Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-02-25
FIRED AT RANDOM.


Hardesty had been called down to the
town of his birth by the summons of
the real estate agent into whose hands
he had intrusted the care of the proper
ty he had received from his fathers es-
tate Estate is big and general word
and many people use it in a grandilo-
quent manner in speaking Of a corner
lot in marshy suburb. In Hardesty's
case it meant little better than that,
but it was no vast Anneke Jams tract by
any means.
He had not been in that little town
for II years-indeed since the days of
his school attendance. He recalled how
on one summer afternoon he had vault
ed out of window just ahead of the
schoolmaster's hickory, how when wal
loped for it at home he had left the
house in anger, and how that night he
had boarded freight train bound Gin.
cinnatiward-and had never gone back.
Often he had thought Of the old place
and when the days of his middle age
came they found him wondering and
wondering and dreaming at odd times
about Milt Woodlands cooper shop and
the other things-but he did not go
back.
After the death of his father and
when he had come into the old family
residence he seemed to wonder and
dream all the more. Once he had met
the father of Doras Alderman at quad
rennial session of the Methodist confer
ence and had talked to him of Doras,
who had been a schoolmate, but in gen.
eral he had had little communication
other than that witnessed in the letters
which passed between himself and the
real estate agent. Now, ON this even
ing, II years afterward, he trundled
into town in sleeper and thought
smilingly Of the day when he had rolled
out on a box car. The agent had writ
ten him to the effect that somebody had
offered famous sum for the old Har-
desty homestead, purposing to cut it up
into AN addition to the city. The agent,
boyhood friend, had suggested that
Hardesty come down from Chicago to
give personal attention to the matter,
for by so doing he believed that few
thousand dollars more could be realized
| Dreaming of the old days, Hardesty
left the train at the depot. 1t was 8
stone and brick depot, he noticed, an6
not the little frame structure in which
he and Tom Coyne had loafed in the
summer of old days. He remembered
Tom Coyne very readily, and though
with especial amusement and interes
upon the episode of the bumblebees
Before reaching the town he ehad decided
that the very first thing he would d
would be to go into the little old wood
en- station and examine the walls to SCI
if the initials SD. H." for Davit
Hardesty, were still there where he hat
cut them ON the wainscoting, to the fur.
of Johnny Clark, the station agent H
had counted great deal on the pleasur
of this investigation, and it annoye'
him somewhat to stepoff the Car ant
into spick and trig depot Of masonr.
construction.
After the affront of this evidence, %
progress and prosperity had somewha
: worn away he started to walk dow
the road to the residence of the agent
his old friend. He knew the location @
| the house, for as boy he had been abl
to draw map Of the town, showing ey
! cry residence, outhouse, chicken COO
and fence. Somehow, however, he foun
the quest a bit difficult. New streets az
: peared, inviting him to walk down. int
d what had been green fields, but whic
| were now additions" and places, " al
built up with trinity painted fram
, houses
81 He found the object Of his search q
last and was admitted. His friend, th
agent, who had only partially expecte
him, did not know him at first, and in
s deed Hardesty would have passed th
| other thousand times before recogni1
ing in his brown mustache and gloss
collar any semblanee to the patched an
freckled boy who had helped him to ro
J Frank Stones historic melon patel
The agent introduced his wife and sal
n Hardesty would remember her, br
: Hardesty would have done nothing {
the sort, except for the fact that he ha
! learned from correspondence that hi
friend had married little Eda Stone
daughter Of the sovereign of the melo
patch.
They talked, after dinner, abor
business and about the improvement
:, the city-it had been village in IL
e old days-and about the advisability {
Hardesty selling his property.
Really" said Hardesty, II don
know that I care to sell. You see, Il
old homestead has been in the famil
for generations, and it seems almost
sacrilege to dispose of it. Why, l ws
born in that house. fused to look owe