Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-09-04

picked 1t up. 1t was a tobacco
pouch, ever so much like thS
one / gave Charlie, with {
fringe around it, and written Oh
it in ink, "From G. +. to r. H.
and inside was a BIT of tobacco
and an old pipe and letter
rumpled old letter; and when
spread it out I saw on top, "My
dear SON." iio5 ~ sa.aaifs la7
| knew the beggar must have
dropped it, and my heart gave
one big thump, as though i
had been turned into a hammcr
Perhaps the story was true, and
he had a mother. / shivered all
over, and the file and candles
and the nice comfortable -smelli
migllt as: we'll not have been a
all. j was cold and wretched.
And over and over again ha6
[ to say to myself what | hat
heard our pastor say so often
"NeYer give anything to chance
beggars, my friends: alwayssbe'
STOW your aims on worthy per.
sons through well-organized SO
cieties," before. I could get 4
bit Of comfort. And what an
old fool / was to cry, / thought
when | found my cheeks wet.
e But / did not cry long, for
sat there, dash, crash and jingle
came a sleigh over the road, and
it stopped at our gate, and
heard my Charles voice crying.
"Halloa, motherr'- @
10 And out / went to the door
and had him in my arms-my
great, tall, handsome, brown
son. And there he was in his
uniform, with his pretty shoul-
der-straps, and as hearty as if
he had never been through any
hardships. He had to leave me
to put the horse up, and then
had by the fire my own son,
And Drusilla, who had been up
stairs, and had. been crying
why, | wonder?-came down all
in a fiutter-for they were like
brother and sister-and he kiss
ed her, and she kissed him, and
then she went to set the table,
and the nice hot things smoked
on a cloth as white as snow; and
how Charlie enjoyed them! But
once, in the midst of all, i felt a
frightened feeling come over me,
and Iknow / turned pale, for
Drusilla said, 'FWhat is the mat
ter, aunt Fairfax~ +
81 said nothing, but it was
this: Kind o like the ghost Of
a step goin' champ, champ, over
the frozen snow; kind o'like the
ghost of a voice, saying, Let
me lie on the floor before your
fire, and give me any kind Of a
crust;' kind o. like some one
that had a mother down on the
wintry road, freezing and starv-
ing to death down there. That
is what it was But / put it a.
way, and only thought of Char
lie. sa' a.A ast3 zst aas'fs aoi II
We drew up together by the
fire when the tea was done, and
he told us, things about the war
Ed never heard Of before, how
the soldiers suffered, and what
weary marches and shortrations
they sometimes had. And then
he told me how hislifc had been
in danger; how he had been set
upon by the foe and badly
wounded; and how, at the risk
of his own life, a fellow soldier
had saved him and carried him
away, fighting his way back to
"1'd never seen you but for
him." says my Charlie. "And
if there's a man on earth l love,
it's Rob Hadaway-the dearest,
best fellowl We've shared
each others rations and drank
from the same cantccn many
and mauy a time; and if | had a
I could not think more
of him."
$ aKVhy didn't you bring him
homo to see your mother, Char
lie?" said /. "Why I'd love
him, too, and anything I could
do for the man who saved my
boys life, couldn't be enough.
Send for him, Charlie"
But Charlie shook his head
and covered his face with his
hands.
.Mother,' said he, "I don't
know whether Rob Hadaway is
alive or dead to-day. While |
was still in the ranks he was ta-
k en- prisoner. And military
prisons are poor places to live in,
mother. I'd give my right arm
to be able to do him any good;
but I can find no trace of him.
And he has a mother, too, and
she is so fond of him! She lives
at Greenbank, poor, old lady!
My dear, good, noble Rob, the
of my life!" '7As
And / saw Charlie was nearly
crying. Not to let us see the
tears, he got up and went to the
mantel-piece. I did not look
around until / heard a cry: