The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-09-20
HoMEsIcKNRss.
E. F. Huddie, n rhroafh Ma

HoMEsicKNESS.
 F F. Hudaie, n Thfoash Mail,
 Reader. were you ever hcmesick When you hrss Jeff the parental roof and went out into the vide sorld to hew out road to fortune and 10 fAms. did you not feel that s,ranre sense of unrest that made it seem impossible that you coaid Where one has no, had this experience, hundred have. Well do remembes. when, A, fifteen years of age, vent out from father, mother, home and fisnds, and soueh, an education nearly fvs hun dred miles a~ay. The noyslsy of my new surroundings in the cny, having passed all my life on farm, sustained mo tor a month or more. and then, fei, the gnawing as my heart one evening. and tor weeks and mcashs Il came and came again. was standing n the hoas yssd al my boarding place, when sud. denly lump arose in my throat and almost choked me. was looking in the direction of my old home, and my zane went over the houses along the river. and over the tree tops on the bluff be- yond. and wandered on into space. where saw in imagination. the old 6re-side Mother. dear old mother. vas sisting these at her accustomed place. knitting away as fl her life depended on turning the heel" of that stocking before sleep ing Father was reading the village paper, just as had seen him do hun dred times My brotheu and sas,ers were all there ax usual. and the cat dozed k.f.~A of branches, and the backlog of hissing -hos elm rolled from iss place and scattered embers here s.4 there. as l had seen tt do over and over again. The shouts of the children. the terror of the cat, the hsrrY of mother to brush the glowing coals from the old rag car pet before they should add to the number of unsightly holes already burned Tn II, ,he activity of father in checking the progress of the backlog with his heavy boot, the over- turning andisons. the choking smoke and all the accompanying excitement and effort to repair damages, were as had seen them often but ] was not there to help. and an unfzihomable longing 10 go and participate ID the dear old scenes, came upon me.
 What would have gwen for the poor privilege of burning my hngers ID a futile effort to set up the fallen hre- dogs How should have leAped and dance for Joy even to have ooughed from breath. ing the smoke. IL would have been only second 10 heaven to have had mother bind up my blis,ered fingers and little sister to put her chubby hands upon them and hurt them m her anxiety to 1 e. -k-tk~~ Sn xk no: this picture was but a mirage. anc must wait, One day letter came. |, said another sister had been born to me. How very strange felt. had . sister 1 had never seen, and when talked about |, at the table, the ether boardess laughed at me and said vas homesick l cried each night when had gone to bed, and in the morning, my pillow vas vel with tears. aed at table, my room mate told of how had called for mother tn my sleep, and % was laug ghing stock again. The lady of the house was .ind to me, and, often when she found me weeping, had ssroked my hair 70 like my mother had in years Agcoe, weps siTesh. At last a day came when 1 was going home. The hours seemed ages and the minutes to elapse before the train would come, were hour. Of torture. Al last, goodbye was said 10 my nev friends, the bell was tapped and 1 vas on the ~ay. The speed vas far too slow, and almost leltlthaf could % fasser fl were sioos. When al last the brakemaa called the names of stations that knew, my heart beat high with ever rising ,ope, and [ vas in an ecstacy Of loy. At las, the whistle sounded and the brakeman called Ihe station near my home. The train it aeemed would never stop The platform reached, l sprang of. Wha, change had come upon the world, The buiidings had thought % high two yeau before, were very low the boys ksev were al- most men the giris were in long dsesses. and my iittle sWeethesr sas co tan and slender, shy and blushins could hardly speak to her. Al home, t vas the ssms. I Fathes and mother ~ese more gray, the childrea larger, and called the oae I'd never seen. by the name I'd called the next one older before l vent away. The I cat was sieepy and inactive. and she fire upon the hear:h nos half % bright. Alas. change had come. ard home vas never home again.