The Press., 1894-04-05
BACK ro rHE OLD HOME.

Six weeks ago I went down to Fire Island fishing. had lunch put up for me, and you can imagine my aston ishment when I opened the hamper to find package of crackers wrapped up in piece of the patent inside country weekly published at my home in Wis conSin
 l read every word of 1t, advertise ments and all. There was George Kel- logg, who was schoolmate of mine, advertising hams and salt pork, and another boy was postmaster. By George! it made me homesick, and determined then and there to go home, and go home I did.
 In the first place I must tell you how I came to New York l had tiff with my father and left home. I finally turned up in New York without dol lar Tn my pocket. l got a job running freight elevator in the very house where I am now a partner
 My haste to get rich drove the tho't of my parents from me, and when did think ot them the hard words that my father last spoke ranked in my bosom. Well, I went home. 1 tell you, John, my train seemed to creep. 1 was ac- tually worse than a school-boy going home for vacation. At last we neared the town.
 Familiar sights met my eyes, and upon my word, they filled 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 com ing to the station, passing many houses of which only an occasional one was familiar The town had grown ten times its size since had left it.
 The train stopped, and jnmped off Not face in sight did I know, and started down the platform for home Tn the office door stood the station agent. I walked up and said, "How- dy, MT. Collins }"
 He stared at me, and replied, "You have got the best of me"
 I told him who I was, and what had been doing in New York, and he didn't make any bones in talking tc me. Said he;
 ''Its about time you came home. You in New York rich, and your fath- CT scratching gravel to get bare liv- ing"
 I tell you, John, it knocked me all in heap. I thought my father. had enough to live on comfortably. Then notion struck me. Before going home l telegraphed to Chicago to one of our correspondents there to send me 5000 by the first mail. Then l went into MT. Collins back office got my trunk in there, and put on an old hand me-down suit that I used for fishing and hunting. My plug hat I replaced with a soft one, took my valise in my hand and went home.
 Somehow the place didn't look right The currant bushes had been dug uI from the front yard, and the fence wa: gone. All the old locust trees hac been cut down, and young maple trees were planted.
 The house looked smaller, somehow too. But went to the front door, ,and rang the bell. Mother came to the door, and said,- "We don't wish to bay anything today, sir"
 It didn't take minute to survey hel from head to feet. Neatly dressed John, but patch and a darn here ane there, her hair streaked with gray, hel face thin, drawn and wrinkled. Ye over her eyeglasses shone those good honest, benevolent eyes. I stood star ing at her, and then she began staring at me. I saw the blood rush to he face, and then with great sob she threw herself upon me, and nervously clasped me about my neck, ,hysterically crying, "It's Jimmy! it's Jimmy? Then I cried, too, John. I jus broke down, and cried like baby. She got me into the house, hugging ane kissing me, and then she went to the back door and shouted "George !" Father called from the kitchen,- "What do you want, Car'line P Then he came in. He knew me 1T moment. He tried to put on a brave front, stuck out his hand and said witt 1