Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-10-25

lCktt, II WAS luOlHVnl nClOfC ne
could collect his thoughts sufficiently To
know whore he was and how came he
there, and; when he did the blank ex-
preston of his face told the impatient
conductor more plainly than words
could have done how matters stood, for
he had had too much experience with
trampS already. See that don't find
YOU here when we have passed the next
station, he muttered, passing ON TO the
performance of other duties.
The whistle shrieked, the bell rung,
tue train slowly slackenedits speed, and
then stopped with kind Of jar 4 few
sleepy passengers rose, shook them
selves, and went out. The young man
got OFT unnoticcd amid the hustle, and
wandered oil down the street, past "
large hotel where u stream of brilliant
light shone out through the opcn doors
and lit up his pale Yet handsome face,
On and on he went, not knowing wither
past the city limits and out on the
well-tmvcled road; across 4 bridge that
spanned i little stream, oycr which the
dropping willows looked strangely fa-
miliar in the white moonlight. Onward
and vet onward, through scenery that
seemed i'll an underlined sort of way TO
he connected with some troubled dream
of the past, and set him to vaguely
wondering where he was, till mt last u
stately mansion rose before him, the
lights drawing hlm on with strange
fascination, until lie was near enough
to look in through the long French WIN
dows on the home picture within, II
was nigh onto midnight, but the oecu-
pants of the house had not as yet re-
tired. One glance and the mist was
cleared from the young mans brain,
and he passed his hand across his
forehead, thoroughly sobercd. Ills
father was sitting by the iiresido ii his
comfortable armchair, gazing abstract
edly into the the very heart of the blaze.
His mother sat by the table with IN
open Bible before her, evidently read
ing her usual chapter preparatory to re-
tring. The appearance ofwarmth, case
and comfort of the apartment brought
II strange pang to the heart Of the
watcher outside. lie, the lawful heir To
I'LL this wealth and luxury, doomed to
roam IN outcasta midnight wandcrcr
ON the face of the earth-gazing in at
the paradise he has lost, yet daring not
to enter. a mist came over his eyes,
before which his mothers face swan in
distinct Lost, lost lie repeated the
word again and agaln till VI seemed To
his excited fancy that the whispering
trees took UP the refrain; the WIND
signing through the rustling grass re-
peated it. Lost, lost oh, no, not yet;
there is still time to retrieve; 1t is not
too late, with the silent skies above him
and the face of his mother before tn
cheer him on to new life, new hope and
manly cndeavor. If he could but so in,
and, knecling at her feet, receive her
blessing on his resolves, il would ease
all his future struggles; but his pride
withheld him. lle looked at his fathers
tace there was no sign of relenting
there, If he went III he might subject
himself to contemptuous treatment nj
the hands of his father, and he felt he
could endure anything rather than that;
and again he seemed TO hear those
words Of two years ago repeated with
startling emphasis. u will never own
him ~ son Of mine; | never want tC
see mis- face again" No; he would moi
go in, but, barring his head there in tho
moonlight he made n solemn VOW tc
reform.