Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-08-21
THE FARMER FROM sHARP's CORNERS.
BY MRS. W. W. PIERCE, CHEBoyGAN, MICH.

[Prize Story of the National Press Bureau
Gold Medal Contest.l
The man felt embarrassed when the
child, sent to answer the door, left him
standing outside without even saying
Come in" He was not used to it, be-
ing from the country, where all the chill
dren called him "Uncle Sam"
perhaps 1 shouldn't We come," he
said to himself, "but that youngsters
face fairly haunted me, and l had a
hankerin to see her ag in"
1t was the same little girl who had
left him at the door to whisper to her
mother, "It's the man that bought my
Shoes" that he had met two days be-
fore on a busy street corner, crying
with cold and hopping about, trying to
warm her feet, while she waited for the
wholesale house to open, where she was
to get bundle of cut cloth to be sewed
into trousers by her mother for ~ cents
per pair.
Many city folk had passed while she
stood there, but they were accustomed
to i'll clothed, suffering children, and
took no notice of her tears. Not so with
this tall, country dressed farmer, for her
pitiful face had appealed to his heart.
He had never seen so pinched face, for
he had been to the city but once before,
and then to look for a sweet, rosy faced
girl of II. That he had not found her
was the cause of his prematurely white
hair and deep lines of care about his
forehead and mouth,
Perhaps this very sorrow had softened
his heart toward suffering humanity.
At any rate, he cheered this poor child's
heart and warmed her almost naked feet
with a pair of brand new shoes. Now,
as she returned to the door saying
"Come in, please" she looked with such
a happy smile at her feet that the farm
er felt amply repaid.
AS he entered the dreary, scantily fur
nished room a pale woman, seated close
by the only window as if to catch the
last glimmer of the dying day, looked
up from her sewing.
She was just about to thank him for
his kindly interest in her child when,
wonder of all wonders, another rap!
"Bet y nickel it's the new preacher
from the mission. He's bully feller,"
said Ned in the boisterous tones of a
street boy Off
Ned was right, for SO the gentleman
introduced himself.
"Pm Sam Lyman, from Sharp's Cor
ners," said the farmer as the preacher
eyed him inquiringly. II just came out
to ask after the little one"-
Here he was interrupted by Ned with:
"Say, mother, where's my hat? I've got
to get gait on, or I'll be late with my
papers,"
mighty little chap to sell papers,
said the farmer. Reckon you'd ought
to be at home with your ma"
"He's regular little man." said the
preacher, patting the boys head approx
ingly. "We hope he will be a stanch
temperance man, sign the pledge and
wear the blue ribbon, so"-
1--WE don't hope nothin of the sort"
interrupted the farmer.
"Not friend to strong drink" inter-
rogated the astonished preacher.
"You bet your life I'm not, nor to
signin the pledge or wearin the blue rib
bon either, for we hope by the time Ned
is a man the whole accursed liquor bust
ness will be done away with"
"It would be a glorious thing" re-
piled the preacher, "but l fear it can't
be done. Men cannot be persuaded to
have done with the curse. We temper
ance workers know how slow the work
goes"
Don't wait to persuade men! Take
the matter into politics and prohibit the
,,,an,,fa ctura of the stuff-that's whats