Jackson County journal., December 31, 1915, Image 1

About Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??

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THE OUTCAST
BY WALTER H CANDLER.
It was Christmas eve, the snow
was falling steadily in big flakes. A
lone man on crutches made his
way painfully along the railroad
track, stopping occasionally to
brush the wet snow from his beard j
and slouched Hat. He was thinking
of another Christmas eve one year
agojust such a night. They had
carried him to the hospital after the
accident. The accident! Yes, he
remembered it with startling vivid
ness, but when he tried to think be
yond the accident his mind was
clouded and things seemed like a
vague dream he had had some time
or other. There was the doctor at
the hospital who had bandaged his
fractured leg, and there was the
nurse who reminded him so much
of his sister who now appeared to j
him as a dream child in some fairy
land far away all night long she
sat by his bedside soothing away
' the pain and now and again moist
ening his parched lips.
And then morning came, Christ
mas morning! The sunbeams peep
ed through the window, and he had
forgotten the pain, and was just
slipping into dreamland, trying to
think why he, a tramp, should be
treated with such consideration by
decent people. The nurse, who had
been called away, came to him and
placed her hand gently upon his!
forehead. He remembered the
strange expression on her face when
he opened his eyes and looked at
her.
She told him of a very sad acci
dent that had happened that same
Christmas eve. The daughter of - a
wealthy man had been frightfully
burned. There was little chance
for her recovery. The doctor had
told her if they could get some
human skin to replace the charred
mass on her back, they might be
able to save her, and would he vol
unteer to give his leg to save her
life?
Would he? For a moment there
was a fierce struggle in his soul, but
only for a moment, then he looked
up into the nurse's face; the tears
were trickling down her cheeks. He
tried to speak, but the words would
not come through the dry parched
throat and lips; he nodded his head;
that wa i enough. Then came the
operating room, ihe choloroform
and oblivion. When consciousness
returned the nurse was there the
same nurse so much like his sister.
She told him the operation was
a success, the young lady would re
cover, the newspapers were loud in
their comment of his wonderful
sacrifice and bravery:
"The whole world is talking about
you," she said.
Yes, the world talked about him,
then forgot him as it forgets things
of even greater import. It was
good "dope" for the newspaper re
porters and the press.
Somehow his mind had not been
clear since that accident. He re
membered vaguely leaving the hos
pital. They gave mm a pair of
crutches, that was all; but was not
that enough? What more could he,
a common tramp, ask for or expect?
As he picked his way along the
railroad track slowly and uncertain
ly, he -tried to get the. cob-Webs
from his brain. Four long weari
some days had passed since he had
Uasted food. Had he asked? Yes;
VOL. I NO. 7
but each time he met with the same
cold, inhuman stare and the same
curt refusal. But what right did he 1
have to aLk for a scrap of bread?
Was he not a tramp, an outcasU
What human heart could be com
passionate toward him or feel a
kindred spirit? Was it not his , lot
to starve, to freeze? What differ
ence could it make? Would the
world not be better off without him?
On and on he stumbled through
the darkness, fearful to stop lest
that horrible stupor which he had
been fighting off so long, take pos
session of him. His hunger was
not so fierce now as it had been.
Why was it? Was he growing ac
customed to going without food?
A big house loomed up in the
darkness not far from the track;
bright lights were flooding every
window. He made his way toward
the house. Would he ever reach it?
The lights seemed to grow further
ana iurtner ana away as ne ap
proached. Ihs sound of merry
voices reached his ears. He felt
that queer sensation greeping up
his spine. He stopped to knock
the snow from his face and to
feel the stump of his leg which had
grown numb; he was feeling queer,
yet there was no pain. What was
it, was he starving, or freezing, to
death?
There! he could see through one
of the big windows. What was that
he saw? At first his eyes seemed
to have failed him, then his vision
gradually cleared, and there before
him in the big warm, comfortable
room was a beautiful Chtistmas
tree laden with oranges, fife crack
ers, dolls, candy in sacks, toy pistols.
pocket knives, tops and many other
things dear to a child.
He could see the children as they
flitted gleefully here and there full
of childish expectancy. From an
adjoining room came the father and
mother and a gray haired man with
a tall beautiful young lady. Was
he a minisrer? Yes, they were
kneeling in prayer. The words came
slow and measured and pathetic:
"We are thankful dear Father
that we are privileged to enjoy all
these blessings."
