The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-01-25
THE OLD HOMESTEAD.
The Wanderer Returns to Find Poverty
and he Gives Happiness to the Old
Folks.

"Hello, Jim Where have you been
lately ?" shouted broker, the other
evening, to a portly, finely dressed man
in the corridor of the Fifth Avenue Ho-
tel. The gentleman stopped, shook
hands with bis friend and replied; "I've
been home to see my old father and
mother for the first time in sixteen years
and 1 tell you, old man, | wouldn't have
missed that visit for all of my fortune u
"Kind of good to visit your boyhood
home, eh ?"
eyes, indeed Sit down. I was just
thinking about the old folks, and feel
tslkative. If you have few moments to
spare, sit DOWN light 8 cigar and listen
to the story of rich man who had
almost forgotten his father and mother
They sat down and the man told his
story:
"How I came to visit my home hap
pened in a curious way. Six weeks ago
I went down to Fire Island, fishing.
had had lunch put up for me, aud you
can imagine my astonishmeut when l
opened the hamper to find q package Of
crackers wrapped up in piece of the
patent inside. country weekly published
at my home in Wisconsin. Tread 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. ]
tell you it made me homesick, and de-
termined then and there to 60 home. and
90 home I did.
"In the first place must tell you how
I came to New York. / mad tiff with
my father and left home. 1 finally
turned up in New York with. a dollar in
my pocket. I got job running freight
elevator iu the very house in which l am
now a partner My haste to get rich
drove the thought of my parents from
me, and when 1 did think of them, the
hard words that my father last spoke to
me ranked in my bosom. Well, l went
home. 1 tell you, John, my train seem
ed to creep. l was actually worse than
school-boy going home for vacation. AT
last we neared the town. Familiar
sights met my eyes, and, upon my word,
they filed with tears. There vas Bill
Lyman's red barn just the same as ever,
but what we're all the other houses 7 We
rode nearly mile before coming to the
station, passing many houses of which
only an occasional one was familiar. The
town had grown to ten times its size
when l knew it. The train stopped, and
I jumped of. Not face in sight ]
knew, and started down the platform
to go home. In the Office door stood the
station-agent. I walked up and said
'Howdy, Mr.. Collins?
"He stared at me and replied. you've
got the best OF me SIR
TT told him who l 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 10 New York rich, and your fathel
scratching gravel to get bare living 7
"I tell you, John, it knocked me all in
q heap. thought my father had enough
to live upon comfortably, Then a no
tion struck me. Before going home
telegraphed to Chicago to one of ou'
correspondents there to send me $l,OOC
by first mail. Then went into Mr.
Collins back o6ice, got my trunk il
there, and put on an old hand-me-dowr
suit that ueed for fishing and hunting
took my valise in my hand and went
home. The currant bushes had been dug
up from the front yard, and the fence
was gone. All the locust trees had beer
cut down and the young maple trees
we're planted. The house looked smaller
somehow, too. But I went up to tht
front door and rang the bell. Mother
came to the door and said: we dom
wish to buy anything to-day, SIR
"It didn't take me minute to survey
her from head to foot. Neatly dressed
John, but patch and darn here ane
there, her hair streaked with gray, bel
face thin, drawn and wrinkled. Yet over
her eye glasses shone those good, honest
benevolent eyes. / stood staring at bel
and then she began staring at me. | san
the blood rush to her face, and with
great sob she threw herself upon me, ano
nervously clasped me about the neck
bysterically crying: cts Jimmy, ip'
JIMMY
"Then l cried, too, John. just broke
down aud cried like baby. She got mt
into the house, bugging and kissing me
and then she went to the back door ano
shouted, George
"Father called from the kitchen
what do you want. Caroline?
"Then he came in. He knew me'in
moment. He stuck out his hand ano
grasped mine and said sternly: well
young man, do you propose to behave
yourself now 2"
"He tried to put on brave front, bu
he broke down. There we three sat like
whipped school children, all vhimpering
At last supper time came and mother
wet out to prepare it. I went into the
kitchen with her.
"'Where do you live, Jimmy?' she
asked.
"'In New York. I replied.
"'What are you working at now, Jim
my?'
"'I'm working in dry goods store
"'Then I suppose you don't live very
high, for hear tell of them city clerks
what don't get enough money to keeE
body and soul together. So I'll just tell