The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-08-04

Dosiuos Uha1, as tne adversary Just then, in
the meanest possible manner, suggested to
my soul, there was that pork, I knew 7
would have to tell of it If l stopped. But [
| did not stop; l retreated. When reached
my room in the hotel felt longing to get
out OF town. Fortunately, l could not
| leave on Sunday. So in the afternoon sat
with the landlord on his broad front plat
form, or piazza. Itwas not the person who
keeps the place now but one of the Oldest
inhabitants who knew all about the Bur-
| llngton people. He guessed that was a
| college boy; he thought he remembered
| something about my appearance. | did not
mind talking freely with landlord, for
hotels and boarding-houses had been nv
home In Chicago. | had always been a
single man, just as l am to this day. This
landlord was good-hearted old chap, and
1t was pleasant to talk with him While
we were sitting there, who should come
along the street but Lucy, with a book in
her hand. She was on the opposite side
walk and did not look up. She would not
look at hotel on Sunday. l asked the
landlord about her and he told me all there
was to tell. She was living in one end of a
little wooden cottageover toward Winooski,
another factory woman occupying the other
part of the house. They made a home to-
gether. The landlord said Lucy was an ex-
cellent woman and might have married one
OF the overseers in the factory any time she
chose for years back, but that she preferred
single life.
"When 1 got back to Chicago I kept
thinking about Lucy Cary. The old times
when we used to live in Wilmington came
back to my mind. The truth of it was, |
was getting along little, at last, in Chi
cage in the way of property, and I found
myself all the while planning how could
have Lucy Cary near me-"
IBID you want to marry her, Timothy?"
inquired Mrs. Pember.
ut was not that" he replied; "but
wanted to become acquainted with her
again. knew she was the best girl had
ever seen. She always was just as good
and pious as anybody could be. We were
like brother and sister almost, when young;
and when thought of home and my folks
and old Wilmington and the college days,
somehow Lucywas the center of it all. In
fact, almost everything else was gone. My
folks were scattered and Lucy and Uncle
Jason were nearly the only persons up this
way that l could lay claim to. There is
kind OF lonesome streak comes over a man
when he has been grinding away in great
city for good many years and comes back
to the old places aud sees them so fresh
and green and quiet, and he can't get over
1t. He will cling to anything that belongs
to old times. | was strongly influenced to
write to Lucy but finally did not 1 de-
termined that l would get ali | could for
two or three years, and then | would come
here and face things. | would get some
thing comfortable and would have place
| could call my own in Chicago.
Then, when had it fixed, / would
come and see Uncle Jason and Lucy,
and stand the racket. OF course
it was nonsense to feel shy, but it seemed
to me that could not say a word until |
had something to brag of. They knew, in
general kind of way, that was in Chicago,
dealing in pork, or doing auctioneering or
something, and that was as much humilia-
ton as | could endure. To be sure, it was
an honest, faithful man; but to come back
to my friends empty-handed, witsout
money or fame, and gray-headed at that,
was more than L could stand. If [ had had
anything, or been anything, just to take the
edge off, could have managed it. As it
was, | looked ahead and worked. If any
man in Chicago has tried and planned and
toiled during the last three years, am that
man. There has been picture before my
mind of pleasant home there.'
And have you calculated to marry Lucy
Cary" inquired Mrs. Pember, in an eager
voice.
perhaps it was not Just in that way
thought of it," replied the narrator, very
seriously. you know l told you that the
landlord said she preferred single life !"
Timothy Tompkins !" exclaimed the old
lady, apprehensively, don't deny it
uOnJ. link now uledulullY you Will leel
if you know you have told a lien'
sit is nothing to be ashamed of, Tim
othy," said Mr.. Pember, in a kind and
sympathetic voice.
"If you put it in that way" answered
my old classmate, in strangely mournful
tones, "all [ can say is, there was never
anything between us-nothing at ALL"
"And did you come here this time to see
herr" inquired Mrs. Pember, almost start
ing from her seat, and with the thrill of a
sudden guess in her voice.
Il suppose it was as much that as any
thing" replied Tompkins, doggedly, look
ing down, and poking with short stick in
the ground at his feet.
"And that is what has made you act so
queer" unused Mrs. Pember. "Have you
seen her?''
LET him tell the story, Caroline" urged
the old gentleman, peevishly.
Tompkins looked gloomily out upon the
lake and the broad landscape for a few
moments, and then, resuming his narrative,
said: ..
Gas | was saying, have worked hard
thirty-five thousand dollars. When | made
up my mind to come East this summer the
money to pay Uncle Jason for what he had
done was all ready. 1t made me choke to
think how long had let it run. | figured
it up as near as | could-the two hundred
GIldU W me III COll09c anu bll6 TWO
hundred after that; and | put in the simple
interest at seven per cent, according to
the Y ork State law, which brought the sum
total up to nearly nine hundred; and to
fix it all right | made it an even thousand
dollars. Then L bought a new buckskin
bag and went to bank in Chicago and got
the money all i'll gold. | knew that would
please Uncle Jason. He once talked of
going to California to dig. ! suppose he
had never seen pile of the real yellow
coin in his life. | wrote to him that was
to be in Burlington and that would be ever
so glad if he would come over and see me.
met him yesterday afternoon as he got off
the boat down at the steamboat landing. He
knew me and | knew him, although we
were both changed good deal. After we
had talked a little and got used to each
other, / took him up to my room in the
hotel. was in a hurry to get at the bust
ness part of my visit with him first; for it
seemed to me that it would be better to let
him see, to begin with, that l was not ex-
actly poor, nor such an ungrateful cub as
may be he had thought l was. 1t
was my resolve that before we
talked of anything else | would get
that money off my conscience. / knew
that then could hold up my head and dis.
cuss our neighborhood and old times, and
it would be plain sailing for me. had pict-
ured to my mind dozen times how Uncle
Jason would look with that new yellow
buckskin bag crammed with gold on his
knee, steadying it with his hand and talk
ing to me. So when 1 got him up to my
room and seated him in a chair / began the
performance. | got red in the face and