The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-01-27

mother tells how he came TO make
them a visit:
How | came to visit my home hap
pcncd in "A curious way. Six weeks
ago | went down TO Fire island, fish
ing. l had had a lunch put up for Inc,
and you can imagine my establishment
when ! opened the hamper to find a
package of crackers wrapped up in a
piece of the little patent-inside country
weekly published at my hoae in Wis
consin. read every word OF it. ad-
vertisements and all. There was
George Kellogg, who was a schoolmate
Of mine, advertising hams and salt
pork, and another boy was postmaster.
BY George! 1t made me homesick, and
| determined then and there to go
home, and 60 home I did.
I'm the irst place ] must tell you
how ! came to New York. had "A tiff
with my father and left home. !
finally turncd up in New York with a
dollar in my pocket. ! got a job run
ming n freight elevator in the very
house in which ! am now u partner.
NV haste TO get rich drove the thought
of my parents from me. and when !
did think of them, the hard words that
my father last spoke to me ranked in
my bosom. Well, l went home. ! tell
you. John. my train seemed to creep,
" as actually worse than a schoolboy
going home for vacation. At last
we neared the town. Familiar sights
met my eyes and, upon my word. they
filed with tears. There was Bill Ly-
mans red barn just the same; but =
great Scott. what were all OF the other
houses? We rode nearly a mile before
coming to the station, passing many
houses Of which only an occasional
one was familiar. The town had grown
10 ten times its size when | knew it.
The train stopped. and l jumped off.
Not a face in sight l knew. and |
started down the platform TO go home.
In the Office door stood the station
agent. walked up and said: 'lowdy,
Mr.. Collins?'
.He stared at me and replied:
You've got the best of me, SIR
II told him who ] was and what !
had been doing in New York, and he
didn't make any bones in talking to
me. Said he; It's about time you
came home. You in New York rich,
and your father scratching gravel to
get a bare living"
II tell you, John, ! knocked me all In
a heap. / thought my father had
enough to live upon comfortably.
Then a notion struck me. Before
going home ! tclegraphed to Chicago
TO one of our correspondents there TO
scnd me one thousand dollars by first
mail. Then ! went into Mr.. Collins
back office, got my trunk In there, and
put on an old hand-mc-down suit that
used for fishing and hunting. My
plug hat ! replaced by a soft one, took
my valisc in my hand and went home.
somehow the place didn't look right.
ihe currant bushes had been dug up
from the front yard, and the fence was
gone. All the old locust trees had
peen cut down and young maple trees
were planted. The house looked
smaller, somehow. too. But | went up
70 the front door and rang the bell
mother came To the front door and
said: We don't wish to buy ANYTHING
to-day. sir
~ didn't take n minute to survey
ner IRON head to foot. Neatly dressed,
..,onn' but a patch and a darn here and
mere, her hair streakcd with gray.
xer lace thin, drawn and wrinkled.
N over her eyeglasses shonc those
soou' honest, benevolent eyes. / stood
NinR at her and then she began to
49, AZ me. ] saw the blood rush TO
race and with a great sob she
a NV herself tpon me and ncrvously
H. "speu me about the neck, hystcrical-
fersing' It's Jimmy. It's Jimmy.
hihen cried. too, John. I Just
90, uown and cried like a baby. She
"e into the house. hugging and