The man at the window listened
with bowed head. He tried to
raise his hand to brush the snow
from his face, but it would not let
go its grasp on the crutch. He tried
the other hand, it too, was fastened.
He raised his head with difficulty
and looked into the room, the pray-
er was finished, a look of happiness
beamed in each little expectant
face. The many presents were be
ing distributed, he could hear the
snap of toy pistols and the hoarse
unmusical sound of the little red
and gilded bugles, then a white
cloud descended slowly cutting off
his view of the room, it was his
breath freezing on the window
pane.
A fireside scene of long, long ago
appeared to him on the white
sheen. A little boy and girl were
hanging up their stockings by the
old fashioned fire place. He could
see their glad faces as they knelt at
mother's knee and from across the
years drifted the echo of "Now I lay
me down to sleep." Then they arose
and kissed mother good night and
jumped into their little trundle bed,
Ah, the sweet and tender memo
ries of childhood days! How they
follow us on and on down through
the ailses of time! We hear the
song and laughter of our loved ones
SYLVA, N. C, DECEMBER 31 1915,
0f long ago, we feel the touch of aV
hand in gentle caress, or the warmth
0f a kiss. s I 4
The man at the window was lis
tening with rapt attention not to
the childish voices inside tne room,
but to the voices of long ago, and
as he listened, the tears rolled down
his cheeks and froze Ton his rough
unkempt beard. There was no
bitterness in his heart, not even for
those goodly housewives who had
refused him food these four days.
He had never harmed a?y one in
all his life. He realized as he stood
there that his whole life had been
a mistake, that he had started oT
wrong in tie first place, yet ne
blamed no one for his mistake. " He
had given his limb to save a life, he
would have given more if necessa-
ry, but that was all thdy asked for
and yet, when he had asked for
a scrap of bread to save his own
life, they had refused him. Was
this the plan. Were things so or
dered in the beginning of the world
that soul upon soul should be whirl
ed in fierce attrition in infinite tur-
imol? Was this the vistori ultimate?
The queer sensation I he had at
first felt creeping up his spine now
enveloped his entire being. He
tried to move closer to the window
which seemed to be slipping slowly
away, but he could not move; the
voices of the children were now al
most inaudible; In the distance he
could hear bells ringing. ; Perhaps
they were Christmas hells! now
they were coming closer and from
every direction, hundreds and
thousands , of Jihem of jnU-, sizes
and tones. There before him was
a large warm dining room, the table
was spread with white linen did
linen ever seem whiter? Ah, yes
the feast was spread, there was
every thing good to eat and tempt
ing. There was his sister entering
the diningroom smiling and beck -
oning to him, to come to her.
"We are glad to have you with us
tonight," said Mrs. Morton, address
ing herself to the white haired min
ister.
"Wc pre. indeed," affirmed Mr.
Morton. "I was just thinking how
different it was with us a year ago
tonight."
"Don't talk of it, Samuel " pro
tested Mrs. Morton with a show of
feeling. ,
"But why shouldn't we talk of it
mother?" asked the daughter, J"
was thinking of it myself, and have
been all evening. Somehow I have
a peculiar feeling, and I "
"Nonesense. daughter you are
nervous, thats all," replied the
mother, then turning to her hus
band ''Samuel, I wish you would
caution the children to be quiet,
their noise is beginning to. get on
my nerves." f
"Please don't mother, said the
daughter, 1 m sure the children
do not worry me. Let them enjoy
themselves, Christmas don't come;
often."
"We never know just what we
have to be thankful for", said the
kind old minister. "That awful
accident a year ago and Blanche's
miraculous recovery, is something
I have thought of no little."
"It was wonderful," agreed Mr.
Morton, "and goes to show what
wonderful advances have been
made in the science' of surgery."
"But father, what could those
surgeons have done to have saved
my life if that poor fellow had not
given his limb?" asked the daugh
ter. "
"Very , true my daughter, very
true," replied the father. 'That
poor fellow" did a heroic deed. I
shall always regret that I failed to
see him before he left the hospital,"
"But he was just a tramp, and
they said his limb, had been broken
and was useless to him," said the (
mother in a tone of protest.
There " was silence, a spell of
dinnm dfisr.f-nded nvfir all pn tK
children lost interest in their dolls
and other toys and began to yawn.
Little Frank wandered over to the!
window and tried to 1 ok out.
"Look mama!" he called, "the
window is white in a great big
circle, what makes it that way?"
"Come here to the fire son,"
cautioned the mother, you will take
cold o ver there."
"But, mama! what makes the
window white like that?" the child
insisted.
