Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-03-20

TrampS are my abOminatlOn. And
as for keeping you all night, you can't
expect that of decent folks. Co."
Drusilla came to the door and said.
FsLet him stay, auntie," with lips
again, and took no notice.
So he went, and this time did not
come back: and I sat down by the
fire, and smelt the baking cakes and
the apples stewing and the tea draw
ing on the kitchen stove, and ought
to have been very comfortable, but I
wasn't. Something seemed tugging
at my heart all the time.
gave the fire a poke, and lit an
other candle, to cheer myself up, and
I went TO my work basket to get the
sock ia been knitting for my Charlie;
and as [ went so get it [ saw some
thing lying on the floor, I picked it
up. 1t was an cid tobacco pouch, ever
SO much like the one I gave Charlie,
with fringe around it, and written on
It in ink, "From O. T. to r. H. and
inside was piece of tobacco and an
old pipe and a letter-a rumpled old
letter, and when l spread it it out l
saw at the top My dear son."
knew the beggar must have drop
ped it, and my heart gave one big
thump, as though it had been turned
into a hammer.
Perhaps the story was true, and he
had a mother, shivered all over, and
the fire and candles, and the nice,
comfortable smells might as we'll not
have been at ALL l was cold and
wretched.
And over and over again I had to
say to myself what I heard our pastor
say so often, ''Never give anything to
chance beggars, my dear friends, al
ways bestow your aims on worthy
persons through we'll organized socie-
ties" before could get a bit Of COM
fort. And what an old fool I was to
cry,I thought, when found my cheeks
wet.
But I did not cry long, for as [ sat
there, dash and crash and jingle came
a sleigh over the road, and it stopped
at our gate, and I heard my Charles
voice crying, "Hello, mother!" and
out I went to the door, and had him
in my arms, my great, tall, handsome,
brown son. And there he was in his uni
form, with his pretty shoulder straps,
and as hearty as If he had never been
through any hardships. He had to
leave me to put the horse up, land then
I had by the fire again my own boy.
And Drusilla, who had been up stairs
and had been crying why [ wonder?
came down all in a futter-for they
were like brother and sister-and she
kissed him, and then, away she went
TO set the table, and the nice hot things
smoked on cloth as white as snow;
and how Charlie enjoyed them. But
once, in the midst of all, I felt a fright
ened feeling come over me, and [
know turned pale, for Drusilla said,
'EWhat's the matter, Aunt Fairfax"
I said nothing, but it was this: kind
O. like a ghost Of step, going champ,
champ, over the frozen snow; kind 20
like the ghost of voice saying, "Let
me lie on the floor before your fire
and give me any kind Of crust; "kind
O. like seeing some one that had a
mother dropping down on. the wintry
road and freezing and starving to
But I put it away and only thought OF
Charlie.
We drew up together by the fire
when tea was done, and be told us
things about the war I'd never heard
before. How the soldiers suffered,
and what with weary marches and
short rations they sometimes had.
And he told me how his life had been
in danger; how he had been set upon
by the enemies and badly wounded;
and how, at the risk of his own life
fellow soldier had saved him, and
carried him away, fighting his path
back to camp.
ssI'd never have seen you but for
him. says my Charlie "And if
there's man on earth I love, it is
Rob Hadaway-the dearest, best fell
low. We've shared each others ra
tons and drank from the same can
teen many and many time; and if
ever had brother I couldn't think
more of him."
"Why didn't you bring him home
to see your mother, Charlie?" said I.
"Why, I'd love him, too, and anything
I could do for him-for the man who
had saved my boys life-couldn't be
naught. Send for him Charlie"
But Charlie shook his head and COW
cred his face with his hands.
ttMnther ;, said he II don't know