The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-09-15

lar? 1t is gone" and it was like the
falling of a cathe tral tower--it had been
more than that to him in earlier DAYS.
He paused before one farm house half
hesitatiDgly, and then raped at the
door; the person that Openei 1T, yolng
woman, was a stranger to him, and the
quest on he asked was answered in Il
tone full o. won Ter. No" she said,
david Forest don't live here; he died
six years ago-but, il you are any OF his
relation. you can tell me what you
want, for L m his niece. and the old lady
| YES til US, but Il isn DO use to tel
her, for she 5 forgotten everyth NJ
NJ mother!'' he whispered. hus<i-
", and pushed past the woman into the
room until he stood by the side of IA
old gentle-iaced lady, who looked upon
him with mild astonishment, and rose
from her chair Offering it to him.
"Mother," he whispered, kneel;ng
beside her, and strong man as he was,
tears were in his eyes as he saw no
sign of recognition upon The face that
had seemed so beautiful to him years
before.
''Have you forgotten your boy?' he
said, not comprehending her silence,
"who went away fifteen years ago, but
now I'll not leave you again. She
made him no answer, and looked won
deringiy at her ME e. who hal just
been able to comprehend the strange
truth.
"Are you the one that was killed
thirteen wears ago?' she asked, fright
ened as if an a1parition stood before
her, and, after hearing his answer, she
turned to the old lady and said, "It's
James Forest, your own boy, You re-
member him?"
"Ah," was the answer, ''my brother,
James Forest; | recall your face now.
Is nv sister. Mrs. James Forest weil?''
And then the bitter truth dawned upon
him; he had come back to a place that
was home no more; his father was gone,
and his mother-l0hGt had happened to
her? Remorse and reproach came to
him as his cous n told him how she had
| always looked for him back, and called
him her boy, until gradually the latter
part of her life slipped from her mind.
and she lived wholly in the past. All
his talk of the time he was child and
of the time ne lie t her to seek his for
tune made no impression on her mind,
and she spoke to all who came in of
'.my brother James, that is staying
few days with me-" AS each dav drew
toward its close she would grow restless
and ask him wearily if it was not time
for them to ''go home;" if .Alice''
would not want her, and humoring her,
he would tell her that they would 60
'.to-morrow." When he had been at
home a few weeks there came a day,
when he told her in answer to her Oft
repeated question that she should 90 to-
day, and a smile of satisfaction came
over her face, which never left it, and
| so she went home.
There was nothing left for him now
but TO 20 back to his wild lie; not even
a melancholy pleasure in the places he
had known during his boyhood re-
mtined; everything looked at him with
reproachtul e. es Janet was gone, and
! he was here with only a tender, half
fugitive recollection left him; in vain he
tried to fancy Just how she had looked.
He had listened to all his cousin could
tell him of her. 81 never saw her but
once or twice." she said, '.but she was
right nice girl. She went away alter
| the old folks died, and never came
back. believe she married a city man
seems as If his name was Someth ng
like Dorman. Folks used to say YOU
thought deal OF each other. but o ess
|
and left her and she got married and
went West"
"That's the way of the world" he
thought bitterly, but L could have
waited longer than that for you. If
had never seen you again | could have
waited and s1aib wait. though 1 shall
never find you"
After he left Brighton his feet turned
aim essly toward the South, but no CITY
could keep him long. He had come
back az he had planned years before,
with plenty of money, but now wealth
was burden to him and he wished
e ich moment might find him % busy
that there would be no time for
thought. The spring found him again
in the North. going from one place to
another staying at none longer han "a
| few weeks until he came to Philadel
phia and his sojourn there proved fair
to be o. long one for warderer. His
hotel was in a pleasant quarter of the
city, and he tried to force himself to be
lieve that he would be content to spend
the rest of his life here. Search would
be useless now. he thought, for even
could he find Janet he would find her
anothor's.
One day, in the heat of summer, he
was walking along crowded street of
the city, not needing the passers by,
when suddenly his attention was ar
rested by little girl walking along bv
his side and carefully shading her pre-
cious doll bv a parasol not much larger
than her blue-trimmed sun-hat. The
face was fresh and pretty to look at,
but there was more than childish fresh
ness and beauty in it to him, for in an
instant it brought the past vividly
before his mind, and he almost fancied
that he had somewhere seen this face
before. He stopped, and, finding the
child alone, asked her where she was
going. ''Jus' down here little ways to
take dolly to school," was the answer,
and as she proved to be sociable little
body, she trudged along by his side,
and, looking confidently up into his
face, said, 'sMy name Jennie-what' s
yoursP'
"Mine's James," he answered. to
please the chilG's fancy. She nodded
approvingly and said: 'Mr. James
that s nice name, an L guess FL like
YOU"
With a bitter smile, he said to him.
self: "Why not Mr.. james? One
names as good as another-the old life
is gone, and why not the old namep So
FL let it pass, and try to forget that
james Forest ever lived.
The next crossing led him to his
hotel, but, feeling an interest in the
child, he would not leave her alone on
the crowded street, and told her he
would go back home with her. 1t was
lust round the corner" she led the
way and then it was '''round another
corner,' she guessed, so he followed,
but suddenly his guide stopped aud
ook up at him with q fearful lit e
face. "You take ne home" she said,
trustingly. All he could learn from
her was that she "lived with mamma
in pretty house," and that kitty and