The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-05-20
Nehemiah
Nuggins' Charity

SnuJLlnS up, going nome duu Su6hA-
ing into his bachelor quarters. 1t
was fine array that he surveyed
Goldfish. kegs Of nails Of various as
sortment, boots aTld shoes Of every
size and style, hanks Of aax. old as
the pines that sobbed and sighed
along the hillside back OF the store;
violins without bridges, needles in
boxes mixed with thimbles. sealing
wax, envelopes and babies sucking
bottles, old hats, caps, bonnets with
plumes and without, face-powders,
plows, harrows, rakes, shaving-soap,
razors, fruit-cans, coils Of rubber hose,
cycle tires, monkey wrenches, gum
rubbers, fish-poles, hooks, lines, pos
tage stamps, jars of peppermint can
dy, and many other things too numer-
Gus to mention.
Ten per cent less than costl No
wonder | have to pinch, and scrimp,
and half starye"
But he did not figure that all this
was his, his to own, to sell, to give
away. His and 1t never cost him a
cent for the whole entire outfit OF
the store,
To-day he sold harrow, Boys
grown up to manhood had carved
their names upon the handles Daily,
year after year-in season, of course,
that harrow had been dragged out
upon the low porch. 1t had been
beaten by the rains of years. and was
dusty with the touch of time, it had
been nibbled by the mice, gnawed by
the rats and abused in general. To.
day he sold it,
How his tender, susceptible heart
quiYered as he saw the old, familiar
thing tossed into farmers wagon
All! and how quickly he hurried back
into his little den, yanked down his
slab-desk from the wall, reached for
a certain book and examined it close
". 1t had been all well and faithfully
kept the old stock by his father. who
had slept for twenty years under the
pine-needles of summer and the crya-
talline erusts Of winter,
And Nehemiah sighed as ne laid his
lean, yellow finger upon a line, He
shiyered from head to foot, and a
tear aezed from his watery eye.
'fseid for fifteen per cent, less than
cost! No wonder times are bad. men
are poor and ! have TO save. pinch.
starye and look out to make both ends
meet"
Carefully replacing the old book in
It's place, he next lifts his poor desk
to it's place on the wall, fastens It
there with button, and, rising. he
leaves the den.
The store will be closed in two min
utes; all is well within. The Goldfish
win not nibble at the hooks. the fly.
sucked sticks of licorice will not mix
with the paris green. the fne-cut
chewing viii not absorb the fulminat-
ing gun caps, the razors viii not
shave the whiskers off the moth-eaten
yarn mittens. the needles in the show
case will not prick the toy gas bal
looms, the monkey wrenches will not
chew the Jumps of gum-so all is well
for Nehemiah higgins to close up. go
home and to his bed.
But he didn't close up and he didn't
go.
Nehemiah"
He started as he stood there with
his hand upon the latch, He started.
not because of fright. for ne had lived
too long among the ghosts of old
things to be frightened. No; 1t was
Tot fright that startled him.
1t was because the voice was Ia
miliar one; because 1t waa the voice
of one long since dead and gone, and
laid away under the pines in the
battle-ground upon the hillside back
OF the store.
Down the narrow stairs clambered
a figure; he could not see it, but he
could hear 1t. 1t came III sight. Yes;
the same old face with the sharp lines
about the eyes, and the pucker of the
lips. The spare. bent figure walked
to the end of the counter. with that
same limp Of twenty years ago. It
leaned one arm upon the showcase.
filled with the countless odds and
ends Of a stores stock of notions; the
hand drummed upon the glass as nery-
ously as of old. and the sound of rat
thing Of the finger nails came to Nehe-
miah's ears as plainly as OF yesterday.
though he had not heard 1t for years
and years. The other hand fumbled
with the stiff stock encircling the
long. lean neck, with its little line OF
flabby skin reaching from chin to
Adams apple. How familiar the old
chap looked not a speck more OF
dust upon his shiny coat. not a hair
more gray in the fringe about the
high. narrow forehead; the eyes were
as bright and keen "a ever. and when
the thin lips opened the voice was
Just the same, sharp. clear. distinct;
nehemiah, son, are you glad to
see me back again after my long jour
ney?''
A shudder passed over the other:
perhaps no man in all the world had
ever been asked such a question be-
fore Was he glad to see his father