Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-04-14
Dads
agsaaq ~ UadepS edt ipl daas bico eda i
. Here shs, Rsiasa lof, Tas-rsg end Bob1

sUb, Soa4 You qsihSo,oSs iS,Ss sh,sh h.sts acii!id q
'V.srhS 'hit ny hthsr wosel. Z S'sa2S ystes
These and other choios spsetnons Of
beyishawit eehoeat aboRse . aforlore and
ragged Iii msp Aa,.he made hia Way through
ths principal street AZ the village Of Eshtop.
lt waa & day sb6at tho frst o. March. For
twenty four honfs previous, snow aud rain
had ffallep, but this morning The sun had
risen, lightipg up the orys!sl enamel Of
eYsry bransh aud twig into diamond splen--
doEg How ipsxpressibly beautiful It was!
Every tree standing cut In delicate relief
against . Ky 81 tenderost blue everything
sheathsd is fairy glass, every bud 10 its
diamond esss. But che green OF the live
SsasT hedges, sAA:s:ss through the Ice jewels,
Hss tho most lovely of eli.
Tho boys saw nothing OF this. There
was plenty OF slush under their feet, and Of
that they made snow balls and pelted the
man whose only fault was that he looked
deserted aud rsgged and miserable.
How he oame BY the name they called
him ("Dads'') would have pussled an OBJ
server. Il was not term Of endearment,
evidently; neither could It have been
given for pateiarohal age, for this
man was not moro than forty, though gray
and haggard and worn enough for any ego.
He had not been long 10 tho town, either,
tehsye gained that rude paternal appellation
from its children; but some boyish wsg, 10
. moment Of inspiration, had dubbed him
with that name at first glance; and he had
borne Il ever sinse.
He bore his honors meskly, poor fellow!
% he took the slush balls Of the boys. He
only took off tho poor old hat and,
with trembling hand, wiped the wet snow
pale blue eyes, With o shrinking expres-
sion in them, like IN animal who Is used to
blows.
The boys stopped as they caught tho
wetery gleasn Of those pale blue eyes; any
thing 90 meek, 90 pitiful, yet reproaohfal,
e was not IN boys nature to imsgiue.
''Let tho old duffer CO." muttered one.
Il was sohooltime, too, SO that helped
their resolution. They trotted off merriIy,
tho man looking after them with sad eyes.
Gould Il be he had ever bounded along like
thatf ever felt any suoh pulses in those
sluggish veius-suoh joyous lifo in every
limbf
He olasped his hands together aud looked
up at the sky. That look tender aud
bright and pitifal. Ny Godl How we'll he
remembered tho past--the happy child
hood, the youth, wrecked at the first quick.
sand Of temptationl Alb, how soon no had
sqaandered the strength and joy and hope
he had fanoied inexhaustiblel Like spend
thrift he had wasted his fortune, and must
be . beggar forever.
He had name once that many cared to
hear; that one darkeyed, sweet faced girl
had murmured with love-. Now he was
'''Dads" in the eyes of tho world; an old
beggar, that was all.
Yet he did not beg, miserable as he
looked, hungry as he often was. The wild
dissipation Of the past was over now, the
tho rioutous living was at an end, and he
fed upon husks, yet he never begged. I'm
fitted as he was for any important, we'll
paid work, with health and energy gone,
he had found odd jobs which had gained
him a bit Of bread.
Vel He was hungry this morning-rave-
nously hungry. He looked closely about
70 see If any careless servant had thrown
out so much as a cold potato. He would
have eaten it with relish, sodden and soaked
as 1t must have been in those overfowing,
saush ohoked cutters; but he espied moth
ing. He looked around vaguely for work.
Alb, the pavements! Why hadho forgotten
then2
He stood before house, grand end
handsome for Eshton. There was q garden
about it, with all the flower beds warmly
covered from the frost, and tall rose bushes
standing up IN stiff straw wrsppings. He
fumbled about at the great iron gate o mo-
ment, aud opened it at last. There were
wide windows with lace ourtaine and flowers
at them, and between the flowers q golden
head and sweet, flower like face looked
out. A little girl of about ten years old
had watched the strange man as he made
his way 20 the door. There was something
oddly hesitating about his manner which
struok the child.
"Why, he looks frightened" she said;
and It scemed very odd to her that great
man should be frightened at anything.
She saw him stand staring at the door 10 q
distraught way, and ran out herself to open
1t. Once she looked into his face; with the
quick intuition of pure spirit she read
sohae sort of intense suffering there. lie
stared at hor intensely and strangely NUT.
tered:
"Tep yearsl Ten years"
"Did you want pspa2" the little maiden
asked.
"Does he want the pavement cleaued?''
the man inquired, rousod to knowle
that ho must make his errand known.
"Oh, yes; am sure no docs"
~ have no spade, am 20 poor" the
man said, searching the ohild's face with
strange hunger, to read sgaiu there
the heavenly pity that had dawned upon it
.Oh, We have plenty, poor mani she