Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-10-01

i've been home to see my old rather
for the first time in sixteen years; ana
! tell you. old man, / wouldn't have
missed that visit for all my fortune"
Kind o. good to visit your boyhood
home, eh?"
You bet. Sit down. was just
thinking about the old folks, and feel
talkative. If you have few moments
to spare, sit down, light 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 l came to visit my home
happened in a curious way. Six weeks
ego l went down to Fire Island fish
ing. had lunch put up for me, and
you can imagine my establishment
when l opened the hamper to find
package Of crackers wrapped up in
piece of the little patent-inside coun-
try weekly published at my home in
Wisconsin. / read every word of 1T,
advertisements and all. There was
George Kellogg, who was schoolmate
of mine, advertising hams and salt
pork, and another boy was postmaster.
BY George! 1t made me homesick, and
I determined then and there to go
home, and go home / did.
I'm the first place, / must tell you
how l came to New York. had tiff
with my father and left home. finally
turned up in New York with a dollar
in my pocket. / got job running a
freight elevator in the very house In
which / am now a partner. My haste
to get rich drove the thought OF my
parents from me, and when did think
of them, the hard words that my faith
er last spoke to me ranked in my
bosom. Well, went home. tell you,
John, my train seemed TO creep. l was
actually worse than schoolboy going
home for vocation. At last We neared
the town.. Familiar sights met my
eyes, and, upon my word, they filled
with tears. There was Bill Lyman
red barn, Just the same; but-great
Scott! what were all OF the other
houses? 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 / knew 1t.
The train stopped and jumped OF.
Not face in sight that knew, and /
started down the platform to go home.
agent. walked UP and said: 'Howdy,
Mr.. Collins?'
"He stared at me and replied:
You've got the best of me, SIR
81 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 h1na. You in New York Iich,
and your father scratching gravel to
get bare living!
Il tell you, John, 1t knocked me all
in a heap, / thought my father had
enough to live upon comfortably. Then
a notion struck me. Before going
home / telegraphed to Chicago to one
of our correspondents there to send me
$1,000 by first mail. Then l went into
Mr. Collins back Office, got my trunk
down suit that / use for fishing and
hunting. My plug hat replaced by a
soft one, took my valise in my hand,
and went home. Somehow the place
didn't look right. The Characteristics
had been dug up from the front yard,
and the fence was gone. All the old
locust trees had been cut down and
young maple trees were planted. The
house looked smaller. somehow, too
)But / went up TO the front door and
rang the bell. Mother came to the
door and said: We don't wish to buy
anything to-day, SIR
"It didn't take me minute to sur
vey her from head to foot. Neatly
dressed, John, but q patch and darn
here and there, her hair streaked with
gray, her face thin. drawn and wrink-
led. Yet over her eyeglasses shone
those good, honest, benevolent eyes.
stood staring at her. and then she be-