The Hazlehurst signal., 1883-12-20

IL was Christmas eve. and the city
was i'm excitement. IL seemed rs II
every human being In the big city who
had money 10 buy with and n friend 10
buy for was to contribute To the JOY oi
the morrow. hail money and wife
and children. l wis warmly clad and
in the best of health. The bitter cold
was nothing To- me. and those ut home
had every comfort.
halted with the crowd before grand
show window. and there, so near that |
could have pulled her rags. was one
of nv victims. She was woman oi
fifty. gaunt, pinched. ragged. and great
black eyes which had the look OF some
hunted animal. | saw all this at u
glance aud turned away. What was Il
To me whether she wore silk or rags?
Why should care whether she was
penniless or had plenty? Was it my
business To ask whether she had food
and fire whether she was wife or
widow whether children waited for
her in some wrctchcd room, or whether
she lived alone and had money boarded
up.
You wouldn't have asked. Not one
man in ten thousand would have cared.
What i one poor old woman more OF
less To the crowds who surged up and
down the busy streets OF a busy city ?
was going home with presents for
all-with bright anticipat!ons - with
gratitude in nv heart that | had some
one To- love, when that woman met inc
face To face. Snowllakes were falling
on the old shawl covering her head. and
the face which hunger had pinched was
pinchcd again with the cold. Her
great. lear-hauntcd eyes looked square
ly into mine as she held out her hand.
She did not speak. That bare arm
the skeleton iingerS-thc rags were
enough.
Then committed foul crime. Ibid
not strike her. nor brush her aside, nor
curse her. Ircid her poverty and her
suffering in single glance, and
turned away and passed ON. She was
bcggar. Perhaps she was n drunkar,l
~ well. How did know that she had
not been released from the work k-housc
that very ailcrn Oh? II she was old an,l
poor amt fricndlc>s her place was in the
poor-hOuSe.
| looked back over my shoulder and
there she stood. hand outstrctched tow
ards me as if she were PRAYING Ia God
TO soften my heart and bring me back,
and had faith that he would answer her
prayer.
But did not halt; felt stab. but
| conquered il. and said To my accusing
conscience: "Bc still! YOU might give
every dollar YOU possess to the poor,
aud YOU would receive no thanks! "
That night. when all the little stock.
ings had been filled and wife and | had
expressed our gratitude for the blessings
Of life and the good health which had
been ours for years, slept to dream. !
dreamed of the gaunt woman who had
asked for aims. dreamed of hovcl
in which there was neither food nor
fire nor lamp. dreamed that l fol-
lowed her home and heard means and
sobS and prayers Us listened NJ the
door. tried To open II but II
would not yield. | tried to cry out that
had come to help her. but the words
would not come. / wanted To give her
money. and tell her that l had mis-
Judged her and would help to make il a
happy Christmas by sending food and
fuel, hut while | struggled To speak q
form stole past mo into the wrctched
abode and whispered;
1T is too late! y
When the morning dawned / could
not rest. hurried out and walked the
streets, scanning every face and figure.
and hoping against hope that | would
meet my victim. could not find her.
Then left the streets and journcye,l
through alleys where | had seen the
pale faces of the poor pcering through
shattered pancs. BY and by came Ia
time-beaten, desolatc-looking hovel
half buried under the snow. Frost COW
cred tho pancS AMI snow had driftcd
over the doorstep. / looked for smoke
from the chimney, hut none came forth.
listened for sounds of human voices,
but listened in vain.
Then | felt myself criminal, ana
trcmblcd rs II the law had. laid its hand
upon me. would have run away. bu,
some strange power prevented and
urged me nearer. / knocked ut the
door. No answer. | tapped on the
window. All was silent.
Then opened the door and stepped
in. had committed murder, and like
other murderers had been drawn back
TO the scene by some strange fascina-
ton. In n chair-the only one in the
hovel-sat the woman who had held out
her hand to me. Her face was held in
her hands. and she seemed to have
shriveled up. On the bed--on the rags
and straw covered with rags and
locked in each others arms, were the
children-a girl of nine and n boy OF
twelve. On the wall near by were two
s,ockings-faded and ragged and worn,
but hung there for Santa Claus.
The stockings were empty. touched
the woman and called; ''Good-morn
ing!" but she did not move.
/ bent over the children and shouted
merry Christmas" but they did not
awake.
They were dead! In my dream had
seen specter pass me and enter. II
was the spectcr Of death. Hunger and
cold and sickness and despair had in
vited him in.
And I-where Is my defense?
could have given. and l did not. One
single coin would have given them
bread that night. The hundredth part
Of the contents OF my purse would have
lighted and warmed and fed them and
placed tokens of mothers love in the
ragged stockings.
That was my crime. II accuses me
by day and comes TO me in my dream,
by night. / give and give. but thai
volco Is ever whispering: ''lt is toe
late!"
Among tie assisted immigrants
who reached Castle Garden recently
was a three-year-old gentleman from
ireland. named Slattery. None OF hi.
kith or kin were with him. He viii