A mist swam before his eyes, he groped blindly with his hands,
the derisive yells of the river-men, who were endeavoring to secure
their money's worth of amusement from this pitiful spectacle, grew
fainter and fainter in his ears. He tottered backward, and would have
fallen, had not a young man from the audience sprang to his assistance.
Very tenderly he helped the old man from the stage and into the
friendly shadows of the side scenes. In another moment he reappeared.
With flashing eyes he stepped in front of the turbulent audience and
held up his hand. The curiosity of the river-men was sufficient to
produce an almost instant silence, which in another second might have
changed into an angry roar.
Who was this young fellow? What business had he to interfere with
their fun? What was he going to say? He'd better be careful! They
were not in a humor to be trifled with.
For a moment he looked steadily at them.
Then he said:
"Boys, I am surprised, and if I thought for a moment that you really
meant to worry that old man, I should be ashamed of you. But I know
you didn't. It was only your fun. He has been a soldier, and lost a
leg fighting for you and me and to preserve the glorious Union, that
you and I are prouder of than anything else in life. He has a daughter
in there too--a young girl, for whom he is trying to make a living with
this show.
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