The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-11
TODD'S RETURN.

county who had been begul1ed by the song
of that siren in California, and he had
abandoned everything, including wife
and five children, and had dared to go
where fortune called him.
Little Jim, who couldn't remember his
father at all, grew to the age of 8, pro-
foundly sure that the great day would
dawn. One time he played steat dinner
with Deacon Pitchers son and was told
he must ask a blessing
81 don't know what to say demurred
innocent little Jim.
''Why, just pray for what you want the
hardest, said the deacon s son. And lit
tie Jim, folding his hands and bending
his towhead over the acorns that served
for cups and saucers, simply said:
go Lord, please send pap home from
Californy.''
And then they went on with their Bar
mecide dinner.
Saturday night the store at Green Oaks
held the customary crowd Of rural philos-
ophers. There was no village-only the
store and blacksmith shop. Many of the
members of that circle must have walked
two miles. But they always gathered in
shortly after the early October nightfall.
And they sat around there telling stories
that were old as the zigzag fences, but
clothed with an artistic telling which
made them perennially new. Bissell, the
storekeeper, had a keg of very hard cider
in the shed at the rear, and the philosO-
pliers drifted out there one at a time and
helped themselves, coming in more versa
tile as raconteurs or more appreciative as
auditors, till full o'clock.
Just at that hour when Bissell, past all
possibility of more selling had unbent
from proprietor to associate and found a
comfortable chair in the crowded corner
the heavy foot of man beat on the wood
en- porch and a stranger entered. He gave
them a greeting, and in the silence which
fell on the story telling announced that
the evening was chilly. In the dress and
appearance of a farmer, he was pleasant
spoken enough to win some welcome, and
Charley PeltOn moved along on the empty
shoe box and offered him a seat Peter
CRUDE completed his story, and it remind
ed the stranger of one, which was essential
Iy new. They laughed generously, and
Gabe Turner invited him into the back
room for a cup of hard cider, and when
he came out he told another story. Bisseu
put half his body in barrel and scooped
up a scale scoop of crackers, which he
passed around with novel hospitality.
Lets have some cove oysters with
these, " said the stranger, and he tossed a
silver dollar on the counter without rising
from his place on the shoe box.
Such Prodigal expenditure of money,
such an unusual coin, such unem barrassed
ordering of great things, such acquaint-
ance with rare delicacies of food, could
argue nothing less than opulence Each
man opened his small tin can with ready
jackknife and seasoned the feast with
pinch of salt, which Bissell produced on a
sheet of brown wrapping paper. The last
cracker was issued with a prOdigal hand,
for the storekeeper had grown generous
under the inspiring example of the genial
stranger, and he gave the highest possible
expression of his surrender when, the
crackers being consumed before the cove
oysters had vanished, he opened a box of
ginger snaps and set it on the floor in the
very center of the circle.
The stranger had not yet told who he
was, whence he had come, nor whittier he
was going-and his reception in spite of
that was additional tribute to his tact
when Gabe Turner mentioned California
and the region s representative in that far
land.
''What do you hear from him?" asked
the stranger.
Rolling in wealth. 3" said Gabe.
Thar was a man went out there from
my neighborhoOd, - remarked the guest of
the evening, land he found $1,000 in 20
days.
Bissen and all the rest applauded with
gasp.
But it cost him 81. 600 to get there. y
They shook their heads slowly in appre-
ciative sorrow.
And he lost his 81, 900 and broke leg
prospecting for another mine. y
"WeuT' calculated Bisse1-
''And while he laid in his blanket on
the ground he picked up nuggets enough
to make ten pounds of gold. -
"Land alivel' cried Gabe Turner and
Charley Pelton looked gratefully at the
speaker for expressing the general amaze
ment.
"And his partner stole that, and his
blanket besides, the very first night he
was able to crawl to the creek"
1.-The son of a hickoryl' cried Peter
C4rI1bP with DrODar iDdiUnati0n
And a new man came into the camp
and bought his claim for $40, 600 the very
next day"
you don't say sop
1t was Philemon Todd. No one but q
returned Californian could have the ready
money for an oyster treat. And when they
found him out they fell upon his neck
with welcoming. The prayer of little Jim,
which had grown with him from his baby
days, was answered, and Priscilla was the
most envied woman of the neighborhood
though whether she was glad of the return
is still a topic on which she has not eX-
pressed herself. Philemon bought 40 acres
of walnut timber. He would pay for it as
soon as his money came from California
He could have bought all the land within
! sight of Green Oaks on similar terms. He
did buy every potato within seven miles
! and told BisscQ to give the sellers credit
on his account.
Next spring the war broke out. Walnut
timber was worth fortune for gun stocks,
and speculator paid Philemon 50, 100
cash for the trees as they stood. Potatoes
leaped to the dignity of money. Another
speculatOr took Philemon's option off his
hands and paid bonus of $500.
He was the magnate of Green Oaks. He
has lived there ever since and has never
dared another dollar. The success of those
| two ventures sobered him. The odd thing
about it is that his neighbors believe to
this day he brought his wealth from Cali
fornia.
Il could be as rich as he is, - says aged
Ia. had crc,r,n +n (NnIifrr.,.-