The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-12-28

: was Just on the point of putting tha
question, when the stranger turned t.
the landlord and said: qs0yf lc sc9i {
Have you been keeping this house
long, Mr.. Packer?' asae
i About two years now" was the
answer. .+.-. =
"Yes used to be farmer
''Yes, and / was tolerable fore
handed, But things got wrong with
me after my son Nathan went, and ]
got involved, and was s6id ont. I've
never done very we'll since, though /
manage to make living" SaE
ss;Did your son. die 2" - 1ss Z,
r. "F don't know. I suppose he's
dead long ago. / hayn't heard of him
for twenty-ohe years. He and I had
a falling out about girl he wanted to
marry. / interfered and broke off
the match. She married another man
and did pretty well. He got mad
when I told him bed never be the bet
ter of my money, and said he'd never
come back until he could buy me and
sell me ten times over. So he left. -
Poor fellow! I reckon he hsd a hard
time of it. He always was poor
farmer, and must have suffered /
wish it was to do over again, and I
would not be without a spn." g-tg y
"How did your wife bear it Pr 5.
Every bad y. 70 She talks of him to
this day--thinks she sees him and all
that, though she cant see anything,
for she is blind these three years" }l
s,tI2I;n1ju aI..=< 45-,si .ts,.. 3 10
2 The stranger said that as if he was
surprised and hurt. 8 However,. he
went onl:. ~ 80 fsl ol' .EG = U. IA. i.
"You must have felt hard to lose
the old farm" .2i+<.d.f EohalL I.
eyes II always thought I'd get, it
back, but never will now. It's sold,
l hear, to some man in New York
"On, you don't know. Have you
q room where / can write letterp
Yes, sir, the parlor. Stay, I'll
get candle and the inkstand." .i e
Just as the two were going ont Of
the room, 1 put the stranger ques-
ton: a{rsExJ $50 .8G- -ee =
"What might your namo be, sirY
He turned round and gave me a
strange look. a-. s...z1sg y s1l lL.~
III might be Hateful W Poke
Hose.' he said, Shut it isn't. Howev-
er, if you want a name for me, you
can call me John Smith" -
And it seemed to me when he went
out that he slammed the door. =
y Ohm Smith. II guess that's an
alias I said. to Squire Laidley ''The
New Y ork rogues always take it /"
Its likely" said the Squire.
ST don't see, however," and Norris.
''that we have any eviden :e that this
gentleman is a rogue"
Gentleman" I said. . s'..
"Yes, gentleman. He is a WE'LL
bred, well-irformed person. certainly
has, seen the world, and is @ man of
brains and good manners"
swell, / don't see his good man
uers, a;:ubbing people for civil ques-
tious."
"Oh," said The Doctor, "there are
ppopla who are touchy about being
questioned"
What! about their name? No
honest man is ashamed of his name !"
That depends somewhat on how
the question is put, and how civil you
are"
just then we heard cry in the
othe.- room We listened. but it was
followed by tie buzzing ZONES of con-
versation, which we couldn't make
out. They all ro ut leugth to go.
and went. / staid. I wanted my
night cap; not that I am or was II
blinking man, hut intended 10 find
out, If could, what the stranger said
to the landlord. So / sat there for
some time, aud at last they both came
into the room. l sat in the shadow
OF the stove, and they did not see me.
The place is for YOU, OF course, "
sali the stranger
'.Yes. yes, know" said the lan'l-
lord, but how to breik it to her =
Youamust be cautious She's"
Jlst then the door opened, and oil
Parker's wife, who iadn'6ibeen out of
he rom Tor two years, to my Gel tain
knowie l4e, anil was as-biInl as bat.
stood in the doorway. WIS startled.
So Was old Parser, for ne ran forward
70 her. -as $50, er-t sEaf.t5,s7
Mother" Ire said. chow did you
find Your way down stairs ?"
-' II want my SON." she answered.
..where is lie : Nalhan-I heard lis
voi..e" s:a -s p
Here NEITHER" said the stranger.
and he folded the old woman in his
arms. '1--
High time he lid, for she tainted
d al way. However, they brought
her u, and such crying and Kissing!
Oi course l wa ked out Without their
seeing me, and let ever, body know
next morning that old Parker's son
htd CO ne homa,, and had bought the
old farm TOR his Father and mother.
1t turnel out that Nathan had
grown very rich out in the East In
dies, and TIE old people had q hand
some place male OF the odd homestead,
an It good income provided: So lar
30 good, hst Ma HIN was very r.cI-
worth halt a million. Now how did
he make so much money! There is
something suspicious in ;hat. And
then his rame wasn't Smith. Why
did he say it was? That was very
suspicious. And why did he come in
that sneaking way, and make himself
known to his aunt first aud to his
father privately, and not to his moth
er, until she recognized his voice =
Taken altogether, he was Il very sns-
plcious stranger. And what makes
it all the darker, when I met him in
New York one day, two years after
wards. and spoke to him, he just said
-"Gnod day" and left me. There
:. - .l.4 -, =. lirt1r,r