii
.9S through some we'll organized societ
"a Tramps are my abomination. And as
,SS keeping them all night, you can't expe
"a ,1S that of decent folks-go"
,2i Drusilla came to the door and said, I" L
'14 him stay, auntie," with her lips again, b
rs | took no notice.
l47 So he went, and this time he did n,
l'sz I 81 come back, and l sat down by the fiji
i26 smelt the baking cakes and the appl
i,l4 stewing, and the tea drawing on Il
AZ kitchen stove, and l ought to have be-
$40 very comfortable, but l wasn't. Som
az az thing seemed tugging at my heart all t
,ose time.
. n. gave the fire poke, and lii anoth
;stS 2dO candle to cheer myself up, and l went
''-' my work basket to get sock had be
u. knitting for my Charlie, and as went
- get it | saw something lying on the flo
IN | picked it up. 1t was an old tobaC
Ill pouch, ever so much like the one ga
Charlie with the fringe around it, a
written on it in ink, From G. F. to r. II
w. and on the inside was a bit of tobacco, q
an old pipe, and letter, rumpled
letter; and when l spread it out | saw
the top. "My dear son." l knew
sun beggar must have dropped it, and /
heart gave one light thump, as thou
it had been turned into hammer.
NJ. Perhaps the story was true and he ha
$50 mother. l shivered all over, and the
4Sa 4S9 and candles and the nice comfortable sm
40s might as we'll not have been at all.
999 99999g cold and wretched.
''' And over and over again had to say
myself what l heard our pastor say oft
Never give anything to chance begg
M my dear friends; always bestow your a.
on worthy persons, through well'organi
societies. before | could get a bit
comfort And what an old fool wa
cry, thought, when found my ch
i.at. Har- wet.
siS ,dSys But did not cry long, for as l sat tn,
dash and crash and jingle came sic
EgT Tri. over the road, and it stopped at our g
and / heard my Charities voice cry
apt "Halloa, mother |" And l went to
- door, and had him in my arms-my gr
tall, handsome brown son. And there
= was in his uniform, with his pretty shoul
straps, and as handsome as if he had NJ
been through any hardships. He ha'
leave me to put the horse up, and th'
had by the fire my own son. And Drus
who had been up stairs and had been
ing--why, | wonder ?-came down all
fiutter-for they were like brother
sister-and he kissed her and she Xxi
him, and then she went to set the
and how nice the things smoked on {
white as snow; and how Charlie enj
thernl But once in the midst of all
q frightened feeling come over me, a
knew l turned pale, for Drusilla
"What is the matter, Aunt Fairfax 2"
said nothing; but it was this XII
like the ghost Of a step, going ch
champ over the frozen snow kind O.
the ghost Of voice saying: "Let m
on the floor before your FIRE, and Civ
any kind Of a crust;" kind o. like