News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-01-17
the dregs into the conventional tomato

he made his way to the side of thu
coffin just as it was about to be pushed
into the hearse, and on the plate he saw
the name, Gamma NJ. Wilford"
wife.
The undertaken pushed him rudely
aside, saying, "What business have yoU
here"
In momentary passion he retorte !,
, ''That is my wife!"
A commotion followed, and police
man arrested him. In the police court
| he was discharged, rather because it was
a good thing to get rid of tramp than
: because of doubts about his sanity.
This tramp life continued more than
: Line years, but i'll the last year or SO
there was marked physical change in
the tramp. His constitution gave way
under the continued pressure of expo
sure and dissipation, and he knew that
; the time was getting near when Potter S
Field would have another tenant.
The return of his mind to its normal
condition brought on reflective moods;
and he was sometimes inclined to make
an attempt at reformation.
One day he was gazing at the window
of q little toy and candy store in q west
side street up town. The door opened
and pleasant-faced young woman
spoke kindly to the tramp.
eff you will come inside will give
you a cup of coffee and something to
I eat"
/ She and her mother, who lived to-
/ gether and kept the little store, had no.
ticed the forlorn tramp through the
window, and their compassion was
/ aroused.
| He gladly accepted the invitation, ap-
/ peased his hunger, and evidently sur
prised them both by the good English
he had used in his profuse thankfulness.
He was told that he could call at any
time when he was hungry, and while
they were themselves poor they would
do the best they could for him.
The first kind word in nearly ten
years He could hardly understand it
when he again reached the street.
The nights were growing very cold,
and the poor tramp, now sick and fast
nearing the end, suffered more than ever
before from exposure. He made some
calls at the little toy store, for he knew
that the keepers of it were poor and
could i'll afford to do even what their
compassionate natures prompted.
1t was Sunday morning, bitter cold, |
with half foot of snow on the ground. |
He stopped at one house, n fine high
stoop, brown stone, and tImidly rang
the basement bell. AS he did he !
heard the angry voice of man ap- /
preaching the door. 1t was opened an
apparent gentleman appeared, and, with
an oath, he gave the shivering tramp
kick that sent him sprawling across the
area.
"Why, John what do you mean by
such brutality?" came in q woman's
voice.
ooh, mind your own business" was
the savage answer, as he hastily passed
through the gate and disappeared down
the street.
The tramp arose with considerable
difficulty, mindful Of the fact that he
had interrupted domestic quarrel.
"COme here, my poor man," called
the Ia iy, in kindly tones. ''He was
brute to treat you so.
The lady presently handed him an
abundant breakfast done up in q news
paper, and, again expressing regret for
her husbands brutality, she closed the
door.
The paper in which he received it was
New York morning newspaper. He
glanced at the first page, the first time
in II long while that he had even looked
at a newspaper.
This is what he saw:
GEORGE HOWARD WILFoRD-s1, 900 reward
will be paid for any information leading to
his discovery, or for authentic evidence OF his
death, or for legal proof of helrshlp to his
property. Address John 9. Wi COX, attorney
at-law, Pennsylvania.
He stared at the paper in amazement
and read the advertisement time after
time.
There was no doubt about the name
being his, but then there might be
another George Howard Wilford. The
town in Pennsylvania, however, was his
old home, and it was hardly probable
that his name had q duplicate there.
The name of the attorney was new to
him.
1t was all mystery to the tramp. 1t
was clear enough, however, that the
advertisement was matter of import
ance to him, and the next thing for him
to do was to find some way to respond
to it.
And this was no easy matter. A let
ter involved two-cent stamp, as well as
sheet of paper and an envelope, and he
hadn't in a long while enjoyed enough
wealth to buy either one or the other.
Then he thought of the kind people
in the little toy store. Perhaps they
would feel enough interested in the mys
terious advertisement to cause them to
risk about three cents on letter of in
quiry.
There was no trouble about the means
for launching the letter, and he was
also allowed to make the answer receiv-
able at the toy store, for he knew that
q letter directed to him at the general
pOst-office would not be delivered to a
tramp without Rn impossible line of
reference.
The third day after his letter was des-
patched the postman left at the little toy
store letter bearing the postm mark of
the Pennsylvania town named in the ad
vertisement. 1t was not long thereafter
when the tramp appeared, for he knew
about when an answer would be due.
The letter was rather disappointing.
1t was icy cold in sentiment, formal in
phraseology, and evinced only the
thoughts OF careful and cautious law
yer. 1t ran thus:
MT. George HO'Cdrd WilfOrd:
DEAR Sm:-I am in receipt of your favor of
the 25th inst If you are the person alluded
to in my adveTtisment | should be glad to hear
from you with detailed statements as to your
family history. Very respectful ly,
JOHN e. WILCOX.
Wired read the letter carefully two or
three times.
Then he sat down and with a long
letter, gave in detail his family history,
with dates incidents and data that would
effectually settle the matter as to his
identity.
On the morning of December 81, the
last of the year, an answer came. When
WilfOrd opened the letter a draft
dropped from il, payable to his order,
for 800. The letter ran thus:
My DEAR Mr.. WLFORU:-Yo of the 9th
received. IL ractic lily sets at rest the ques
tion of your herslip to the estate of John
Howard, your grandfather, and It is import
ant that yOu should come here immediately
Your e. andfather died three years ago at tue
ipe age Of ei.hty-four. ] was his attorney
for several years preceding his death, and l
drew his will. His estate is worth fully mil