Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-08-08
Mashington Standard
THE RED BEGGAR.

the town. 1t was humble, but all about
it, everything, was :..v;.-s neat and trig,
30 it was evident tina: it was not the
dwelling of ether sloth or want. 4
honcy suckle climbed up over the door,
and gay flowers bloomed in beds before
1t; while on the south was the stand for
the bees, where in straw thatched hives
they stored honey all day long in sunny
weather.
II the cottage lived an old man named
Paul and his wife Barbarer. Thcy were
very fond of each other, and lad it not
been that they had no children they
would have leen as happy as the day was
long. AS it was, they tried not TO miss
too much the prattle of little ones which
the storks would not bring to them, but
went on their way in life, thrifty and
kind to the POOR. and doing good when
it offered.
In the morning Paul would 60 afield
to his work, willie Da re Barbarcr wonld
remain at home to whatever hose
hold tasks needed :; :ention and after-
ward to spin smooth reads of fax Y. It'll
her distaff, to be sole in the market of
the town or to be wo III into cloth from
which she made c!otl ;lS for herself and
her husband, Or, vat quite rs or;en
happened. fc.' s0i:.e yvor and unfortunate
n:ighbOr.
Dame Barbarer was always kind to the
beggars who came her way. They SEEM
ed to her so unfortunate in not having n
home that she coull rot help giving
them at least food and row and then an
article of clothing. cid she was almost
rlways patient even when their requests,
rs sometimes happened, took almost the
form of commands.
1.-The poor creatures know no better"
she would say. "Thcy have nothing;
not even sense enough TO know how to
be grateful; but that does not matter.
do not help them because they beg
prettily, but because they need"
But oEce upon time there came a
beggar who tried the patience of Dame
Barbarer quite beyond even her endur-
ance. It was one afternoon when it was
almost time for her husband TO return
from the field, and Barbarer was hasten
ing to get his evening meal ready for
him. . She had been to the town to sell
some thread, and had been detained, so
that she had not time OH her return to
bake a wheaton cake for his supper, as
she had intended. She had only very
little bread in the house, and when a
beggar came along and rather impudently
demanded bit of bread and cheese she
was 10th to give it to him.
The beggar was by no means prepos-
sessing looking individual. His dress was
all of red, although it was SO faded and
weather beaten, go tattered and torn that
It was hard to tell what it looked like in
its best days. Tho remains of red
cocks feather was stuck jauntily in his
cap and jagged ends of faded red ribbon
fastened his doublct. Long black hair
dangled in tangled locks over his fore.
head. and, with his shaggy black eye
brows. half hid his piercing eyes. His
nose was sharp and thin, and there was
to his nostrils a strange curve which
made his face one not at all progresses
ing. Add to all this that ho was lame
of one foot and that he had something
Of hump between his shoulders. and he
was not at all the sort of man one would
wish to meet on lonely road.
Dame Barbarer heaved sigh as she
looked at him. and hesitated, while the
strange red figure leered at her in man
ner that sent o cold chill down her spine
She did not wish to share the little bread
there was Tor Paurs supper with this
fantastic looking creature, but she was
too charitable to turn him away without
morsel 50 she made the beggar sit
down upon the doorstep. and then SHE
brought nun 2 small piece OF bread and
. oag piece OF cheese, hoping that the
sase q the ono would make up for the
smallne1 q the other.
The red oeggar fell TO eating with the
sppeute o. , hoard OF locusts and as II
20 had eaten nothing for month, and
was nardly the twinklinS OF an eye be-
tote re ma nnlsneo the bitof bread COM
' mistress, ne saio Deseechins-
m.ssFess' couid you not give
~ : nttie wee DIE OF bread 10 cat
e " Eess o. my cneeses
~ c, sa'nougn TINS was exactiy
- oia nos wish 70 40, cut MN q
NC y uzee0 ana gave IL 70 lin with
tI1 - grace sne couio manage.
ne 1segeG lascaa zen 10 eating even
Isse .n.n oeI0re' ana almost before
~ naa ialo GOWN the Dread KNIFE ne
naa made an emo 70 ms cheese.
eese, kino mistress, ne said more
numDiy tnan before, please, kind mis-
couidns you give me q morsei OF
cneee 70 go WIN my Dreads
1n1s aiso was Dame barbarer TAIN to
90; ana nungrlly as the ire devourlng a
neao OF upe gram dld the varlet make
way with ms bread.
1ease, GOOD. kind mistress" ne said.
"pleeses good, kind mistress, could you
not give me very little, wee morscl Of
bread to eat with my cheeses"
And 70 cut short story which though
Ionr n the doinr. the red heg1ar would
confrive f,rst to make nm end to his bread
and then 10 make an end to his cheese.
beerinr with ever ;ncreasinp insistance
Tor more a. one and chem Of the other
until he had managed to beg from Dame
BarLarer every morsel of bread ti.ere
was in the house. and the hour Of the
eoo.l man'sreturn already striking. And
When eli was gone the impudent and nm.
grateful red varlet threw hack his hal,
from HIS deep set and MERGING ewes and
laughed In her face.
Many thanks. sweet m;stress.~ he
said saucily. III the good man scold
lcr lack Of his supuer. teach him the wav
I get mine. and it NAV serve him in
rood stead if he will but take to the