St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-09-02
THE RETURN.
The Poor and Humble snitor of the Past
Had a Favor to Request


Had Favor to Request.
You do not know meS'
The speaker was man in the very prime
of life, his weather beaten face bronzed and
burrowed by exposure under the fierce heat
of a tropical sun, and as he stood with easy
grace before the president of the great rail-
road company into whose presence he had
been admitted he represented the very type
of those men in whom physical courage
blends with personal beauty, and to whose
unf1inching spirit there is no obstacle to the
accomplishment of their purpose The dis
tinguished man whom he addressed paused
for a moment to look with deep scrutiny
into the face of the stranger, and then,
thoughtfuI1y leaning back in his chair, he
replied briefly:
mo, sir; / must say that fail to recog-
nize you.a
.You do not remember replied his vis-
itor. the beardless youth of 10 years ago,
the poor and obscure clerk, who, guided by
the purest and deepest love that ever found
its passionate utteranee in the breast of
man, sought your daughters hand, and
whom, sir, You rudely repulsed and drove
in scorn from your house without one ray
of hope and with all the light gone out of
his lifes Little did you dream. sir, when
you sent me forth alone on that dark and
rainy night of the fierce spirit you had
aroused, for come of race where the in
domitable pluck of the Puritan still lives
and which has never yet acknowledged its
master.
"Humiliated, but not utterly crushed. |
set out to gain the fortune that you colaly
informed me was the price must pay for
my love- left the humble roof that had
sheltered me, bade goodby to home and
friends, and in distant climes / sought for
the gold had sworn TO gain. With tire
less energy trod the unbeaten paths of far
countries. In the jungles of the east have
tracked the deadly tiger. and stricken with
disease have lain for months tossing upon
an obscure cot in India. Never once my
undaunted purpose tagged, until finally in
the mines of Brazil found the thing that
had so long sought. labered as no man
ever iabored before, and now, sir, / stand
before you rich beyond the dreams of ava
rice, not as the humble and abashed suitor
of a decade ago, but as the proud representa-
tive of Millions
The look of recognition that came into
the aged face Of the elder man had sudden
ly given place to deadly paller, and as the
speaker ceased he sank back in his chair
utterly overwhelmed.
ALAS, SIR. he murmured, as with de
spairing gesture he seized the hand of the
youthful millionaire, alas, Mr.. Caxton-I
believe that is the name-I fear it is too
late!''
'sToo lateln repeated the other. "Too
late! Why''-
''Yes.' - interposed the old man. Weary
and worn with hope deferred, my poor
daughter, whose loving heart stood the
test of SO many years Of waiting for your
return, has succumbed. Last week she was
married. y
A look of intense relief came into the
travel stained face of his listener.
You mistake me, SIR he said, kindly
laying his hand on the shoulderof the other
man. Il am sincerely glad that your
daughter has married, and trust she has
done well. That. sir, was not the object Of
my visit: .
Not the object of your visitsn repeated
the venerable railroad man, his hand trem
bling slightly as he passed it over his fore
head. Then, recovering his eomposure and
resuming the businesslike air ha bitual with
him, he said, Then, may I ask, sir, what
you came for?''
.Certainly." replied the hardy traveller
and representative of millions. II wanted
to ask, sir, if, in view of our former relar
tions, you couldn't waive point in my case
and accommodate myself and family with
passes through to Chicago. Tom Mason
in Truth.