The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-09
AF 7 E r
BY NJ. NJ. NHelcH.
Copyright 1881


I or sadness, when the old house and the
sunny meadows were no longer ours.
/ My birthright was a gTieVOus one. I
I was proud; L would not be dependent on
/ my brothers and sister. I was truthful
| ana made no pretense OF knowing what 1
did not know, and there was no .infu-
! ence' TO obtain employment for me i did
not like to work and did as little as suf-
/ hced 10 keep me from starving, or too
/ great discomfort
i had drifted far from the few who had
known me, down among the poorest but
/ not the vile. And at last was ragged and
! shelterless. Poor living and exposure
I mad wrought their work. I was too feeble
1 Tor any physical exertion, and / turned
| toward great town 10 find a refuge
among its charities. But the way was long.
the nights and days were cold and often
stormy and my strength falling Here and
| there little food was given me for the
asking, and 1 was allowed TO sleep in
a barn on the hay. But the most Of my
nights were spent IN deserted sheds with
the ground for a bed-a ragged, haggard
tramp, 1 was feared and suspected of
evil intention. and the way was long and
my strength fast failing. But now only a
day lay between me and the town-a
DAY to my slow dragging feet, though in
my strength half that time would have
carried me easily over il. Colder and
keener grew the air. and It was hours since
AdA bttAA near d IRE OF ndQ EdItur LOT
was now among understanding farms
and homes of the prosperous and veal
thy and prudent servants ever wisely
suspicious Of rags and beggars, denied me
entrance. Illness pressed upon me and
came TO the door of a comfortable farm
house and knocked. portly farmer an
sWered my knock, for the day was rough
and bitter. and only necessity drove them
out. A frown darkened his face as he saw
me, and to my request for food he an
swered, BE offPi
Il am sick and starving" I said.
He laughed coarsely. when a tramp
dies there's room for an honest man."
"Be offr' he said again, and as In my
extremity I would have urged my need
again. he stepped out and around the
corner of the house, and in a moment,
with a rush fierce dog sprang upon me. !
had a stick in my hand but / was too
weak to fight the great creature, and he
pulled me down. His strong teeth man
gled my arm, and tore of part of my
ragged coat
1 heard a woman's voice cry, "Oh, IA
Their, you shouldn't a done thatr
Now win you go?" said the farmer.
and as I staggered toward the gate he
said to the woman:
why didn't he go when I told him to?
Whoever saw tramp before that couldn't
fight dog off?" and then the door was
shut
On little way in the singing sleet and
then hay cart gave me lift almost to
town, but although the great city was so
near although 1 could almost hear
its roar like a mighty wind, it would never
shelter me. When the cart reached the
turning that led il away from my track
ii stopped an instant to let me down. for
the driver saw had no strength to Jump
1t went on, and crawled TO a pile OF lum-
Der and lay down in the shelter formed by
some leaning boards. The pain, the hun
ger and the cold were heavy on me, then
numbness came over me then there
was a fash Of warmth and 1 was sitting in
the autumn sunshine on the broad door
stone listening to the chirp of the crickets
and then-did sleep?
Where was |? In glittering sunlight. cold
sparkling snow all around, but felt no
cold. What was L? What was that white
faced, rag-clothed body without breath
or motion lying on the frozen ground I'M
der those ice-covered boards? Surely that
was l. And yet was here in air, no cold,
no pain, no hunger-I was dead, yes that
was it surely.
did not wish this thing that had been
I. should lie there for dogs to tear Peo-
pie would treat it roughly no doubt, for it
was the body of n shirk, but they would
give it coffin and a grave
Some men We're driving by in sleigh
toward the city and l went to the heads
OF the horses. They stopped quick, with
a backward motion and stood with SILVER
ing bodies and startled eyes l passed
TO the men. The driver was speaking to
the animals and trying to quiet them while
all We're looking for the cause of their
STANCE alarm. AS 1 passed among them
they shivered and said, What is it?'' and
looked at each other
/ drew them toward the pile of boards
They stopped and looked silently into the
face. They felt under the ragged coat
for the heart. They saw the torn arm
He is dead" they said slowly. Poor fell
low, he has suffered.
Why, they pitied it, they said poor fell
low! Yesterday no one pitied it.
saw them lift and carry that dead
| thing slowly and carefully as if it could
be hurt by a jolting step They spread a
blanket on the floor of the sleigh. laid
the senseless thing upon it and wrapped
IL around, and drove slowly, speaking with
! lowered voices as If they carried a living
suffering man.
1 went with them as they carried this
dead thing, that was /, to a room in the
city. Men came and stood around a
4 physician examined it and said death was
| caused by starvation, exposure and loss
of blood. And men said: 1T was pitiful. -
Then they went Others took the body
| to another room, where two men who were
/ u.
! There" said one, that should please
you; You rebuked me for giving to that
ragged tramp on the street, said tra->,s
deserved to starve, the sooner the. all
| starved the better for the world. Now
| here is one who did starve.'
But the one to whom he spoke stood ST.
lently looking on this thing that had
| passed beyond all pain.
go to my office" he said to one land
| tell the boy to give you that suit of dark
| blue that hangs in the closet and here. -
he handed out some money, get a shirt
| and some socks. Have the body washed
and laid out like human being" 1t was
! very strange! But 1 wished he had given
the clothes and money to some living, suf-
fering shirk.
THE worlds good way" said his com
panion; for the living creature who
from inherited weakness or sin makes
a failure of life, it has scorn and mer-
CHESS condemnation, and hard with
holding of all comfort and kindness 50
long as cold and hunger and pain can
hurt, and when these have done their
work, then late protesting conscience is
appeased with bestowing freely on the
dead thing left, what was so scornfully
denied the living sinner. Well did my