Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-09

table and looking straight at tbs old lady.
MY brother has ruined his own future,
| but he shall not ruin mine-he shall not
| return here. He strove for years to pull
down the honor of my fathers name, and
| l have striven for years to build it up. He
suffers want, misery and shame. He has
sown the wind, he is but reaping the
| whirlwind.'
All the time he speaks my lady is pluck
ing NANCY tufts of fur from her pelisse.
Now she springs to her feet, shrill and red
faced. Don't quote scripture to me. You
respected you honoredl you, with your
smooth tongue and your vanished face
Asa boy you were a coward, as a man you
are a sneak. Ny boy sinned, but he sinned
| openly. You air your virtues in the public
streets, but you keep your French novels
hidden behind your library shelves and
your mistress hidden behind your respecta-
bic suburban villa"
Now, of course, these illusions to i'm
proper books and improper ladies were not
all nice or decorous, and / never knew
whether they were chance shots of my
Lady's or based on reliable information,
| but know that | saw Joseph grow pale
and vince. He rose white with passion.
" Madam" he says, you are IN i~nso!ent
old woman, and if you were not my
fathers sister l should"
GO on" cries Lady Betty, the light of
triumph glowing on her old face go III
abuse me as much as you like. But not you
or a hundred such shall keep my lad from
coming back"
So Joseph drives down to his bank in
dudgeon, and no sooner has he gone than
poor old Lady Betty breaks down and
fairly sobs, and this absurd old couple Just
run into each others arms, and cry and
laugh, and talk necessarily, and prove
themselves to be a couple of fools; but |
think the clerks and bank officials, with
Joseph in that frame Of mind, must have
had an extremely unpleasant afternoon
Of il.
Three months after this | was again call
ing at Harley street. Poor old Sir Peter
used always to receive me in his study, but
now the butler told me, he sat all day in
the dining-room, which commanded a LOOK
out down the street, and there | found him,
and, best Of ell, I found hlm alone.
Joseph is at the bank" said the old man
with unconeealed delight, SO letus have
a quiet talk" So drew to the fire, but l
noticed a strange restlessness about Sir
Peter. He would break of suddenly in the
middle of a sentence and look down the
street and listen.
$50 Jack is coming back p | said. And
when? ?"
" We don't know he answered. we
don't know. He may come at any time.
I haven't told Joseph. I'm afraid he'll be
greatly upset but Jack will stay for awhile
at his aunt's, and things viii tide over"
Poor lad say sympathetically, she
has learned a bitter lesson. depend upon
il, Sir Peter, he will come back wiser and
sadder." His old eyes CLEAN at the very
thought Of his return, and q beautiful
smile breaks over his face as he takes out
OF his pocket q much-crumpled and often
read letter. He hopes to be back by the
18th, perhaps a little earlier II he has a
good passage, and now us the l4th. sent
nm his passage money, but Joseph doesn't
know that
Never mind, Joseph, cry he will
marry the Lady Olivia and You and Jack
Will live together and he happy ever after"
As speak l see the old weary watchful
eyes glance toward the window and down
the street; from where he sits he can look
right down TO the other end of the road. 1t
Is one of those dreary London days-half
fog, half rain, all mist and dirt and misery.
Suddenly the old wrinkled face grows very
white and startled, and he rises and moves
10 the window. ! follow him and look
down the street, but | see nobody and moth
ing, except two ladies half hidden in water
proofs, an errand boy, and further off a
struggling beggar, drenched TO the skin and
vending his way to the nearest w~orkhouse.
Suddenly | feel a grip as OF iron On my
arm, and, looking round, l see Sir Peter all
changed and transformed, all his soul LOOK
ing out of his eyes. and before l could speak
he had passed from the room down the hall
and out at the front door, u into the
filthy murky air without hat or coat. He
hurried down the road, | following as bestI
may. Then Ihear q half cry, half sob, asif
OF q great JOY and longing now fulfilled, and
I see the old maa fling his arms wildly
round that beggar mans neck and kiss him
on the lips again and again, oh so
passionate'y $50 then pause, standing a
little way CT unwilling TO disturb so sweet
and sacred q joy; then l go up, and, taking
both Jacks hands in mine, l say: Bling
him home, jack, and welcome home, your
self Alb, how shall l ever forget what /
saw il the halll Jack and helped Sir
Peter in, feeble now, exhausted, and spent.
He sinks on the hall seat, but holding his
sons hands tight then Jack falls on his
knees and hides his thin wan face on his
fathers hands, weak as any hysterical
omar oh, take me back again, iatheri
I know I've been g bad son, / know I've
disgraced you all; but I've fallen so low
and ! have suffered so much, and have
TepehFed On, give ne ahotHsE ClaHCe
As hespeaks several OF the servants run
into the hall and gather round them. Then
l saw in Sir Peters face the most beautiful
look ever saw on any human features l
think it must have been the reelection Of
the divine love Of the Great Father Of MS
all. So, rising, he stands before us, the
poor lad still kneellng ut his feet; then,
STOPPING, be raises him tendeTly, holding
him in bis loving arms-oh, so closelyl-I
and says, ia q clear, strong voice, " See
here, oil of you this is my son Jack, my
very own son. He shall once more eat at
my table, once more sleep beneath my
roof"
By and by Jack and | are sitting alone
in the dining-room, and / am not ashamed
to own, and l know Jack wouldn't be, that
we both broke down and cried 4 little. l
was & weak old man, and he q weak young |
one. Looking at him steadily, ] could see
how want ard poverty and hard life had
ground him down. The poor, wan face