The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-07-09
The Beggar's Fountain.

The Beggar's Fountain,
There is in Italy fountain over which
Is the statute Of a beggar drinking at a
spring. tits called "The Beggars Foun.
tain," and this is its story: Once upon
time there lived very proud and
naughty man, who hated the poor and
set himself above all the world who we're
not as wealthy and we'll dressed as him
self, and bis want of charity was so great
that it had become proverbial, and a
beggar would no more have thought Of
asking bread at his gate than of asking
him for all his forttins.
There WAS spring on his land, sweet
spring of cold water, and it was the only
one for miles many wayfarer paused
to drink at it, bat WAS never permitted to
do go. A servant Was kept upon the
watch to drive such persons away. Now
there had never been known before any
one so ayaricious as to refuse cup of cold
water to his fellowmen, and the angels,
talking among themselves, could not
believe it, and one of them said to the
rest:
"It is impossible for any bat Satan
himself I will go to earth, and prove
that it is not true"
And this fair and holy angel disguised
herself as beggar woman, covered her
| golden hair with a black hood, and chose
the moment when the master of the
house was himself standing near the
spring to come slowly up the road, and
to pause before the fountain and humbly
| asked for draught ofits sweet water.
Instantly the servant who guarded the
spot refused; but the angel, desiring to
take news of good deed, not of All evil
one, back to heaven, vent to the master
himself, and said, 81 am, as you see, a
wanderer from afar. See how poor are
| my garments, ho# stained with travel.
1t is not surely at your bidding that your
servant forbids me to drink, and even if
it is, I pray you bid him let me drink, for
am very thirsty"
The rich man looked at her with scorn.
full eyes and said:
"This is not q public fountain; you
will find one in the next village"
"The way is long," pleaded the angel,
''and I am woman and weak"
Drive her away" said the rich man,
! and, as he spoke, the beggar turned, but
on the instant her black hood dropped
from her head and revealed floods of
ripping golden hair-her unaeemly rags
| fell to the ground-and the shimmering
robes that angels wear shone in. their
place. For moment she hoVered,
poised on purple wings, with her hands
folded on her bosom and an inefable
sweetness of sorrow in her eyes. Then
| with gush Of music and food of per-
fume, she vanished.
The servant fell on the earth like one
dead. The rich man trembled and cried
out, for he knew that he had forbidden
| cup of cold water to an angel, and horror
possessed his soul.
Almost instantly terrible thirst fell
upon him which nothing could assuage.
In vain he drank sherbess, wines, dEaughts
of al! pleasing kinds. Nothing could
slake his thirst. The sweet waters of the
spring was salter to him than the sea.
He who had never known an ungratifed
desire now experienced the torture of an
ever unsatisfed longing; but through
this misery he began to understand what
he had done. He repented his cruelty
10 the poor. Aims we're given daily at
his gate. Charity was the business of his
life. The fountain was no longer guard
ed, and near it hung cup ready for any
one who chose to use it. But the curse
If curse it were-wes not lifted.
The rich man-young when the angel
visited him-grew middle aged, elderly,
old, still tortured by this awful thirst,
despite his prayers and repentance. He
had broken bread for the most miserable
beggars who came to his door.
And at eighty years of age. bowed with
years of in6rmity, and weary of his life,
he sat beside the fountain weeping. And
10 along the road he saw approaching q
beggar woman, hooded in black, and
walking over the stones with bare feet.
slowly she came and paused beside the
fountain.
"May I drink?" she asked.
"There is none to forbid thee" said the
old man, trembling. "Drink, poor wo-
man. Once an angel was forbidden
here, but that time has passed. Drink
and pray for one athirst. Here is the
cup"
The woman bent over the fountain and
filled the cup, but instead Of putting it to
her lips she presented it to the old man.
"Drink, then," she cried, "and thirst no
more"
The old man took the cup and emptied
it. O blessed draught with the torture
of years departed, and as he drank it he
praised Heaven. And lifting his eyes
once more he saw the beggar's hood drop
to the ground and her rags fall in pieces.
For moment she stood revealed in all
her beauty of snowy skin and golden
hair and silvery raiment; and she
stretched her hand toward him, as if in
blessing, and then rising, vanished in the
skies. A strain Of music fingered, per-
fume filled the air and those Who came
i