The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-06-21
TURNED FROM THE DOOR.

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1nnaninr rs if they suffered III the storm. "N'
cramps here; Pm lone woman anu II
afraid of en-
Then the man hadn't seen yet, Tor TIT
dark. went away from the door. CHAMP
champ, champ came the man back again, aii'
Knocked on the dOor-knockcd not nan Sc
Roud as he did beforehand ! opened IT, no
aud angry This time | saw his iace-a pal'
Ghost of Il face--wlth yelow-brown halr, crop
bed close, and great staring blue eyes, ana ne
n,t his hand against the door and held II hal
open. Of, l.,
slow near is the next house, ma'am?' NJ
asked.
Three miles or more SAID L.
"No" SAID |; "no drinks to be got there; i
Is Miss Mittcn's, and she's as set agln tramp'
as am
~ don't want drink" said the man, though
do want food. You needn't be afraid to lie
INC in. ma'am. I've been wounded, and AN
mot able to walk far and my clothes are INN
and it's bitter cold. I've been trying to get &c
nav parents at Grcenbank, where can rest til
4 am better; and all my money was stolen
IRON me three days ago. You needn't Dc
afraid let me lie lust before the fire, and only
give me crust, the stalest crust, to keep mt
iron starving. and the Lord will bless you foi
ahe act" -,
And then he looked at me with his mid
,.lue eyes in way that would nave made me
Co II. If 1t hadn't been ia seen so much OF
shese imposters The war was just over, and
every begrar that came along said he was a
soldier travelling home, and had been wounded
and robbed One that had been fool enough
e. holp,limped away,out of sight as he thought
and then--ior | was at the garnet window
sshouldered his crutchcs and tramped win the
strongest.
NO doubt your pocket is full Of money
said "and you only want "a chance to ROB ana
murder me- Go away with you !"
Drusilla, that's my niece, was baking cakes
N the kitchen Just then she came to the
door and motioned with her mouth to me:
'ai,o let him stay, auntie;' and If hadn't
good sense might, but knew better than a
chick Of 1G.
go away with you" says |, louder than
before ~ won't have tins any longeri
And he gave IA kind of Il groan, and took
ais hand from the latch, and went champ,
champ, through the frozen snow again; and
thought him gone, when there he was once
more hardly with knock at ALA ialnt
souch like u childs now
guite in. and stood leaning on his cane, pale as
ghost, his eyes bigger than ever.
well, of ali the lmpudcnce!
He looked at me and said: Madam, 1
naye n mother at Greenbank. | want to live
to sec her | shall not if try to go any fur
eher tonight
They all want to sec their mothers and
gusi then it came to my mind that hoped
aha, my son Charlie, who had been real SOL
der an officer he had come to be, mind you,
wanted to see his, and would soon.
II have been wounded, AS you see" he con
sinued.
Don't go a showing me your hurts" said
1; they buy EN- so they told me, to go "A
aegging with now. | read the papers tell
We aud I'm principled, and so is our clergy
man, agin giving anything, unless its through
some well.organized society, Tramps are my
abOmination And rs for keeping you all
night you can't expect that OF decent folks
GOT
Druslla came to the door and said:
Act him stay aun,ic," with her lips again,
bui | ,Ook no notice
~ he went and this time he did not come
back, and sat down by the fire, and smet the
bak ing cakes and the apples stewing, and the
as drawing on the kitchen stove, and ought
10 have been very comfortable, but wasn't
Something seemed to bc Juggling at my heart
all the time.
J gave the fire u poke, and lit another can
sle 20 cheer myself up, and went to the work
basket to get sock had been knitting for
nv Charlie, and as ! went to get 1t, | saw
something lying on the floor picked it up,
Il Vas Al old tobacco pouch ever sol much like
the one gave Charlie with the fringe around
Il, and written on it in ink, "From {. +. to X.
H. - and inside was Il bit Of tobacco, and a
letter rumped old letter; and when spread
il gu, saw on the top, "My dear SON.
knew the beggcr must have dropped it.,
anl my heart gave one great thump, as though
il had been turned into II hammer
Perhaps the story was true, and he had II
mother | shivered all over, and the fire and
candles and the NICE comfortable smells might
rs vel not have been at all was cold and
NieCAed.
And over and over again had | to say to
myse,. what had heard our pastor say often
-Ncycr give anything TO chance bcggars, my
dcar friends; always bcsow your aims on
worthy persons, through well organized soci-
cites before | could get bit of comfort.
And Wha an old fool was to cry, | thought,
when found my checks wet
Hut 1 did not cry long, for, as sal there,
dash aGd crash and jingle came sleigh over
TIT road and it stopped at our gate, and |
hoard my Charities voice crying: "llalloa,
motherw And out | went to the gate, and
BEL aim in my arms-my great, tall, hand
Soli,c. arown son. And there he was in his
Eh'lItIi WIFI HIS plCttN SuoulVcl -Sudl'S, anu
~ Lry-ty as if he had never been in any hard
.hip- lie had to leave me to put up the
hlg-J md then | had by the fire my own son
A0o prusilla who had been upstairs and had
bCen c.ying-why she did 80, know you will
WCnucT-Camc down all in a futtcr-ior they
BeTc Ike brother and sster-and he kissed
be-, an1 she kissed him, and then away she
went e. set the table, and the nice hot things
saEoAC, on Il cloth is white as snow; and how
Chas., enjoyed them!
but ace in the midst of all felt fright
tslc ceiling come over me, and | knew
fU,noi pale; for Drusilla said What is tn,
.sAalio; Aunt Fairfax"
sad nothing; but It was this: Kind o
like tlr ghost OF step, going champ, champ
USeg the frozen snow; kind o like the ghos
q y 70 ice saying: Let me lie on the floor
bszUyc our fire, and give me any kind OF +
crust 20 kind q like some one that had a moth
e, STA, ne down on the wintry road, and frccz
ng aud starving 10 death there That is what
va But | put II away, and only thought