The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1899-06-09
WHERE TINE STANDS STILL

New ork Sun
II have been up in the New England
village which | left fifteen years ago."
said the Maryland tobacco grower,
land now | realize what it is for time
to stand still. The day | left the town
there were dozen men standing
around the post Office waiting for the
mail to be distributed had thought
OF most of them as dead. but there
they were when | arrived, the same
old crowd, not man missing. My ar
rival was hardly noticed. Here and
| there man nodded to me, and Uncle
Billy Bray reached out his hand and
drawlngly observed:
wall, Dan, how are ye? Seems to
me | haven't seen you around lately.
"a bout the time | went away Il car
penter named Green was putting a
new handle on the town pump. ! was
curious tn see if lie had finished his
JOB, and when | went over to the
pump he was working on it. ] asked
if he had fitted the new handle, and
he took a minute to think it over and
then replied
"Well, yes. fixed the handle, but
lsumthin' or other ailS the burned
spout. Pears to me | hain't seen you
in church lately
"Fiftecn long years had passed since
| had entered SlocumS dry goods
store. On my last call Slocum sat
with his feet on the stove and a pipe
IN his mouth. ! had carried that pic
turc in my minds eye. The other day
opened the door and found him in
exactly the same spot and smoking
what may have been exactly the same
pipe. He blnked at me for minute
and then asked:
wall, Dan, is it 'lasses or caliker
this mornin'?'
"NobUdy in the town seemed to
realize that had been gone a month" p"
continued the Marylandcr. "Thc day
| left town the village cooper stood in
front Of his shop wliistllng for his dog.
| thought ! would play a joke on him
and 50 ! entered his shop and asked:
"Well, John, has your dog got
around yet?'
Yes, he's over in the sliavin's. re-
piled the MN with a nod OF his head,
and then asked where l.had kept my
self for the last two OF three weeks. |
remembered good old auntic In the
town who always baked pumpkin pies
on Thursdays. 1t being Thursday, !
went over TO her house, and as she
answered my knock on the door she
smiled and said;
son! it's you, Daniel? Come right
in and have one of the pies while its
hot. You haven't been around for two
or three Thursdays and was wonder
ing what was the matter
IL went up there thinking fifteen
years had made great changes, but
there was little new. Two old people
had died and been forgotten, and one
new family had been added and two
or three houses repaired. That was
about ali, 1t was the same village inn,
down 10 the broken-backed chairs,
and the unwashed windows. The big
mud.hole in the main Street had never
been 6llcd up the holes in the 81 10.
walks have never been repaired, and
every gate, hitching post aud shade
tree had the old familiar look. 1t
was as II l had been gone only a week.
The pcoD ought to have looked old
er, but couldn't see that they dld,
except that the youngsters had grown
up. lust one man In that town TOOK
a daily paper, and he never read much
beyond the market reports. They
Edidn't care about the outside world
and we're living without a regard to
I Simc. It hurt and aMuoycd me, and |
n Il. 4 Ia ~.