Sharp County record., 1885-08-06

ne WOulu never ldu W lCCb q h'hSlJ
human being Through all the fuctua-
tions of his business career and the
manifold duties of his busy life he had
kept this pledge inyiolate, as many
drunken loafer and disreputable bum
mer in Steuart street could attest. Re-
solve had grown into principle of &C
ton, and principle into habit. He re-
called this custom now.
"Here, sir; this will get you round
meal down yonder," nodding in the di-
rection of the cheap eating-houSes in
Fourth street, as he extended quarter
he had extracted from his trousers
pocket, carefully weighing it in his
hand to make sure that he was in no
danger of giving away a gold piece by
mistake.
do YOU think that if wanted char
ity l would be occupying this palatlal
mansion and fasting until refuse gar
bage seems mess Tor a King?"
Brewster recalled what Martin had
said, and drew back his well-meant Of
fering with a sense of personal injury.
"Oh, come now! Be of, like good
fellow, and make no more trouble.
The lumberman was impatient to
bring the interview to a close. He still
fingered the silver piece with an uneasy
sense that it would be b 4tteri in the pos
session of avagabond. The man raised
his tattered hat, with 3 mOcking bow,
and essayed to step over the walls OF
his abode; but his legs proved too un-
steady for the successful accomplish
ment of his purpose. He stumbled,
reeled and sat down on his own roof
top, which rasped and clashed in dis
NAL chorus.
Brewster knew the meaning of the
action. How many times had he seen
some poor fellow, reduced to the last
limits of inanition, falter and fall by the
way on forced march. His reflections
exploded in two words each possessed
of three Syllables, and followed by an
exclamation point The first was
''staryation;" the second differed only
in the first syllable, and represented a
vely essential article of faith in the
orthodox creed. He supplemented the
remarks with an imperative order to the
watchman, who forthwith seized one OF
the vagrant's arms. Hall leading, half
supporting him, ignoring his faint pro-
tests, they took him up the path 10 the
office, and placed him on a chair before
the fire.
As they progressed on their Shiny
path, Brewster inconseQuently recalled
the battle of Shiloh, when LenOir badly
wounded and thrown from the saddle
of dying horse, had been led to the
rear, protesting and fighting every step
of the way. As he came into the light
of the office windows, he accounted for
the sensation by the discovery that the
man wore q cheap overcOat OF military
cloth and cut, of the stamp usually
affected by the 'hay-bunkers. "
They placed him in a chair before the
fire and he sat there mutinous cap
tive. his felt hat with its battered brlm
drawn down over his eyes and partially
shading his face. The first glance at
the stranger in the honest light of the
Office lamp had in a measure reassured
Brewster and pnt to fight his absurd
fancies. There was nothing striking or
uncommon in the spare figure, or the
old face with its lines of care and pain.
1t was very ordinary face, an emf
nently prosaic face, he assured himself;
of the same type rs ten thousand others
in the city, but he could not resist a
crazy desire to see the forehead barred
to look at the left temple and
Bah! Back to those old memories OF
the war again! So much for the per-
niciouS effect of the afternoons aSSocia-
tions. Well, what was it, after all?
Only a young fellow, his blue suit in
tatters, crazed with fever, crawling past
the dead line, strong hand stretched
out to save him. dull report, a bullet
leaving bloody track across the tenn
pie and along the scalp of the rescuer
And why had he lost sight OF the gal
liant old soul all these years? Con-
found it! Lenoir 1OaS Just the one to
sneak off from his friends if the world
used him i'll, to live in a dugout and
dine on scraps rather than ask charity
Yes, and to Jest and flash out with a
dauntless spirit in moment of humil-
iation and shame that held worse terror
to a proud soul than the bravest SOL
dier ever faced on the battlefield,
Could poverty, and despair, and ILL
health, reduce the high-souled gentle
man and soldier to the likeness of that
old scarecrow? Brewster stepped i'm
pulsively forward, reaching over for a
chunk of frewood, awkwardly brush
ing the strangers head with his arm
and knocking off the slouch hat.
He hesitated just long enough to OBJ
serve a white track across the temple
and through the sparse gray hair, then,
with his brain in a whirl. secured the
stick of wood, laid it carefully upon the
blaze, took out pencil and notebook
and scribbled few lines to his wife, A
| o1oeo oorr;o oo ~ fro in thp hest room