New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-09-13
THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.

Yes mother. he VIII como. vi cou'se nc wiz
Gomez and the girl turned her drawn ana anX,
ions Young face toward the cottage door just as II
her blind mother could see the action
II is probable that the old woman OWNED the
longing glance from the change In the girl tone
for she too half turned toward the door IL was
n habit these two women had acquired Ihey
constantly looked toward the door for the arrVaI
of one who never came through the long summer
DAYS through the quiet winter evenings more
over they rarely spoke # other things; thls ar
rival was the topic Of their lives. Ana no" .ne
old woman's life was drawing To a close as some
lives do without It's object. She herself ieit H.
and her daughter knew It,
There was in both Of them n subtle sense or
cliuring II was hard to die without touching the
rcrord Of a N,ondrous patience It cruel to
deprive the girl OF this burden, for In most pur-
dens there il a safeguard, in all duty, ana III
some he greatest happiness allotted 10 hu'"a" en-
isience. .,
1t was no new thing, this waiting for the scape-
grace son; the girl had grown up to IT. for she
would not know her brother should she meet MN
In the street Since sight had left the old mother
eyes she had fed her heart upon this nope.
He had left them eighteen years before III III
of passionate resentment against MS Ia'n ~
whose only fault had been TOO great an inuui-
gcnce for the son Of his old age. Nothing had Deeii
too good for dear Stephen-hardly anything had
been good enough. Educated at a charity school
himself the simple old clergyman held the mis-
taken view that man can he educated above
his station ~,
There are some people who hold this view still.
but they cannot do so much longer Strikes, labor
troubcs and the difficulties Of domestic service;
so-called gentleman farmers. gentleman shop-
keepers and lady milllners-above all. Few col
onies peoped by University Failures-will teach
us in time that to educate our sons above their
station ia to handicap them cruelty In the race OF
life.
stephen Leach was one Of the early victims to
this craze. His father having risen by the force
of his own will and the capabilities OF his own
mind from the people to the Church, held as sucn
men do, that he had only to give his son a good
education to insure his career In life. SO every
thing-even to the old parsons sense OF right ana
wrong-was sacrificed to the education OF stephen
Leach at public school and university Here he
met and selected for his friends youths whose
futures were insured, and who were only passing
through the formula Of an education so thal no
one could say that they were unit for the snug
Government appointment. living or inheritance Oh
a more substantial sort that might be waiting FOR
them Stephen acquired their ways of life with
out possessing their advantages. and the conse-
uuence was somethil very nearly al prOachlnS
to ruin for the little country rectory. Not having
been a university man himself. the rector ana not
know that at oxford or Cambridge as III 'he
army, one may live according TO ones tastes
Stephen Leach had expensive tastes. and he un-
scrupulousy traded on his fathers ignorance he
was good-Ooking. and had a certain DrlniahcH OK
manner which goes down we'll at the varsity.
Everything was against him. and at last the end
came At last the rector's eyes were opened. ana
when narrowminded mans eyes are once
opened he usually becomes stony at the heart
Stephen Leach left England and before he land
ed I'm America his father had departed on
longer journey. The neer -do-well had the good
bv his mother i'm her wdowhood, and gradually
his letters ceased. 1t was known that he was in
Chilli and there war going on there ana yet
the good old lady's faith never wavered
He will come Joyce" she would say. he VIII
surely come" ,,,
And somehow. II came 10 be an understood thing
that he was To come In the afternoon when they
were all ready for him-when Joyce mad clad her
pretty Young form i'm dark dress, and when the
old lady was up and seated in her chair by the hre
In winter by the door in summer. They had
ina rip oil IL
would not he quite the same should ne make a
mistake and come in the morning, before joyce
had got the house put right
Yet he never came. a greater lnnrmlty came
instead and at last Joyce suggested that ner
mother should not get up in bad weather. ihey
both knew what this meant but the episode
passed others do, ana MIS- Leach was pVui'u-
den Still she said: -
He will come. joyce. He will surely come"
And the girl would go to the window and draw
aside the curtains. looking down the quiet couh-
try road toward the village.
Yes mother he will come was her usual an
swer: and one day she gave little exclamation
of surprise and almost of fear
Mother" she exclaimed, there II soHle oiie
coming along the road
The old lady already sitting up in bed star
ing with her sghtless OrbS toward the WINDOW
Thus they waited. The man stopped opposite
the cottage and the :wo women heard the latch
of the gate. Then Joyce, turning saw that her
mother had tainted. But IL was only monetary.
Bv the time she reached the bed her mother mad
recovered consciousness.
go" said the old LADY. breathlessly; go and
let him in yourself.
Down stairs on the doorstep. the girl found
tall man of thirty or Whereabouts with browner
face than English suns could account for lie
looked down into her eager eyes with stidH6c
Am too iate?' he asked in voice which al
most seemed to indicate a hope that IL might
be SO. ~ 49,,
NO c;ephen" she answered But mother
cannot live much longer. You are just in time.
The young man made hesitatng little move
ment with his right hand and shuf'ied uneasHy VI,
the clean stone step. He was like an actor caileu
suddenly upon the stage, having no knowledge or
his part The return of this prodgal was not
dramatic success No seemed desirous or
learning whether he had lived upon husks or oth-
erwise and with whom he had eaten Ihe quiet
dignity Of the girl. who had remained behlhd 10
do all the work and bear all the burden; seeiiieu
I'm some subtle manner TO deprive him OF an! ro-
nance that might have attached Itself TO nm.
She ignored his haf-profered hand and, turn
inc into the little passage led the way upstairs.
stephen Leach followed silently He was rather
large for the house. and especially for the stairs;
moreover he had certain burliness OF walk
such as is acquired by men living constantly in
the open. There was vaguely panied look IN
his blue eyes as If they had suddenly been
opened to his own shortcomings. His attitude
toward joyce was distinctly Apologize.
When he followed the girl across the threshold
Of their mothers bedroom the old lady was sitting
up in bed holding out trembling arms toward the
door.
what to do He held his mother in his arms while
she sobbed and murmured out her JOY. He had
no words but his arms meant more than his lips
could ever have told.
II would seem that the best part Of happiness
is the sharing Of II with some one else.
''Jovce" was the first distinct word the old lady
spoke Joyce. he has come at last He has come,
Come here dear Kiss your brother This is my
first born-my little Steve"
The young had sunk upon his knees at the
bedside probably because II was the most con-
venent position He did not second his mothers
proposal with much enthusiasm. Altogether he
did not seem to have discovered much sympathy
with his sister whom he had left in her cradle
Joyce came forward and leaned over the bed to
kiss her brother while the old lady's hands joined
theirs lust q her fresh Young lips came within