The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-26

ootn envelopes again and sealed them.
went on with my other work. Still, wa
haunted with the feeling that this thin!
was left unfinished. and 1 opened both th
letters once more. l read his letter again
l read my letter to the Pension Bureau. ant
read the note which had written to him
| This time, after reading bis letter to mt
and mine 10 him once and again. incloseC
IN my envelope 10 him some money, wIthou
saying why, for indeed l did not know
tbs finally finished my correspondence
IS supposed; l sealed the letter again
! and, finding that could do nothing in my
| ONCE, put on my coat, took all the letters
had been writing, passed from my private
room through the counting room, and left
the letters for the mail
"But / was not permitted to leave the
door Of the Office. In obedience to the i'm
pulse which l had now obeyed twice,
went back TO the mailing box, took out my
letter to him again, went back to my
private Office and read it once more; read
his letter now for the third or fourth time,
and this time wrote new letter to my old
friend Colonel Sharp, who lived in the
town from which the officer had written to
me. L asked Sharp to be good enough to
ind him, TO find what his condition was,
and that OF his family, and if he found
tnat they needed any help, to render il to
them at my expense, if it should be neces-
sary. l sealed and stamped this letter,
added it to my mail, and this time l was
permitted to leave my cface and 90 to my
home
''We had nightly mail. at that time
from Aeres to Abydos, which was the CITY
In which he was living, aad, as l learned
afterward, my letter to him arrived the
next morning. 1t Will save trouble if l
give You name for him. We will call him
Needles, though that is not his name.
'Thirly-six hours after had written,
received his reply. l have it now, and
VIII show il to YOU at some time. 1t was a
most modest and simple narrative of the
steady decline OF his fortunes, since the
accident which Ihave described 1t seemed
he had wife and four or five children, of
whom he spoke with pride and confidence
But he had been educa' ed as a sailor, and
ne knew no arts but those of a sailor: he
had 10 way Of earning living now that
he could not 90 to sea, and he had gone
through all the misery of sickness, en-
forced ldleness, of his income becoming
less and less until it was nothing
He and his wife had sold every article
OF properly and dress which they could sell,
for the food and clothing of their children.
They had been obliged to withdraw their
children from school, because they could
not present proper appearance there 1t
was under such circumstances that, need
ing his pension, CT course, he had writton
to me the modest letter which had re-
ceived, asking for my assistance in hasten
ng the decision on it.
ION the night before his present writing
that is, on the evening which immedi- |
ltely followed the afternoon Of my writing |
o him-he and his wife and children were |
around the little stove which |
warmed their lodging. The fire in it was |
by Goals and cinders which the |
children had picked up in the street. He |
lad not cent to pay for any article of |
ood, and he and the children were all |
hungry. They reviewed the position as
veil as they could, and il was then that his
wife said that she was sure that brighter
ines must be before them. For she still
'elleved that God did not mean that people
hould perish who had not Intentionally Of
ended Him, or fought against His law. She
new that they had done their duty as well
s they knew how, and she believed that
iod would carry them through. She had
10 ground for this belief excepting her cer-
ainty that neither she nor her husband nor
Ter children had Intentionally done what
vas wrong. With such comfort as they
ould get from such expressions as hers,
neV all went te bed, the earlier because
hey had nothing to eat, and perhaps be-
ause the hre was not very satisfactory.
"For the same reason they slept, or
tayed IN bed late in the morning One is
OF tempted to rise early when he has MOTH
lg to do and nothing to eat. But they did
lse, though late, and were rekindiing thu
re, think, when the postman stopped at
le door and brought in the letter which I {
ad three times opened, and in which had :
nally inclOsed the money.
Needles wrote to NE that when the bill
I'll to the ground from the letter, as it did.
e felt rs he should have felt if it had
ropped from the hand of an angel. He
ad not asked mo for money; he had not
'ked anybody for money. He asked me I
II my influence in the Pension Bureau. t
'ithout asking, the money had come. He J
ut, and his wife felt, as if it had come in
lswer to their prayer"
AS General Glover told me this story, c
as reminded OF phrase of my fricnd Mr.. '
ayior, VINO used to say that there was no S
,ndition in human life in which q check v
New orh would not answer most pur. S
'ses. 1t was Clear enough that the crisp L
'eenoack which had been inclosed in Gen.
al Giover's letter had been quite as valu- a
'le workman IN that starving family as
laddln's slave OF the ring would have t
zen. +
A skillful child was at once DISPATCHED
buy the materials for breakfast. and
ey were well engaged in the first meal {
hich they hal eaten for several days. I
hen another party appeared upon the b
age. This time it was not the postmau: T
was Colonel Sharp, TO whom General D
lovers fourth letter had been written. d
wish could give the reader an idea of
eneral Glover's description OF Colonel Il
larp's methods. He sat, cheering ali f
4rtles by his lively tal!i-I wish 1 were
king with him now-and when he saw Il
at the breakfast was well finished. he D
ok Needles with him to the great post O
ice at Aoydos. Colonel Sharp was a
city important person in that CITY, and. G.
eaking all lines ofdefense, he soon found Fl
mself with Mr.. Needles in the private r
ON OF the postmaster, whom, for the
rpose of this story, we will call Mr.. al
,wland Hill General Glover went on to Of
scribe the interview. IL
Sharp told Mr.. Hill that there was
serving man. who had served the coun-
:, and that was interested in him, and of
II shook hands with Official cordiality. and te
ID he should be interested il any friend W
mine and his. p;
Colonel Sharp said that he wanted Hill T.
Mr. Needles to good place in II
1T post-oiice. Mr.. Hill at once assumed
Official air OF distress, and explained er
W many hundreds Of applications he re- dt
we'd every day from very deserving peo- ne
J: but he would put Mr. Neadles, 80. fi'