' Come over here by the fire, son'
said the father "it is frost on the
window pane that makes it white
It is turning colder. No doubt j
many a poor unfortunate is suffer
ing tonight. It reminds me of the
same night a year, ago. What is it,
Blanche, daughter why are you
crying? Perhaps you should retire,
I am afraid you are not well."
"Don't, father, I am perfectly
well I was just thinking, thats all."
"Listen!" exclaimed the father,
springing up from his chair, "I
heard something fall outside the
window." . - ; . u - ......
"I heard it too," said the mother.
"I wonder if those neighbor boys
are up to some of their pranks
again," continued the father. "I'll
take a li ht and go investigate."
"I think you will find it was just
some snow fell off the roof." said
the minister.
"But surely snow falling would
not make a noise like that," re
plied Mr. Morton .
"It sounded to me just like frozen
snow falling from the roof," contin
ued the minister.
"Perhaps you are right Parson,
Idid'nt think of that no doubt
you are right. Look! Blanche are
you crying yet? What is it daugh
er?" and her father arose and went
to her side.
"I don't know, father but I have
had a peculiar feeling ever since I
came into the room, and that noise'
outside the window awhile ago
must have made me unusually ner
vous. I seemed to have felt some
thing break down in my heart. I
think I shall retire if I may be ex
cused." Christmas morning dawned,
bright, clear and cold. The snow
which had ceased to fall during the
night was frozen solid. The Mor
tons were astir before daylight, the
children were out shooting their
fireworks and eating nuts and candy
It was a typical Christmas morn
ing, everything confusion, expect
ancy, excitement and delight.
A waterpipe had frozen, Mr. Mor
ton took a wrench and went to look
for the exposed part, in passing
around the house, he stumbles over
a form half buried in ; the frozen
snow. What was it he stooped to
make examination, then fell back
with a look of horror. It was a
dead man! Upon closer examina
tion he discovered that the man
was a tramp a one legged tramp.
$1.00 THE YEAR IN ADVANCE
One of his crutches was under his
arm, the had caught in a rose
bush. The man was frozen. Thei
were icecycles on his rough beard
and a smile on his face that seem
ed to hover around the cold glassy
eyes which stared out into space.
BETA liEDlCHOOi.
The Beta Gaaded School resumed
its work , Monday with the usual
large attendance. The children seem
extremelanxious to take up the
school work again, Hard study and
bad weather do not debar interest.
We have a great number of "Wide-a-wake"
pupils at Beta. They are
note-worthy and trust-worthy young
people, for which we feel especially
thankful.
The generosity and efficient lead
ership of Prof. Moore and Miss Rig
don cannot be over estimated. We
should strive t employ teachers
with noble characters, seeing the
results from such examples.
Wishes to all Jor a happy and;
prorperous new year. A Reader.
ANNOUNCEMENT.
Vola Vita Manufacturing Co. h.,s
just received its charter from Okla
homa City.
The company is capitalized fcr.
$100,000, with the following officers:
A. J. Campbell of Muskogee, presi
dent and treasurer: W. H. Candler,.
Muskogee vice president; C. M. Rai-
sig, Muskogee, secretary, The com
pany has placed $$50,000 of its
treasury stock with capitalists of
Chicago and New York.
The main office will be in Chicago,
and soon as the office is opened A.
J. Campbell will resign as president
in favor of W. E. Weatherby of
Chicago. Th i company will manu
facture many toilet articles in ad
dition to the Vola Vita Hair Tonic.
W. H. Candler will look after the
manufacturing, and C. M. Raisig,
the selling, and A. J. Campbell, the
financial part of the business.
The company will also have an
office in Muskogee, Okla.
GROUND LIMESTONE
The Commissioner of Agriculture,
Raleigh, N. C, is in position to fur
nish the farmers of the state with
high grade ground limestone and
marl at cost of production; and he
will have no difficulty in making
piompt deliuery provided the orders
come in early
There is sure to be a rush for this
material in February and March
and many will be forced to do with
out it whose orders are delayed till
this time. It is of extreme import
ance, therefore, that orders be sent
in at once for future delivery.
The Commissioner has state con
tracts, at very low prices, with all
the best lime grinding plants that
are so located that they can do busi
ness in this state, and it will be
greatly to the farmers advantage to
get his material through the Com
missioner. Let us have your orders
at once and we will fill them as soon
as possible. We will quote prices
and freight rates on request.
Jas. L. Burgess,
State Agronomist
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