Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-05-25

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-SzSS- ~S gentleman who
@~ had been absent
from England for nine years. All
that while he had passed under the
burning suns of India. He had suf
fered as soldiers do. He had fought
as soldiers fight. He had met the sol
dier's fate of scars and wounds, and
one of them had invalided him home
to England.
1t was the first time he had trod
her shores for nine years, as we have
said, and for the first time in any year
he was going to see his son, the little
boy born after he left home, and
whose birth had been his mothers
death.
Captain Penran had only been mar
ried q year when he was ordered
abroad with his regiment. Six months
from that day letter had reached him
telling him his wife was dead. The
letter was written by an old nurse, the
only friend who had been with her. It
ended thus:
'The baby, fine a child as I ever
saw, is thriving, I've done my best
for it. It's mothers last wish was as [
should keep it, aud perhaps, sir, as
some one must, you'd as leave I as any
other. 1 shan't be unreasonable in
my charges, and I'm very fond Of him
already.
"Tith MY duty to you in this dread
full trouble, your servant,
"ANN GOLDEN"
The poor, broken hearted man al
most sank under the awful news. He
had loved his wife passionately, and
when the baby was old enough to
travel she would have come to him in
India, braving it's terrible climate and
the life of q soldiers wife abroad, be-
cause they could not live apart Now
he did not want little baby on his
hands, and he wrote to Ann as soon as
he could command himself to do so,
. appointing her as its nurse.
Every quarter since that time he had
sent money to her for the child's
board and clothes. A receipt was al
ways returned with cher duty, and
the young gentleman was doing we'll, "
and this was all he knew Of his Ellens
boy-the child of love that had been
as strong as it was tender.
Now that his foot was upon Eng
lands shores again, and the meeting
was very near, Captain Penran felt
new thrills of father-love through his
soldiers heart and long for his boys
presence.
"He would take him to himself
he said. '"They would live together,
sharing each others joys and sorrows.
He would make man of the boy
not soldier, for he knew the trials of
soldiers life too well; but something
very honorable and creditable. He
should be proud of him, and he hoped
-ah, how he hoped! THAT Ellens
child would have Ellen's face
"My beautiful girl, " he said to him
self, with the tears standing in his
eyes, chow little I thought Of this
hour when I kissed her good-by"
And then his heart grew even
warmer to the pledge of their mutual
love.
He had the address that Mrs.
Golden had given him in his pocket.
memory as to the number. A plain,
respectable street in one of London's
suburbs; he remembered it well.
''But my boy shall see better
things, now that 1 am here" he said
to himself 'T am not rich, but can
deny myself to make him happy. Will
he love me, / wonder?"
Then he thought how his own heart
had been won by toys and sweatmeats,
and coming to store where The
former were sold, paused before the
gay window, and began to make
mental choice between a red and gilt
stage-coach and horses, and train of
blue steam cars. He had discarded
both for box of scarlet-coated sol
diers, when suddenly he felt tug at
his coat tail, and turning suddenly,
found grimy little hand half in, half
out, of his pocket. He caught it at
once with his handkerchief in it, and
gripped it tight.
He was soldier, and to soldier
the keeping of law and rule is great
thing. To give the little thief to a
policeman, and appear against him
next day, was his first thought; but as
the creature stood there shaking and
whining, the fact of his diminutive
size struck the captain forcibly. He
realized his youth, which was ex-
treme. and he saw that, besides being