The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-22
By HORSLEY BROS. & FIGUERS

for that very day the Parlor had let
ter from France or Scotland or some
other place abroad, which. made hei
give me weeks warning; and at the
end of that time they went off and ]
never saw them more"
"And is this your story, madam p
asked I, getting in a downright rage.
"I told you from the first, mister, >
replied my spare Iandlady, faring up,
that had no story to tell, and if you
don't choose to hear the end of it you
can just let it alone, there |"
''It is the end, my dear madam, that
L am dying to hear. You have SO inter
ested me, and have so charming a way
with you, that really"
"WelI, well. It was eight months
before heard anything from the ladies,
and then had a few lines from the
Parlor, telling me she had given up all
thought Of returning to America, as her
daughter was now well married and she
was going to live with her. I hardly
knew at first what the letter was about
or who it was from, for the young man
was gone, too he went soon after them,
into one Of the western states; out on
the Pacific slope, believe they call it
so heard-and what with crosses of
my own, and the tax that congress was
going to lay upon furnished lodgings, I
had forgotten eli about them. By the
end of the year things were very dull
with me. The parlors were empty, and
the two pair back had gone off without
paying his rent. The New Years morn
ing of that year I was sitting alone, for
the girl was out, and thinking to myself
what was to be done, and what differ
ent New Years this was a-geing to be
from many that could remember, and,
longing for a good, sociable, prompt
paying lodger, when all of sudden a
knock came at the door that made my
heart leap into my mouth. Not that it
was loud, long knock-clatter, clatter,
olatter nor postman's knock-ra- TAFT
it was three knocks; three moderate,
leisurely strokes of the knocker, with
precisely the same number of seconds
between them, and I could have sworn
the knocks were knocked by the young
man, for many a time and oft had I
heard them on the door on the other
side Of the way"
"I hope to gracious You were right"
said L
"Never was wrong in my life," said
my Iandlady, "when I felt anything
Black coat, white cravat, smooth hat,
glossy boots (French polished), brown
hair, all were unchanged. He looked
steadily at me for some seconds when /
opened the door, and was just going
to ask him how he did, ard wish him a
happy New Year, or something that way,
when he Just said lodgings 2. Yes,
SIR said I, please to step in ; and I
showed him into the parlor. He looked
at everything minutely, but without
moving from where he stood at the
door; at the table, the chairs, the man
tel-piece, the chimney-glass [ am sure
he noticed that the tail of that lion was
broken (but the hussy rs broke it
tramped for it, can tell you D-nothing
escaped him; and at last he looked at
the window, and at the chair the young
lady used to sit in as she sewed and
then, turning quietly around, he walked
out.
"What do you think of them ?" ]
asked rather anxiously, as I followed
him to the door.
WouIdn't suit" said he, and so he
went away. was little put ont, you
may be sure"
"III take my corporal oath of that"
I.
"But not SO much as you think,
either, sir" said NY landlady, "for
could not help feeling sorry for him.
But yet own, when at the very same
hour the first day of the next ye-"
"New Years, next year p
"OD the very day, hour, minute,
second, the same knock, the same look
in my face, the same inspection of the
room, the same gaze at the young ledy's
chair, and the same answer: Wouldn't |
suit ? The next year
"My dear madam how long is that
ago."
Well matter of twenty years..
I was glad it was DO worse, for mis-
giving had come over me, and my i'm
agination was losing itself in the dis
lance of the past.
"The next year." continued my land
lady, and the next, and the next, and |
the next, and the next, was as like as
could be. Sometimes the parlor was
lit but it was always just the same
he would see If, 'as it might do for an
other time : and the dodgers being out
he did see it, and still it wouldn't suit |
At last one New Years 1 happened t |
be out myself, not thinking it was the
Young mans hour, and my as the
thought struck me when coming home,
it gave me such a turn felt as if I
hadn't done right. But it was of no |
to him he only stared |
twice as long when the door opened and
he saw a strange face. But he went in
all the same, looked at everything, as
wouldn't suitl' At all these
visits of inspection his stay was always
of the same length of time to minute,
and when he went away I found-for I
did watch him once-he went straight |
to the railroad depot.
"Well, sir, you may think, as years
rolled on, that I saw some difference in
the young mans appearance. But he
didn't grow a bit older. His hair
changed, but his face was like granite
stone. His pace became slower; but
for that, he only came the sooner, SO
that he might have the same time to
look and get back to the depot for the
next train.
"Then he seemed to tremble little
in his walk, but he had now cane to
keep him stiff and upright; and he still
looked as if he was a-measuring the
only taking more pains about |