The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-23
~, turned on his heel and left tn,

| Iy, UuFneQ on MS neel iGnQ lett TINT
room.
"'Come to his senses at last" said
Tom, refectively, yet with certain un
easy twinges, as he remembered the
most unnatural brilliancy of the dark
pathetic eyes, SO like his fathers
! t'Pshaw! it will do the fellow good to
knock round the world a little. He
has been tied quite too long to his
| mothers apron-strings. And-as tic
law-there are too many lawyers al
ready. He will thank me before the
year is out, and mother, too"
| Dick broached the idea to his friend
Lawyer Bates, who tried all in his power
| to dissuade him.
you've the making of an excellent
lawyer in you," he said, "and you are
getting alongwonderfully. Ifyou will 60
offso far, why don't you wait till youg get
your diploma? That's the business you
were madefor."
But all the talk did no good, and in
wardly calling him fool, the man
turned to the papers before him.
How could Dick tell him that he was
an unwelcome guest in his mother
house?
'Die in a year, the lawyer muttered
afterwards, when somebody spoke to
him about it. '"The boy ism made for
hard work, and he'll find it out"
The year passed. Tom had been six
months married, and had brought his
pretty, helpless bride to his home, hired
| extra servants, and seemed as happy
as a lord. He did not notice the in
creasingp pallor of his mother STAGE, the
heart-broken look that told how she
missed thoughtless, warm hearted, low
gDick.
He had always made such a
pet of his little, gentle mother, and
now she felt as if she We're almost for
gotten. Her son and his wife were
kind to her-but oh, she wanted the
clasp of loving arms about her neck,
and the kiss of son, sometimes.
Her only solace was the reception of
the letters that came at first every
week-but of late there had been great
gaps between. He laughed in his let
ters, but sobbed as he folded them;
she never should know-never!
He had enjoyed the novelty of the
trip, and the new associations among
which he was thrown, for time. The
work which he was expected to do was
entirely beyond his strength, and the
persons with whom he was thrown in
contact were rough and uncultivated.
He had been accustomed to delicate
and nourisning food; that which he
tried to eat was coarse, badly prepar-
ed and Wholesome. Day after day he
labored from early nom till late at
night, leaving for his place oflodgment
SO exhausted that the best meal would
have been distastful. AS the weak
ness increased, he fought bravely
against it, and yet the longing for
home-the almost agonized desire to
look upon his mothers face. once more
added to his physical sufferings.
''That boy looks like ghost," said
some one, to his employer.
Eyes; not fit for the business" was
his reply, ,"but the poor fellow is try
ing very hard"
80 mother! mother! I am coming
home. / must come home" he wrote,
at the conclusion of the year.
II thought so,' said practical Tom,
with a clouded brow, when his mother
read him the letter, her voice trembling.
"You made baby ofhim for all time
hell never be a man''
Little he thought how prophetic were
his words! The next letter said,-
Expect me by the third of next
month at latest" The next-written
in a strange hand,-
''DEAR MADAM,-I amsorry to write
you bad news. Your son was getting
ready to start for home, when he broke
down. He was never strong enough
for the work, and told him so, months
ago, but he would not give up. There
was good metal in him-but-I think
he mourned too much for his home and
his mother. just before he died, he
said, If could only see my motherfor
one moment, could die happy!'"
Why need we follow the letter? Tom
broke down, for once, when the news
forced itself upon him. The mother
went rapidly to the grave, and to this
day there is a look in Toms face, which
neither care nor bodily suffering put
there-only consciousness that having
been his brothers keeper, he failed in
both duty and affection, and for the
rest of his life must pay the penalty.