The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-12-04

arose Ill .Ay Vnroat an .. ,c.. -. -. ned
me. lWIs looking in the direction of
my old home, and my gaze went over
the houses along the river, and over
the tree tops on tho bluff beyond, and
wandered on into space, where l saw in
imagination tho old fireside. Mother,
dear old mother, was sitting there at
her accustomed place knitting away as
If her life depended upon turning the
heel' of that stocking before sleeping.
Father was reading tho village paper,
just rs had seen him do a hundred
times. My brothers and sisters were
all there as usual. and the cat dozed
and purred before the fire of cracking
branches, and the back log of kissing
hot elm rolled from its place and scat
tered embers hero and there, as [ had
seen it do over and over again. The
shouts of the children, the terror of tho
cat, the hurry of mother to brush tho
glowing Goals from the old rag carpet
before they should add to the number
of unsightly holes already burned in it,
the activity of father in checking the
progress of the backlog with his boot
tho oVerturning andirons, tho choking
smoke and all the accompanying eX-
citcmcnt and effort to repair damages,
wcro as l had seen them often; but |
was not there to help, and an unfath-
omable longing to go and participate
in the dear old scenes camo upon me.
What would I have given for the
poor privilege of burning my fingers in
futile effort TO set up the fallen fire.
dogsP How should have lcaped and
danced for Joy even to have coughed
from breathing the smoke! 1t would
have been only second to heaven to
have had mother bind up my blistcred
fingers and little sister TO put her chub-
by hands upon them and hurt them in
her anxiety to find out whether l was
shamming. But no; this picture is but
mirage, and must wait. One day q
letter came. 1t said anotkcr sister had
been born to me. How strange 1 felt
had sister l had never seen, and
when l talked about it at the table, the
other boarders laughed at me and said
l was homesick. L cried each night
when | had gone TO bed, and in tho
morning my pillow was wet with tears.
and at table my roommate told how l
had called for mother in my sleep, and
so was laughing-stock again. The
lady of the house was kind to ne, and
often when she found me weeping, had
'hoASt my hpih oo llhc lily mOlncE uau
in years agone, l wept afresh. At last
q day camo when l was going home
The hours seemed ages, and the min
utes to elapso before tho train would
como were hours of torture. At last,
goodbye was said to my new friends
the bell tapped, and [ was on the way
Tho speed was far too slow, and | al
most felt that could go faster if [
wcrc on foot. When at last the brake
man began to call out tho names of Sta
tions that knew, my heart beat high
with every rising hope, and | was in an
ecstacy of joy. At last tho whistle
sounded and the brakeman called the
name of the station near my home.
The train it seemed would never stop.
The platform reached, l sprang of.
What change had como upon tho
worldP The buildings l had thought
so high two years before. were very
low; the boys l knew were almost mon;
the girls were in long dresses; and my
little sweetheart was so tall and slen-
der. shy and blushing, that could
hardly speak to her. At home, it was
the same. Father and mother were
moro gray, the children larger, and I
called the one had never seen by tho
name I'd called the next one older
when ! went away. The cat was sleepy
and inactive, and tho fire upon the
hearth not half so bright. Alas! n
change had come, and homo was never
home again.-FE e. HHdttlc, IN Ihr0ugh
Mail.