Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-10-16
THE SOLDIER TRAMP.

tie door in his face. did. The win
blew so that | could hardly do it, an
the sleet was beating on the pane
and the pear trees were groaning an
moaning "a il they suffered ia th
storm. No ,ramps here; Pm Ion
woman, and Pm afraid OF EN-.
Then the man | hadn't seen vet fo
the dark went away from the dool
Champ, champ, champ, came tn
man back gain, and knocked at tn
door--knocked not half SO loud as b
did beforehand opened it, hot an
angry This time | saw his face
with yellow brown hair, croppe
close, and great staring blue eye.
and he put his hand against The doc
and held it.
How near is the next house
ma'am:' said he.
Three miles or more said |.
And that is not a tavern p
No. said {; mo drinks to be go
there it is Miss Mltten's, and she
as set against tramps as / am
Il don't want to drink said tn
man-'though / do want food. Yo'
needn't be afraid to let me in, ma am
I've been wounded, and am not abb
to walk far, ana my clothes are thil
and its bitter cold. I've been tryin.
to get to my parents at Greenbank
where | can rest till I'm better; ant
all my money was stolen from N,
three days ago. You needn't b,
afraid let me lie just before the fire
and only give me crust, the stales
crast, to keep me from starving, anG
the Lord will bless you for it,.
And then he looked at me with hi,
wild eyes in way that would hav.
made me do it if it hadn't been I'c
seen so much of these imposters. The
war was just over, and every beggal
that came along said he was sol
der travelling home, and had beer
wounded and robbed. One that
had been fool enough to help 'limpeG
away and out of sight as he thought
and then, for was at the garnet win
dow--shouldered his crulches and
tramped off with the strongest.
mo doubt your pocket is full Of
money! | said, 'and you only want a
chance to rob and murder me. Go
away with you !
Drusilla--that's my niece-was
baking cakes in the kitchen. just
then she came to the door and mo.
toned with her mouth to me. sDo
let him stay, aunt and if had not
had better sense might, but | know
better than a chick of sixteen.
Go away with you'll says Louder
than before i won't have this any
longer
And he gave kind of groau and
took his hand from the latch, and
then went champ, champ, through
the the fre aea s n9sn again. iip AND IboBgbt
more, hardly with knock at all, a
faint touch, like a child's.
And when / opened the door again,
he came quite in and stood leaning
on his cane, pale as ghost, his eyes
bigger than ever
'Well,o of all the impujence 7 said |.
He looked at me, and then said
'Madam,I have q mother at Green.
bank. | want to live to see her;
shall not if l try to go any further
to. night
'They all want to see their moth.
ers,' and just then it cane into my
mind that l hoped my son Charley
who had been q real soldier, an Off
Ger he had come to be, mind you
wanted to see his, and would coon.
Il have been wounded, as you car
see,' said he.
Don't go to showing me your
hurts said L 'they buy 'em, SO they
told me, to go a-begging with now
/ read the papers, l tell ye, and Ia
principled, and SOS our clergyman
against giving anything unless III
through some well organized society
Tramps are my abomination. AND
as to keeping you all night, you can
expect that of decent folks-gon
Drusila came to the door and said
Let him stay, aunt, with her lip
again, but | took no notice.
| So he went, and this time he dit
not come back, and / sat down b,
the fire and smelt the baking cake
and the apples stewiug, and the tel
drawing on the kitchen stove, and
ought to have been very comfortable
but l wasn't. Something seemed
Juggling at my heart all the time. E
| gave the fire poke and lit an
other candle to cheer myself up, ant
l went to my work basket to get tn
sock l bad been knitting tor m,
Charlie, and as / went to get it saw
something lying on the floor. Ipicket
| it up. 1t was an old tobacco pouch
ever 30 much like the one l CAV
Charlie, with fringe around it, ant
written on it in ink "From G. f. {,
| r. H. and inside was bit of Tobacco,
aud rumpled old letter; and whel
| spread il | saw on the top, M,
dear son.
| l knew the beggar must hay
dropped 1t, and my heart gave on
big thump, as though it had beef
4 turned into hammer.
| Perhaps the story was trae, an;
he had q mother. l shivered all over
and tho fire and candles and mic
comfortable smells might as well no
have been at all. l was cold AM
wretched.
| And over and over had / to say {,
myself what ! heard our pastor sa,
so often, Never give anything Z
chance beggars, my dear friends al
ways bestow your aims on worth,
persons, through we'll organized soci
eties.' before could get a bit o
comfort. And what an old fool
was to cry, thought when | ioun,
my cheeks wet.
| But | did not cry long, as / sa
there, dash and crash and jingle cam
a sleigh over the road, and it stoppe'
at our gate and heard my Charlie
voice crying, sHalloa, motherl' An
out | went to the door, and had hir
in my arms-my great, tall, hand
some brown son. And there be wa
in his uniform, with his pretty shoul
der straps. and as hearty as thouo