Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-05-11
and walked slowly on. He had forgotten

I
& " He walked down the hill and thrOupI
n the village. The weather was warm
n and tha people were sitting at thei
. doors, or strQlling in the little GARDEN
as he passed, enjoying the serenity o
= the evening and their rest from labor
Many loOk was turned towards him
and many doubtful glance he cast OF
either side to see whether any knew anC
shunned him. There were strange facei
In almost every house in some he rec
Ogniaed the burly form of some old
schooIlellow, 10y when he last saw
him, surrounded by troop of merry
children in Others he saw, seated in an
easy chair at cottage door, a feeble and
infrm old man whom be only remember.
ed>as a hale and hearty laborer but thew
had all forgotten him, and he passed on
unknown.
The last soft light OF the setting sun
bad fallen on the earth, casting a rich
glow on the yellow corn sheayes, and
lengthening the shadows of the orchard
trees, as he stood before the old house,
the home OF his infancy, to which biz
heart had yearned with an intensity Of
affection not to be described through
long and weary years of captivity aud
sorrow. The paling was low, though be
we'll remembered the tine when it had
seemed high wall to him; and he
looked over ia;o the cid garden. There
were more seeds ard gayer flowers than
there used to be, but there were the old
trees still, the very tree under which he
mad lam thousand times when tired of
playing in the sun, and felt the soft,
mild sleep Of happy boyhood steal gently
upon him. There were voices Within
the house, He listened, but they fell
strangely upon his ear; he knew them
not. They were merry, too, and he well
knew that his poor old mother could not
be cheerful, and he went away. TIE
door opened, and group of little chill. |
dren bounded out, shouting and romping
The father, with little boy in his arms
appeared at the door and they crowded
around him, clapping their tiny hands,
and dragging him out TO Join their iovful
sports. The convict thought on the
many times he had shrunk from his faith.
er's sight in that very place. He re-
memh hered how often he had buried his
trembling head beneath the bed clothes
and heard the harsh word and the Lard
stripe, and his mothers wailing and
though the man sobbed aloud with agony
OF mind az he left the spot; mis- fist was
clenched and his teeth were set ir fierce
and deadly passion.
And such was the return to which he
had looked through the weary perspec-
tive OF many years, and for which he
had undergone so much suffering! No
face OF wslcouie, no look of forgiveness,
no house TO receive, no hand to help him
and this, too, in the old village. What
was his loneliness ia the wild thick woods
where man was never seen TO this
'' he felt that in the distant land of I
lls bondage and lnfamy be had thought /
II his native place as it was when he
eft II; not as il would be when he I
eturned. The sad reality struck coIdly 8
It his heart, and his spirit sank within I
nm tie had not the courage 10 make '
inquiries, or to present himself 10 the
'nly person who was likely to receive
llm with kindness and compassion. He d
walked slowly on; aud stunning the s
oadside like guilty man, turned into 4
meadow he well remembered; and GOV. v
ring his face with his hands, threw him. +
elf upon the grass. \
he had not observed that a man wss a
7ing on the bank beside him; his gar. II
lents rustled as he turned round to d
zeal look at the new conner; and Ed y
lunds raised his head. ft
The man had moved into sitting fs
osture. His body was much bent and t,
is face was wrinkled and yellow. His n
ress denoted him an inmate Of the v
orkLouse; he had the appearance of d,
ling very old, but it looked more the q
feet OF dissipation or disease than length ht
years. lie was staring hard at the bi
ranger, and though his eyes were
sterless and heavy at first, they ap m
'ared TO glow with an unnatural aud cu
armed expression after they had been ad
Led upon him short time, until they be
pmed to be starting from their sockets, ds
1munds gradually raised himself to his or
ices, and looked more and more earn. CO
t'y into the old mans face. They gszed ki
'on each other in silence. fol
The old man was CHASTITY rale. He NJ
lddered and tottered 10 his feet. Ed Cs
inds sprang to his He stepped back a tn
ce or two. Edmunds advanced. tn
Let me hear you speak said the sp.
lvict, in a thick broken voice. cx
stand Off cried the cid man. with
readful oatn The convict drew closer lea
hun bp
Stand off, shrieked the old man. ha
rious with terror he raised his stick, fol
struck Edmunds Heavy blow across Ian
face.
' FAther-devilr murmured the con. all
between his set teeth. He rushed ha,
dly forward, and clutched the old anC
Il by the throat--but he was his father her
his arm fell powerless by his side. she
Inc old man uttered a loud veil She
ch echoed through the lonely fields kin
the howl of an evil spirit. His face the
ned black; the gore rushed from his hot
lth and nose, and dyed the grass a roo
P, dark red, az he staggered and fell San
had ruptured blood-vessel, and he py,
a dead msu before his son could bis
E him. wh;
per
In that corner OF the church-yard," m lllc'
the old gentleman, after a silence of m Slo'
W moments, ain that corner of the eHS ~.
rch-yard Of which | have before InA
Ken, there lies buried a man who was Iool
ly employment for three years after ope w
event, and who was truly contrite. uau tl.
tent, and BUNDLED, il ever a man sall i
No one save myself knew in that sue sue
Is lifetime who he was or whence he o1
ei--it was John Edmunds, the re. anu .%.
ed convict. TAXI
- they
German Tunneling. ps,o @
le famous Rothconberger water au- q,
or draining tbe Freiberg mines has pain
completed, after period OF thirty me
pnN IL Ia easd ~ H.. a /