Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-01
From the New York Ledger.
APPEARANCES DECEITFUL

APPEARANCES DOUBTFUL
At sunset, in the month of October,
young man, with good face and
ragged boots, with clothes covered with
the dust of the road and utterly empty
pockets, paused at q low stone gate and
looked across green lawn toward the
porch of a pretty cottage. On this
porch sat lady in creamy white. At
her side stood boy of 4 years or more,
dressed in a gay little costume of gray
cloth, with crimson stockings and polo
cap. Near them lay great bulldog
chained to ring in the floor. The man
looked, hesitated, opened the gate and
entered.
Madam" he began.
NO." said the lady, shaking her
head. "No; go away Immediately"
''She thinks want to sell something, !"
the man said to himself.
Then he spoke more loudly:
Madam, [ only wanted to ask you if
you would be kind enough to give me
something to eat. | am really very hum
cry. 7 am walking to to get work,
ana have used up every cent had.
It would be a great kindness if you
could let me have little tood.'
This time the lady arose.
go awayp she cried, briskly. eve
allow no tramps here. This dog is dan
gerous. Come one step nearer and /
nnfasten him. Go away ~
Such pretty, tairy-like little woman !;
had she no charity in her soul? 1t was
strange to hear her.
The little boy, too, in his artistic
dress, ran down the steps, picked up
pebble from the path, and threw it with
all his baby might toward the man at
the gate. And the great bulldog
growled and strained his chain in way
to prove that he deserved the character
given to him. The lady had advanced
TO the dog, and stood ready to unfasten
the chain.
II give you two minutes she said,
IN her high. sweet young voice. "We
make short work with tramps here"
The man answered nothing He
merely turned and hurried out at the
gate. and as he went he muttered
curses. not loud, but deep. 1t was
under his breath that he said
MAY you need help, and get none"
he said, with an oath. MAY you need
it as [ do this night" but he meant it,
every word. Then he sat down and
buried his face in his hands. ga
tramp !" he repeated. 'tGod knows /
told her the truth, and she called me
tramp. And this is Christian coun-
try, and that woman calls herself
Christian lady, no Doubt
From the Kitchen of the house the
wind blew the appetizing smell of cof
fee to the hungry man, and the odor OF
some dainty hot cake came with it.
4 cup of that coffee and a crust of dry
bread would have helped him on his way
with light heart.
He had never in his life begged be-
fore. He sWore he never would again
If he starved on the road. He had
worked Tor good wages since he learned
his trade. He liked to read, and had
the poetlcal justice of many a novel
treasured in his heart. He had always
been to church, and been respectable,
and he had never felt it his duty to re-
fuse beggar what he had to give. He
had not saved for excellent reasons-he
spent all he had in keeping plein little
home comfortable for parents who de-
pended upon MIN. Both were now
dead, but his brother had needed help.
having less energy than he had, with
worse habits, and poor little wife who
resembled the
Old woman who lived in a SHOE
And had many children she didn't know
what to do.
Getting the small army off to the
West had put him into corner. Then
came the hard times. The shutting
down of furnaces and closing Of mills.
He had heard OF work IN -, and was
on his way there on foot. His clothes
were good when he started; now they
were covered with dust, and his shoes
had worn out. He had slept often in
barns. eaten up his small capital. sold
his portmanteau in one town where
Id 1~r &C
parted with all it's contents at an old
clothes store. He had done everything
to keep from asking for help, and he
was still the respectable man he had al
ways considered himself.
Now, in this quiet place, he had asked
a pretty little lady, with enough and to
spare, to give him some food, and had
been refused, threatened withsthe dog
ard called tramp. His soul burned
within him.
The lady went back to her parlor
shuddering. She was quite alone in the
house, save for little maid servant.
who shrieked and ran away in the face
of any threatened danger, such as
mouse in the pantry or mysterious
noises in the cellar; and thers had been
one or two tragedies In the neighbOr-
hood in which the tramp proper had
figured feroclously.
People had given these creatures
food, and had been robbed and MUIR
dered terward; had housed them, and
experienced ingratitude of the foulest
sort That tiger was loose upon the
lawn would not have been more terri
BILE to think of than that a tramp was
there. Still, she felt little uncom-
Portable.
eff it really was an honest poor per-
son." she thought, chow cruel [ have
0een."
Then she recalled the fact that the
man who murdered the two old ladies
In the next village had said he was
shoemaker out of work. and while Miss
Lefty was dishing him some mush, and
Miss Betty crossing the room with
bowl of tea for him, he had struck them
down with the Ratchet. and gone off
Uith their little silver, three watches,