Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-07-15
A ROYER'S LUCK,
Finding Fortune After Thirty Years.
PHILADELPHIA Record


A few days ago an old man paid
his last dollar for ticket from this
city to Limerick, in Montgomery
county. His long hair had been
prematurely whitened by the frOsta
of fifty years. His coat was thread
bare and shabby. Arriving at
Limerick, he sturdily tramped out
the Vincent road, until he reached
the tavern of the Seven Stars, over
looking the beautiful valley of the
Schuykill. Under the sheltering
pOrtico OF the antiquated tavern the
old man seated himself, and was for
a long while apparently engrossed
in melancholy thought. The tav-
ern-keeper, jolly and rotund, was
puzzled. His ancient-looklng guest
called for nothing, said nothing,
and appeared to have settled down
into a do-nothing way for the day.
After a long while he asked abrupt
ly: Landlord, who lives over
there?" pointing to pretty farm
house emboWered IN q grove of
chestnut and willow trees.
"That," said the tavern-keeper,
sis John r. Miller's place."
The strangers lips trembled as he
gazed moment over the rich fields
of ripening grain to the stone farm
house, and then said eagerly:
"And the old man, Henry Miller,
where is he ?"
SIN heaven, l hope" was the
reply. "He's been dead these five
years"
The wanderers head fell upon his
breast. He said nothing for fully
five minutes, and then, getting up
on his feet, he said slowly:
Landlord, it's been thirty years
since 1 left this place. l never saw
my father since | was seventeen
years old. And so the old mans
dead"
And then the landlord knew that
he was talking to Josiah Miller,
whose escapades and flight from the
valley over a quarter of a century
before had become a legend OF the
neighborhoOd. Henry Miller in
those days was counted one of the
best farmers of the township. His
broad acres were the talk of north
ern Chester county. He was rich
and respected. Josiah was his IA
vorite son, and was known as the
most promising lad in all the coun-
ty about. The lad was little head
strong, fond of society, and was
looked upon by the young ladies
with especial favor. The father
objected to the lads intimacy with |
one of the bellies of the section, Miss
Deborah Sleichler. She was, how |
ever, older than the scapegrace, and
the old man did not like her. He
told Josiah so. AS might be eX
pected, it soon transpired that De-
borah. and Josiah loved too well,
and not within the statutes made
and provided by the Common
wealth. There was terrible scene
between father and son when this
was discovered. Josiah left home
that night, thirty years ago, and
never returned until he came back
to be told that his father was dead.
He became a rolling stone that
gathered no moss. He lived pre-
carious, hand-tO-mouth existence,
in luck, with money and
friends plenty, sometimes without
either. His six brothers, in The
grew up, RECEIVING INC
paternal blessing and start in life,
but the black sheep gave no sign.
Deborah married gentleman from
and now lives in that city.
With the infirmities of age there
,ame to Josiah a great desire to re-
turn home. lie knew nothing of
hose whom he had left in the
homestead, The old gentlemen did
not forget his wayward son IN his
will, and Josiah was lett an equal
share with the other children. lie
remained at the tavern of the Seven
Stars for some days, fully establish
ng his identity, and has gotten his
share of the estate, with which he
proposes to settle down at Safe Har-
Dor, Lancaster county, and culti-
yate tobacco on farm he has pur-
.hased.