Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-12-23

mother who had nursed him on her bosom! She
should learn all about Prstzel the msers character
and how that association with such vile wretch
could be productive Of nothing but evil would
speak TO her, also, about Katrine Loebeg, and beg
her to save that innocent young creature from
shame. Moreover, was prepared to advance her a
small sum Of money, with which her son could set
up in business in another town at some distance
from me, where there was no matchmaker. would
lend her the money, not Nicolas. Ii she was able to
repay Newell; il not-wel. 1t would not ruin
me. With industry, and with his mother always
with him, to attend to him, and do the household
work, he might in time get better thoughts in his
head. and become respectable member of society.
This would do for my old sweethearts sake.
The direction, therefore, took was towards the
village in which had passed my youthful days and
dreamed my youthful dreams the village OF which
Louisa Wagner was once the pride and the beauty,
and in which she still lived, broken-down woman,
old before her time, whom the years had passed
with bitter hand. One fiend and another came
out OF their shops and houses to shake hands with
me and ask questions about my journey, for the
knapsack on my shoulders excited their curiosity
They all had kind and neghborly words for me, and
1
take holiday and do little business at the same
time. Some were afraid was leaving them alto
gether, and were pleased when said hoped to die
among them.
One good woman insisted upon my stopping q
moment at her door, and running to the back Of her
| house brought me beautiful white rose which she
| stuck in my coat.
"Going acquiring, do believe" she said, with q
merry smile.
=" 1 am past that long ago." said
'No, indeed" she replied. "If you had the
courage to ask, you would not be single at the end
of the year"
"Weil, then," said, to her little girl about four
years old, who was climbing to her gown will you
marry me, little maid p
But the child hid her face in her mothers dress
| and blushed as if she had been seventeen.
There, now; what did tell you ?" l said
stopped and kissed the little maid, and she gave
me two kisses for my one.
=" Ii that isn't answer" said the gay-hearted
mother, you are hard to please"
And so we p,rted, bhthely
Pleasant little bits these meet with on the way
side. And the best of it is. any one can earn them
il he is 30 minded
The knapsack strapped to my shoulders was the
same which had accompanied me on my youthful
travels, aud though ! had not worn it since that
time it felt like an old f.iend to me. had deter
mined to walk the best part of the way out of a
sentimental desire to renew my acquaintance with
scenes had not set eyes upon for five and twenty
years. knew that | should be overtaken on the
ro'd by carts and wagons, on which could get
lift when was tired
There are others besides myself who in their mid
die or old age have set out upon such excursio on
and who have retraced, it were the roads OF lie
with feelings of pensive sadness and of wonder at
the change that has come over them. have Rad
OF countries in which people live at such a rapid
rate that everything in them is constantly changing
its condition; where in a year the roads are SO
altered that you cannot recognize them as the same
over which you travelled but yesterday; where
dwellings being continually pulled down and
built up again where villages grow into towns and
towns into cities, with magical swiitness where
farm-houses disappear to make room for mansions !;
and where the people, young and old, are afflicted
with such restlessness in the soles of their feet
that they keep running from this spot to that, and
from that to this in their eager desire to acquire
land and mo.ey and houses. 1t is not so with u.s.
ard despite the grand talk about the march of pre-
gress and the advance Of civilization, do not be-
iieve We are any the worse of for it. We move
slowly along, and there are not many who desert
their native place in their youth and pass their man.
hood in distant spot True, | had done SO, but
there excuse for me. / have no doubt il
Louisa Wagner had chosen me for her mate
should have been there at this moment, surrounded
hyr, In tha
wanderers like myself are deprived of sad and
5weet pleasure, such as stole into my hear. as
passed and recognized old familiar scenes, made
dearer to me by the length of time which had
eiap;ed since they and l last greeted each ether
For indeed, it was not ONLY who greeted them, it
wes they that greeted me. The trees the roads the
farm houses the vineyards, The wayside inns, the
scores of familiar landmarks which met my eyes, all
seemed to say, "Ah, old fellow, here You are once
more. We have often wondered what had become
OF you. Where have you been hiding yourself all
this lorg while? We are glad to see you alive and
well. Wecome-welcome !" Yes, it is true, they
al welcomed me and we've reioiced to see me- and
waved my hand and smiled and nodded at them in
response to the spiritual greeting which brought
gladness and sadness to my soul. sweet spirit of
repose pervaded my being, and even in my sadness
there was no unhappiness. Here was an old wind
mill, within view of the moving sails of which bad
rested, twenty-five years ago, thinking of Lo5isa
Wagner. The sails were revolving now, and the
sight brought back to me the very thoughts which
agitlted me then. But the hearts storm was
hushed and the tempest OF the soul was stilIed. 1
breathed PRAYER and was grateful. That is the
most beautiful time of mans life when he feels at
peace with himself and the world So might an
aged father, after long and varied liic gaze upon
his old wife and his beautiful children and say
" Thank God p Everything / saw contributed to
my enjoyment. The orchards in which the plums
were ripeniog and the apples blushing like young
maids, the fr-trees bending solemnly above
in the nights, the hedges the hay-ricks, the cat.
tie drinking in the lowlands the ponds in which the
ducks were swimming, the fowls scratching at the
earth, the brooks, the streams, the pigeons flying
to their steepled houses the very children who
looked up at me as passed-all were the rs
those had seen in my younger days They had
not grown an hour older not an hour There came
troop of youngsters on their way home from
school. Caps and frocas, and boots and books, all
the same. They followed rue, singing an evening
song, and rewarded them, and made them happy.
A COW stood with her head over a fence, with her
mild, serious eyes looking at me- Two young colts
running towards E-e with side-twsting of their
bodies suddenly stopped, transfixed, and there was
the very inn at which had rested for the night and
the wife of the inn-keeper with baby in her arms.
All the same, all the slIne-young and sweet and
beautiful as in the time gone by. All, what
pleasure TO me was the Journey and what reflections
passed through my mind as l thought of the longer
and more pregnant journey had taken in the reads
of life since nd torn myself from my native vii
lage 1t is good to give oneself to these thoughts
A. such times the trouble and vexation of living
sink into insignifcance, aud are of less
Importance than the bird which flies in the air, than
the lea. which fu:ters in the wind. At such times
We learn the trusst lessons.
1t was soon over, that excursion of fifty miles,
all things are and shall be- for time is bat breath,
and on the morning Of the thir1 day entered the
llage in which went to school.
1 made my way at once to the cottage in which
Louisa Wagner had resided with her parents. 1t
was inhabited by strangers. Upon ioquiry learned
thst she lived in hut the further outskirts OF
the village 1t was too early for me to visit her-st
least it seemed so in my judgment. Perhaps this
thought was the outcome Of the agitation of my
mind. When l found myself in the place of my