"Quad's odds"; . was gray and bent and feeble, and his fluttering ragswere the leaves of a book, in which one could read of pov-erty, sorrow and woe. He looked around like a child, asif he knew not which way to turn. ISTo home, no friends—no one to care whether he lived or died. By and by he sat down on the step and rested his headon his hand. I knew what he was thinking of. His facewas in the shadow, but I knew that tears were falling downthose wrinkled cheeks, and that his old heart was sad andsore. There is nothing so lonely as an old man withouthome or friends. He felt it. He saw the
"Quad's odds"; . was gray and bent and feeble, and his fluttering ragswere the leaves of a book, in which one could read of pov-erty, sorrow and woe. He looked around like a child, asif he knew not which way to turn. ISTo home, no friends—no one to care whether he lived or died. By and by he sat down on the step and rested his headon his hand. I knew what he was thinking of. His facewas in the shadow, but I knew that tears were falling downthose wrinkled cheeks, and that his old heart was sad andsore. There is nothing so lonely as an old man withouthome or friends. He felt it. He saw the old and theyoung go by, heard the laughter of happy children, andhe bent his gray head still lower. His life had been adreary struggle with poverty and grief, and those who hadonce cared for him had slept the long sleep for years. 74 IN A REFLECTIVE MuuD. 70 He was alone—old and weak, and the world was pitiless.!No one stopped to ask if lie was cold or hungry—no oneeared whether his heart was heavy or The Worlh tak The bleak wind whistled around the corner, and I sawthe old man shiver. TTe had been a child once, perhapspetted and loved, and his mother had read to him from thegood book: Honor thy father and mother, that thy days 76 FOUND A HOME AT LAST. may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveththee. Had his children honored him ? He had grown tomanhood and battled with the world, and planned andhoped and pictured a bright future, as we all do. Menmight have bowed to his eloquence and respected his tal-ents once, and in his sunshiny hours men might have flat-tered him and made him believe that their friendship wouldnever die. Old age had crippled him, friendships hadflown, and he was left alone to bear a double burden. He was waiting for death. lie would have welcomedits coming long ago, but the grave was not ready to receivehim until his heart had felt more strongly the inhumanityof man, and until his burdens had quite crushed him down. I went
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