The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-04-08

sincerity of the offer Then his hand
closed on the emp AID lac drained IL
His eyes were on the womau's face,
expressing wonder. incredulity, aston
ishmcnt. lie had had 50 little use for the
sense Of gratitude that hc hardly rec
ognized and expressed il; but 1T last
he said: Thank you"
She was large, strong farm wife,
and as she took the cup she smiled at
his satisfaction. Its more filling than
water. said she. Il saw you here, and
that You was not one OF the begging
kind. SO J outs 10 you"
Il stopped at one house down here,
hc replied. ''but not 10 beg ! don't beg.
wanted to ask question. The sec
ond house" hc added, tentatively.
''Oh, yes. The old Ames place. ]
guess you didn't stop long. IT Hiram
Amcs had been alive there. he'd have
kept Won a week. But hes dead" She
talked on garrulously. pleased 20 have
a new listener. She did not know
many people. Why, you're sick, she
said. suddenly.
But the tramp shook his head.
"A little tired, that's all, and disap-
pointed. I've come good ways To see
Hiram Amcs ! could have told him
something about his brother"
What. Jed? He went TO war and
was missing after one of those battles.
They gave up all hopes Of him, and
now there's beautiful monument 10
him in the burying-ground. right be
side Of Hiram :. Nou don't mean TO
tell me he Isn't dead?"
''IIc is n good as dead, said the
tramp. rising.
IL thanked the woman again, and
made her a half-Wilitary salute. Then
ne moved on. in rising cloud of dust,
till in the distanc cc his figure appeared
vaguely large and multiplied. And the
Old wife, shading her eyes and looking
after him. cried:
i declare if it dom I seem like a lot
of men. all keeping step tcgcthcr.'
In the heart Of the villag, q large,
oflicial-looking man roughly took the
tramp by the shoulder, and said:
Here. you come with ma."
I've done nothing" he protested.
And you won't have a chance to-
day III put a lock on you for to-
night. and tomorrow You leave town. -
lie thrust the tramp into the naked
caIaboosc. turned the key. and left him
there. The tramp went to the single
window and looked out He saw roofs
and places that memory made familiar.
The -ulr. Of the church stecple rose
taPeruE. and through the trees he
caught giimpscS Of white marbles in
the burial place. There lay the man
hc had trampcd far 10 soc. Ills mind
reverted 90 the kindly old woman who
had gossipad to him, ana then TO the
graves again
That monument TO the missing SOL
der now. Could he see il? That tall
one, pcrbaps-no, it was too preten-
.ious. The cpitaph OF a private Of the
line would bn lost on it. II would
bc curious reading, that cpitaph. Some
thing like this: ''JcduthUn Ames.
Born 1870. \ soldier Missing after
Shiloh" There could be nothing more.
lie could have told a longer story
had Hiram lived He could have told
il in the glance Of a eve. Then he
could have spoken Of wounds. hospital,
western service. 1t was not worth
while now.
The past seemed insignificant 10 this
tramp. The years Of his wandering
were but a point Of time, and the pres
ent day never-cnding. His mind dwelt
upon it-how, with the sun. he had en-
tered upon familiar scenes and knew
that his journeys end was reached.
That sunrise was far in the past now,
and .he day was eternity.
by and by he lay down on the floor.
The sun had set, and rain commenced.
1t made the air damp and chilly, and
the tramp shiyercd lie rose restlcssly,
and returned to the window, but the
outside was lost in blackness. From
time TO time Jagged lightning tore the
clouds apart, and through the rents
the torrents poured
lie stood there and muttered some
thing 10 himself-it may have been
prayer after which he swallowed the
contents Of a little vial
Then he lay down again. He moaned
a little. and shivcrcd as with cold.
Presently he breathed heavily; he was
asleep
As it was rainy, the constable did not
provide the tramp with supper; and the
next morning he found him still lying
on the floor.
Come. get up cried the constable,
and with his foot hc turned the tramp
over to awaken him. With supersti-
tious terror he then saw the mau was
dead.
Afterwards they inferred the body
of the tramp in the Ames burial lot,
and cut the date of his death on the
monument OF the missing soldier
Geo. /. Putnam. in Harpcr's Weekly.