The Van Buren press., 1897-05-01

was no one else in his compartment.
He sat thinking of all that had hap
pened. He had heard nothing OF thost
at home for many months; they might
all be dead. How would he have the
courage to go to the door with this
possibility? What would he do il Jane
told him his mother was dead? lie
covered his face in his hands at vhe
thought, and sobbed as only stronii
nan can sob in the corner of a carriage.
With a great jerk the train pulled up at
the station. and Harborde got out. His
fellow-trayelers regarded him with
curiosity because his friend the porter
had told every one of them who he was
when he examined their tickets, in.
Weighing bitterly the while against tn.
caustie humor OF pardoning an inno-
cent 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 hun.
CRY and faint for want of food. He
went out into the slippery, muddy
street At the back of the house on the
Parade, and at length found quiet
little eating house, where he was served
with a meal by girl. who had pity
ing eye, after consultation with heI
superior In command. At three o'clock
he was again on his way in the train,
in the company this time OF other fel.
low creatures, who one aud all regard
ed him with feeling akin TO that with
which they would have submitted t.
the company of a dangerous animal
IIarborde noticed it after IA time, and
putting his hand to his head suddenly
made the discovery that his hair was
roticeably short. After this he realized
that he was marked man, and no long
er wondered why the lady opposite
drew her warm plaid dress away from
his feet, and the other lady with two
children sided as far from him as pos
sible, and asked the guard 10 find her
seats in another carriage at the next
station. He was innocent. but how
could he explain it to them? If they
could but know how he had suf
fered surely they would weep. He
hadn't the paper with him; even
if he had perhaps they would not
believe that he and the Thomas
Harborde mentioned in the paragraph
were one and the same. Two men got
in where the lady with the ehildrel
got out. They each OF them threw him
glance, shrugged their shoulders and
then became immersed 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
seemed little alteration in the place
Several of the shops-now gay with
Christmas goods and inery = in the
main street now had large plate-glass
windows in place of more eountryfied
fronts, but were otherwise much as
Is years ago. For a moment he stood
confused, staring up and down the
street. regarded by the passers-by with
curiosity. Then he remembered that
he would have to go along the street,
past the grocer's whose window pro-
iected yard into the footpath, turn
down the bv-street, and then again
turning take the road leading to his
| home
In ten minutes he reached the gar
den gate. lie 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 III
his mothers room, which was at the
front of the house. What if she was i'll
perhaps dying? At last his legs car
red him up the drive which swept
around the little front lawn in semi.
circle. He heard the bell tinkle shrilly
at the back of the house. The sound
seemed like home. All at once he re-
membered how, years ago, he had
banged it with longhandled broom
till it tangled against its fellow 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
lev shock to his heart. Far outside
himself he heard a voice he did not
recognize as his own asking II DR.
Harborde were in. a year seemed to
pass before the servant said; NO"
adding: did you wish TO see him par
ticular?"
"Yes."
Hell be in in half an hour"
] l.. L.,
alive?" said the man at the door, throw
/ ing the words at her when once his
tongue consented to frame them.
"Why, Lor' bless me, yes! Come,
none of that"
But it was no use. The man she had
just noticed had suspiciously short hair
and a strange, Withholding face had
pushed past her, thrown open the sit
ting-room door, stumbled into il and
thrown his arms round a sweet-faced
old lady who rose in alarm at his sud-
den entrance.
"My son. my son!" rang out through
the house. "Motheri mother!"
The girl stood rooted to the spot,
then she ran to Jane, and the two OF
them came out into the passage. In
the sitting-room with it's pink-shaded
lamp a woman was seated kissing every
line on 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.
JESSE" he asked, huskily.
Some one who had lain, half-stunned
with Joy, in a wicker chair well out OF
the range Of the lamp-light, came into
his vision