The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-03-24
THE OLD ROOFTREE.

1S>s- -Non hduuS Will Ills ITleIlu, anu re-
Piled
"I'ye been home to see my old
Mther and mother, the first time in
~ years. and tell you, old man, l
wouldn't have missed that visit for
all my fortune"
"Kinder good to visit your boy
hood home, eh ?"
"You bet! Sit down. I was just
thinking of the old folks, and feel
laxative, If you have a few mo-
ments to spare, sit down, light a
ci-Sgr. and listen to story of rich
man who had almost forgotten his
father and mother"
They sat down and the man told
his story:
"How / came to visit my home
happened in a curious way. Six
weeks ago l went down to Fire Is
land fishing, L had a lunch put up
at Crook A. Nash's, and you can i'm =
agine my establishment when | open
ed the hamper to find a package of
crackers wrapped in a piece of news
paper. The newspaper was the little
patent-inside country weekly pub
lished at my home in Wisconsin. |
read every word of it, advertise
ments and all. There was George
Kellugg, who was a schoolnate of
mine, advertising hams and salt
pork, and another boy was post
master. By George! it made me
home. sick, and L determined to 60
home, and go home / did.
''In the first place / must tell you
how l came to New York. | had a
tiff with my father and left home. |
finally turned up in New York With
one dollar in my pocket. l got a job
running freight elevator in the
| house in which | am now partner.
My haste to get rich drove the
thoughts of my parents from land
when did think of them the hard
words that my father last spoke to
me ranked in my bosom. Well,
went home. / didn't see much
change in Chicago, but the magnifi.
cent depot in Milwaukee l thought
was an improvement on the old shed
] they used to have. 1t was only 3(
miles from Milwaukee to my home
and | tell you, John, that train seem.
ed to creep. l was actually worse
than schoolboy going home for g
vacation. At last we neared the
town. Familiar sights met my eyes
and they filed with tears. There
was Bill lyman's red barn, just the
same, but, Great Scott! What were
all the other houses We rode nearly
a mile before coming to the depot
passed houses where only occasion
ally | saw one that was familiar
The town had grown to ten times its
size as | knew it. The train stopped
and l jumped off. Not face in sigh
that | knew, and / started down the
platform to 60 home. In the Office
door stood the station agent.
walked up and said, 'Howdy, Mr.
Collins ?"
"He stared at me and replied
You've got the best of me, sir,'"
~ told him who was and what
had been doing in New York, and he
didn't make any bones about talking
to me. Said he, It's about time yoU
came home. You in New York rich
and your father scratching gravel tC
get bare living.'
II tell you, John, it knocked mt
all in heap. thought my father
had enough to live upon comfortably
Then a notion struck me. Before
going home l telegraphed to Chicago
to one of our correspondents there t(
send one thousand dollars by frs
mail. Then 1 went into Mr.. Collins
back Office, got my trunk in there
and put on an old hand-me-dowT
suit that used for fishing and hunt
ing. My plug hat l replaced by
soft hat, took my yalise in my hanC
and went home. Somehow the plac
didn't look right. The currant bushe
had been dug up from the front yart
and the fence was gone. All the ole
locust trees had been cut down ant
young naples were planted. Th
house looked smaller, somehow, too
But 1 went up to the front door ant
} rang the bell. Mother came to tn
door and said, I'VE don't wish to bu.
| anythink to-day, SIR
ut didn't take minute to surve.
her from head to foot. Neatly dress
: ed, John, but patch and darn her
and there, her hair stleaked wit
J gray, her face thin, drawn and wrin
, kled, Yet over those eye-glasse
t shone those good, benevolent eyes
l stood staring at her and then sh
began to stare at me. saw the bloc