Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-11-14
His Mothers Tears.

tHtfdgD HWotu'
In the crowd at the Lake Shore
de pot last night was a big fellow
wea ring fur Overcoat and
broad. .brimmed hat. lie walked
up and down the great platform
with his hands in his pockets,
smoking and singing, apparently
in the best of humor. One Of these
inquisitive men always to be found
near railway train, who had been
watching him for some time, lina-
| lly ventured to address him.
"FrOm the west?
The individual in fur removed
his cigar and replied: "You bet
"Going east?'
"YOu bet
The inQuisitive man became IN
terested. He was going east, too
1t was eleven years since he had
been east to Lake Michigan, and
he was going down to see the old
folks in Pennsylvania.
"That amt marker to me, said
the westerner, with great vehe-
mence, 81 went west in '49, and
this is my first appearance this
side of the Rocky mountains
since. live when Pm to home in
Maine, and that's where I'm going
now, When | left here | was
boy of q or thereabouts. DO you
think they will know me now?
and he stroked his rongray beard
thoughtfully.
"They will if you've got rich in
the IN eantime.' said the inQuisitive
man, making an effort to appear as
if he did not care whether the ques-
ton implied by his remark was
answered or not. He was equally
surprised when his companion
responded:
"Thats just it, stranger. Pve
been on the coast these tmrty.liyc
years. Jerusalem. but think Of it
a lifetime almost I've had morn
a thousand prospects that were
considered immense. I've been
chasing something, nothing, all
these years. Sleeping or walking
I've seen the glitter Of gold. Did
you ever get that way! No OF
course you didn't. | hove seen
gold everywhere, and yet conld
not find it. The mountains with
their snowy beaks, the glistcniug
ice, the sparkling frost have all
filled me with wonder, avarlcc,
greed. Every thing that shone
has tempted me. My eyes have
been strained so long, my whole
being has been 80 absorbed in
this cursed search that it tires me
to look anywhere or at anything.
like to smoke and close my eyes
and think. And yet | do not like
to think. \ wasted life is not
pleasant for reflection. The hard
ships that have endured, the
things that might have been, haunt
me and DISCUS me with myself.
"Rclatives down castT inquired
the man by his side, who was
getting interested.
Yes, sir, my mother; and that's
what's talking me ever the divide,
stranger a curious thing about
that. Mighty curious. For thirty
fveyears | hardly gave the old
lady thought. She wrote fire.
quently and | wrote when | had
time, but not like | ought to have
done. was absorbed in gold
hunting, when one day | received
letter from her containing her
photograph. She's more than 10
wears old. It stuck me like an ava
lanche. "P00I old mother says,
| and as | looked up saw myself,
wrnkled aud gray, in glass, and
observed, Poor fool boy Well,
sir, from that moment | lost in
tercst in gold, quartz, and placers.
When looked at the snowy bcaks
saw my mother. | dreamed OF
her at nigdt. Her eyes wer5 always
swimming in tears as they were
the day we parted. Finally, gave
up, converted what little money /
had into dust, and determined to
90 home. | don't care who knows
if. Here's '49er who has been lured
{ from the gold country by a mothers
tears. 1t will pay me richer divi-
dends than the things | have been
chasing to long"