Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-10-08
DYING LIKE
A MAN
sy HOWARD WILLIAMS
csvriaAs, 1901. " 4. 4 riia'.Assl.,.

poc9cocooccoes>oc osoooooooo
now long Homes. the yagabond. had
b.rn country trimp before he reach
"A f,onasaa seal.l only " guessed az b.
~ butchers and Eshmoneers 81 Apple.
ssfs market. whore ha fo0e ~ lis
sesdauarsgxS lle WIS a nan of aggy
wben he na8G haas ahaaf, ana be lsd
a. sppaananca 81 heinx "seasanea
No one ever AAketf Zones ans cues.
s.oaa, aud he solaassersd 40 lngama.
tioB.
some oae called him renes the flrae
any he appeared, ara the mime stuck
a him. lie aeeepsal Ii without To.
marx. What 81 the odds 70 Vega.
bond whether be Is called Boass or
Joncs7
N may seem curious that no one ever
became sufficiently Interested In Bones
10 draw him ont OF that some day
when he longed Tor human sympathy
he dld not volunteer his story; but. as
A matter Of fact. he was only one OK
hundreds of vagabomda slouchsng along
tho streets 81 London. Why should
any one Of higher station care who he
was or whence he Gamer And IL he
had related his history II might have
hem that of SCORES % others and would
have brought neither sympathy nor
slxpcucc.
Bouc@ was inofFrnslve. lie was aiso
passably honest. ard when kicked cut
Of the way he took Il as matter Of
course. He was content with the shah.
hlcss ralmsnt and had not too hearty
an appetite. 50 II came about that
be was allowed 10 hang about the mar
ke, without complaint. Ills lodgings
were In vacant buildings. coalyaris or
doarways. and tn. only time be got fun
meals and decent bed was when the
police pulled hlfn in and he was sent
10 tho workhause.
lie had put ia ten years In London.
and there was no apprectahie change In
him. He was gray haired. stoop shout.
dercd. ragged ard rcd nosed. hut he
bad been that on his arrival Nor had
there been any change In his plans.
lie had coue to London TO 1--we out tho
remainder ~ his days. and he WIS do
Ing H. IL II ever occurred TO him that
some day be must land In the aims
h0use. die aud tse buried MS a paupeF.
he said nothing about IL and was mot
worried.
One day Bones was slonchinE along
David street. He was not begging OF
Sightseeing or hooking after coal 10
he put ia. lie was simply sagAbondis.
ing aud Iettins bis fcet take his body
a.~sAo a
made an arrest. Bones would have bad
no curiosity IL the ARE engines had
come rafting up. be would not have
halted and become a spectator. lie had
Witnessed doziishts. street rows. fires
and arrests 50 often that they no Ion
ser held any interest.
One who saw him dragging along
with his eyes on the ground would have
said that nothing bur kick from q
truck horse could hsv. aroused him.
and yet mere tribe did the business.
OF sudden pet poodle pursued by
gang Of boys ran up to Bones as II 10
ask for protection. He picked up the
dog and carried II along. and. though
threatcnsi by the h0odlams. be chung
To tho canine. After walking two
blocks be came upon carriage con-
taiuing Girl about ten years old. The
poodle had escaped from the carriage
as II was driving through Willow place.
and the little one was CRYING plteousiy
over her iuss
Bones walked directly TO the vehicle
aud placed the dog Ia her arms. and
the OVERLOOKED gtri reached out for hls
hand and sxrialued.
''Oh, you reod. good mani You hos
ragged. but STOW you're not bad. IT'D
give you some money. and II you'll
come and see papa know he'Ii tind
place for you and help you along My
name Is Minnie. and !, was 80 good Of
you. and
But the driver shook his whip at the
yagabond and started up his horses.
For the rest Of that day Bones was
only outwHrdly Rones He had been
kindly addressed by a human being.
He had been told that some one might
help him upward. Its hand had besn
shaken In gratitude. and he had been
called good man. There was some
thing new here 10 hold his thoughts
and turn over In his mind. and he was
20 preoccupled that be crept 10 his bed
In a coaiyard without having begged
the usual crust
1T must be that ! am n human be
Ing after ALL IL hadn't been. the girl
wouldn't have spoken as she did To
have some one shake hands with me.
to call me a good man. 10 thank me
TOT service-i can't make II out. But
MS come too late. I'm too old to
change Nothing could lift me up now,
nothing give me back what have
lost There's only one thing | can do.
and that's TO pray God may die Ike
man-like the man I once was"
A week later. though Bones heard
nothing OF II. all London thrilled with
excitement and Indignation over case
OF kidnapping little girl. the daugh-
ter Of banker. had been caught up