The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-01-29

their tickets, inveighing bitterly the
while against the caustic humor of par
doning an innocent man.
Harborde noticed nothing of this. He
inquired of porter the next train on to
the junction for Applebury, and then
discovered that he was both hungry
and faint for want of food. He went
out into the slippery, muddy street at
the back of the houses on the Parade
and at length found quiet little eating
house, where he was served with a
meal by a girl, who had plying eye,
after consulting with her superior in
command At O'Clock he was again
on his way in his train, in the company
this time of other fellow-creatures who
one and all regarded him with feel
ing akin to that with which they would
have submitted to the company of a
dangerous animal. Harborde noticed
it after time, and putting his hand to
his head suddenly made the discovery
that his hair was noticeably short.
After this he realized that he was a
marked man, and no longer wondered
why the lady opposite drew her warm
plaid dress away from his feet, and the
other lady with two children sidled as
far from him as possible and asked the
guard to find her seats in another car
riage at the next station. He was in
nocent, but how could he explain it to
them? If they could but know what he
had suffered surely they would weep.
He hadn't the paper with him; even if
he had perhaps they would not believe
that he and Thomas Harborde men
toned in the paragraph were one and
the same. Two men got in where the
lady with the children got out. They
each of them threw a glance, shrugged
their shoulders, and then became i'm
mersed in their papers.
1t was quite dark when Applebury
was reached, and Harborde, luggage
less, speedily passed out of the station
without being recognized. There SEEM
ed little alteration in the place. Sew
eral of the shops-now gay with Christ
mas good and finery-in the main street
now had large plate glass windows in
place Of more countryfed fronts, but
were otherwise much as fifteen years
ago. For moment he stood confused,
staring up and down the street, re-
garded by the passers-by with curiosity.
Then he remembered that he would
have to go along the street past the
grocer's whose window projected a
yard into the footpath, turn down the
by-street, and then again turning take
the road leading to his home.
In ten minutes he reached the garden
gate. He had run part of the way, and
now he could not make up his mind to
go up the drive to the door. What If
they were all dead? He grew sick at
the very idea. There was light in his
mothers room, which was at the front
of the house What If she were ILL
perhaps dying? At last his legs carried
him up the drive, which swept round
the little front lawn in a semi-circle
He heard the bell tinkle shri1ly at the
back of the house. The sound seemed
like home All at once he remembered
how, years ago, he had banged 1T with
a long handled broom till it tangled
against it's fellows on either side.
The door opened. A flood of light
streamed out on to the gravel. 1t was
a strange face and the fact sent an icy
shock to his heart. Far outside himself
he heard voice he did not recognize as
his own asking if DR.. Harborde were
in. A year seemed to pass before the
servant said NO" adding, "Did you
wish to see him particular?'
'sYes.''
Hell be in in half an hour"
EsTc-is Mrs HarhOTda fn2 TS rho
alive?" said the man at the door, throw
ing the words at her when once his
tongue had consented to frame them.
"'Why, lor bless me, yes! Come, none
O. that!'
But 1t was no use. The man she mad
just noticed had suspiciously short hair
and a strange, wild-looking face had
pushed past her, thrown open the sit
ting room door, stumbled into it, and
thrown his arms around sweet-faced
old lady, who rose in alarm at his sud-
den entrance.
'My son! my son!' rang out through
the house. Mother! motherv'
The girl stood rooted to the spot, then
she ran to Jane, and the two of them
came out into the passage. In the sit
ting-room with its pink-shaded lamp a
woman was seated kissing every line in
her sons face-every line that the long
years had written. And he stroked the
hair that still lay thick, though white,
in a coil at the back of her head.
Suddenly the man started up.
"Jess?' he asked. huskily.
Some one who had lain, haIf-stunned
with Joy, in wicker chair well out of
the range of the lamplight came into his
vision.
"Jess!" he cried, folding her in his
arms whilst the room swan round. "My
Jess"
''Tomw came the answer.
"But am DID," said he; $50 old"
"And 1, also, with the sadness and
loneliness of waiting. But now-now
1 am young again"
The voice of the elder woman broke
the silence after a moment. For this,
my son, was dead and is alive again.
And they began to be merry.-London
Black and White.
Wizard with the Whip.
An Austro-Hungarian, named Pisks-
lug, has created a sensa ton in Vienna
by his wonderful performances with a