The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1884-12-18
a Mothers Tears.

In the crowd at the Lake Shore Depot
last night was big fellow wearing q
fur overcoat and a broad brimmed hat.
He walked up and down the great plat
form with his hands in his pockets.
smoking and singing, apparently in the
best of humOr. One of those inquisitiVe
men always to be found near railway
train, who had been watching him for
some time, finally ventured to address
him.
"From the West?
The individual il fur removed his ci-
gar and replied, "You bet"
"Going East"
"Yeu bet"
The inquisiiive man became interest
ed. He was going East, too. 1t was
eleven years since he had been east of
Lake Michigan, and he was going down
TO see the old folks In Pennsylvania.
THAT amt . marker to me-" said the
Westerner, with great Vehemence.
81 went West In '49 and this is my first
appearance this side of the Rocky
Mountains since, live when I'm to
home ia Maine and that's where I'm 60
ing now. When / left there was boy
of twenty two or Whereabouts. Do you
think they will know me now 2" and he
stroked his iron gray beard thought
fully.
"They will If you've got rich in the
meantime" said the inquisitive man,
making an effort TO appear as if he did
not care whether the question implied
by his remark was answered or not.
| He was equally surprised when his COM
pauIon responded:
That's jest it, stranger. I've been on
the coast these thirty Ave years. Jeru-
salem! bnt think of ia lifetime al
most I've had morn Q thousand pros
poets that were considered immense.
| I've been chasing something, nothing, all
these years. Sleeping or waking I've
seen the glitter of gold. Did yon ever
get that way? No, of course you didn't.
I have seen gold everywhere and yet
could Lot find il. The mountains with
their snowy peaks, the glistenIng Ice,
the sparkling frost have all filed me
with wonder, evaFice, greed. Every
thing that shOne has tempted me. Ny
eyes have been strained 80 long, my
whole being has been so absorbed IN
this cursed search that 1t tired nae to
look anywhere or at anything. l like
to smoke and close my eyes and think
And yet do not like to think. A vast
ed life is not pleasant for rene ctiOn.
The hardships that l. have endured, the
nE0ko Thai u nave OCCus AoOAb LnC
and disgust me with myself"
Relatives down Eass?'' inquired the
man by his side who was getting interest
ed.
"Yes, sir. my mother, and that's what's
taking me over the divide, stranger. A
| curious thing about that. Mighty cur
ious. For. thIrty-five years l hardly
gave the old lady q thought. She wrote
| frequently and wrote when / bad time
but not like ought TO have done.
was absorbed in gold hunting, when one
day received q letter from her contain
ing her photograph. She's mOre'n sew
enty-five years old. It struck me like
an avslaache, Poor old mother SAYS /
and Is / looked up saw myself, wrink-
les and gray. in glass, and observed,
Poor fool boy Well, sir, from that mo-
meut / lost all interest In gold, quartz
and plaeeFs. When ] looked at the
snowy peaks saw nv mother. / dream
ed of her at night Her eyes were al
ways before, me swimming in tears a.
they were the day We parted Finally
esve up. converted what little prOpety
had into dust, and determined 70 go
home
don't care who knows it. Here's 3
'49er who hiss been lured from the gold
country by = mothers tears. 1t will pay
me richer dividends thst the thing that
have been chasing 90 long"