The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1893-03-15

greeted him. &
"He's a temperance lecturer out of
a job" chirped a convivial gentleman.
mo; I'll tell you, boys, he's an OBJ
ject lesson sent out by some good
people to warn US of the way we are
all tending. Shall we accept this
awful a%dmonitiona" This speech was
from a citizen at the end Of the coun-
ter, who seemed slightly fuller than
the rest of the company; in fact, just
full enough to be as solemn as an
owl, and as sentimental as some wild
eyed wooer of the muses..
Rats! Rats! go soak your head"
came in a chorus from his audience,
and the grave person thought himself
una%ppreciated.
The tramp had passed the crowd
and was entering the back room when
he stopped, turned back and walked
Up to them.
"Gentlemep, you mean to be kind
to me, in. your way, no doubt he
said, pushing up with a trembling
hand the Topped brim of hslsoiled
and torn old hat. "You must know
from my appearance that 4 am not
1es rg
this day Unjust remain sdbr as it is
my mothers birthday. 4 hope you
will not think it strange, now, that
though a poor, shivering tramp, re-
fusing what you in your generosity
thought would be most acceptable to
me-" Then be weat and held his
unwashed hands over the glowing
Goals.
One Of the crowd had compassion
for his friendless brother in rags and
gave him a place to sleep, out Of the
cold of that bitter night.
Long before the time for dawn a
vast light illuminated that town and
the cocks crew as if for day. A
dwelling was on fire. A shouting,
excited crowd soon surrounded it.
Thay were more than willing to rem
der every assistance in e~xtinguishing
the flames; but all saw the effort was
useless-the building must be left to
it's fate. Listen! Above the noise
of the roaring fire, above the cries Of
the agitated p~opulace, a woman's
shrek of despair rang out:
my child! Oh, my child! it will
be burned alive!"
Strong men turned pale, and
women tainted. It was too true; i'll
some unaccountahle way an infant
had been left in the family sleeping
room on the second floor. The
house had been abandoned; it was
wrapped in flames. None dare enter
it now, for already a fierce blaze was
leaping up the stairway, Out from
the rear of the crowd ran a shaggy
form and cried in a clear, steady
voice:
in which room is the child?"
"The Northeast" shouted some
body.
In an instant the man darted into
the open poor of the doomed dwelling.
He's too late!'
They'll both be burned"
"God bless him! whoever he is."
These and similar calculations went
up from the spectators. Then all is
stiffness, save the roaring wind, and
the Kissing and swapping Of the
merciless fire. The slow dragging
seconds are hours; the intensity of
the suspense is painful. But it is
over now. The shaggy form bounds
from the blazing threshold, bearing
a precious burden which is laid I'M
scathed in it's mothers arms. Alum
dred hands rush, resh, ready to ex-
tinguish the burning rags OF the
hero-the tramp Of last nights
acquaintance. Skillful surgeons and
tender nurses strove to restore the
poor fellow to consciousness for he
had fallen, like a shot beef, in the
street. All effort is vain. The sun
rises with unrufied serenity, as if
nothing had happened, and on its
first beams the spirit of the outcast
fits away forever.
In tie cemetery Of that town there
is a marble shaft, on which are out
these words;
San UNKNOWN HERO"
Since that night of which l have