The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-03-07
THE OLD ROOFTREE.


lately?" shouted broker the other even
ing to a portly, finely dressed man in the
corridor of the ST. James. The gentle |
man stopped, shook hands with his friend,
and replied, ''I've been home to see my I
old father and mother, the first time in
sixteen years, and I tell you, old man, !
wouldn't have missed that visit for all my
fortune"
"Kinder good to visit your boyhood
home eh?''
''You bet. Sit down. was Just think
ing about the old folks, and feel talkative
If you have few moments to spare sit !
down, light a cigar, and listen to a story
of a rich man who had almost forgotten
his father and mother
They sat down, and the man told his
story.
Howl came to visit my home hap
pened in a curious way Six weeks ago |
went down to Fire Island fishing I had
lunch put up at Crook & Nashs, and
you can imagine my Rnishment when 1
opened the hamper to find a package of /
crackers wrapped up in a piece of news |
paper That newspaper was the little
patent inside country weekly published at |
my home in Wisconsin. l read every !
word Of it, advertisements and all. There |
was George Kellogg, who was a school |
mate of mine, advertising hams and salt !
pork, and another boy was postmaster |
BY George! it made me homesick and I |
determined then and there to 90 home |
and go home | did.
= sin the first place must tell you how |
came to New York. l had tiff with |
my father and left home. l finally turned |
up in New York with 81 in my pocket / |
got a job running freight elevator in
the very house in which / am now a |
partner. My haste to get rich drove the
thoughts of my parents from me- and |
=, when did think of them the hard words |
that my TaGfne4fE syast spoke to me ranked
in my bosom. T~ssn.., went nome
didn't see much change3ef in MIf fi7Ss Pae
the magnificent new depOCT ~ WI IL " W. aukee
I thought was an improvemA az r. o II-t Ihe ola
shed that they used to have. Au u w, was only
thirty miles from Milwaukee - l Ll5 l1oiilc,
and l tell you, John, that train 81 - 4
creep. l was actually worse than School q
boy going home for vacation. At last II
we neared the town. Familiar sights met T
my eyes, and, darn it all! they filed with
tears. There was Biz Lyman's red barn, -
just the same; but, great Scott! what II
were all of the other houses? We rode 7
nearly mile before coming to the depot, 7
through houses where only occasionally l
saw one that was familiar. The town had
grown to ten times it's size when l knew ~
it, train stopped and I jumped off. h
OF face in sax9ht that I knew, and | W
arted down the platform TO go home In o.
lie office door stood the station agent. "
alked up and said: 'HOwdy, MI Col h
ns?'
''He stared at me and replied, you've
OF the best of me, sir
''I told him who / was and what had
cen doing in New York and he didn't hal
lake any bones IN taking 10 me- Sald da,
e: It's about time you came home You ash
/ New York rich, and your father inc
gravel 10 get pare nVlng. KIN
II tell you, John, it knocked me all in the
heap / thought my father had enough VIII
} live upon comfortably. Then notion get
truck me. Before going home tele- w
raphed to Chicago to one of our CORE mi
pondents there to send me 81 900 by first sa1
laiI Then l went into Mr.. Collins Dire
ack office, got my trunk in there and an,
ut on an old hand-me-dOwn suit that ON,
sed for fishing and hunting. My plug far
at replaced by soft hat, took my valise yes
D my hand and went home. Somehow 40,
le place didn't look right. The currant do
lshes had been dug up from the front the
ard and the fence was gone. All the old WI
ocust trees had been cut down and young FIR
naples were planted. The house looked
mailer somehow, too. But l went up to
he front door and rang the bell. Mother
anne TO the door and said: we don't
wish to buy anything to-day, sir 81!
cit didn't take me minute to survey Pr
Ter from head to foot. Neatly dressed, pre-
Tohn, but patch and a darn here and ia
here, her hair streaked with gray, her pr
ace thin, drawn and wrinkled. Yet over 40
Ter eyeglasses shone those good, honest, ha
benevolent eyes. l stood staring at her on
md then she began to stare at me. l pr
Jaw the blood rush to her face and with q gu
great sob she threw herself upon me and it
lervously clasped me about the neck, the
historically crying: It's Jimmy, it's w
Jimmy ste
''Then I cried, too, John. just broke if
Town and cried like baby. She got me Oh
INTO the house, hugging and kissing me,
and then she went to the back door and
shouted 'GeOrger
Father came in in q moment and from
the kitchen asked, What you want, Car We
line?' ap
''Then he came in. He knew me in a We
He stuck out his hand and SCI
grasped mine, and said, sternly, Wei, all
young man, do you propose to behave ca
yourself now?' TIL
''He tried to put on brave front, but mi
he broke down. There we three sat- like stt
whipped school children, all whimpering its
At last supper time came and mother SCI
went out to prepare it. l went into the
kitchen with her.
Where do you live, Jimmy?' she
asked 70
- TN New York I replied. or
w haC you "ofkuh at now, jimmy ha
g I'm working in a dry goods store
Z" Then 1 suppose you don't live very
high, for / hear tell o them city clerks hi
what don't get enough money to keep 10
body and soul together. So I'Il Just tell
you, Jimmy, we got nothin' but roast