Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-11
JUST AS IN A PLAY

The unique, and in way dramatic
return to his old boyhood home of a man
who had been away therefrom for a great
many years occurred last November in my
section of Michigan. not far from Detroit"
said visitor from the wolverine state.
The man who, returning to the place of
his youth after his long period of wander
ing, sought to discover at first hand how
his relatives stood in the matter of chari-
tabieness and kindheartedness. chose the
most effectual method to accomplish that
purpose of which ever heard.
THE man. before he arrived at his ma
1ority. had quit his fathers farm in dis
gust. and had Jared forth to seek his for
tune in some other and more congenial
line than the pursuit of agriculture. His
father had been a tyrannical man and a
hard taskmaster. and the youth endured
the grind as long he could. Then he
executed his sudden disappearance He
had announced his intention of going to
several of his brothers who were submit
ting to the same bitter conditions of labor
with little or no reward of which he him
self had grown weary. and a couple of
them had wanted to accompany him on
his search for fortune, but they didn't
have the nerve to make the break, and so
he went alone.
He struck out for the western mining
years ago-acquired the pay dirt fever
and for many years suffered the hardships
which were the portion of miners and
prospectors at that time. He would work
In the mines for while to obtain stake
and then take to the mountains with his
prospector's outfit. always plodding and
burrow1ng along in the hope of some day
striking 1t rich. The only piece of pros
pecting luck that he ever had was dove
tailed to the greatest bitterness of his life
In Colorado he happened upon silver
lode of which he thought so little that he
accepted the first offer that was made to
him for it-S,OOO., Six months later the
man who had paid him 5000 for his claim
was taking nearly 5000 worth of silver a
day out of the claim. o
This happened just about the time the
vague reports as to gold discoveries up in
the klondike reached the western mining
camps. and he was so disguised with him
self for having thrown away the only ac-
tual piece of luck that had ever come his
way that he started for Alaska as soon as
the reports reached him. He got to Daw-
son long before the rush for that place set
IN, and he had some of the finest claims
that have been discovered up there all
staked out by the time the greedy gold
hunters began to make their appearance
In swarms from this country.
He had, in the meantime never COM
municated with any Of his people-he wasn't
what you would call a writing man. his
school years having been put in at hard
farm work Both Of his parents had died
as had all of his brothers but one, and the
latter had moved to California. Back at
the old place, however or at least scattered
about in various townships and farm dis
tr1cts OF the country, a large number of the
wanderers nephews abided in various
stages of prosperity. and the man who had
grown rich in the Klondike had a pretty
accurate list of them from sources of his
own before he ever returned to the United
States. He decided to quit Alaska early
last year, and set about to wind up his min
Ing affairs. When he had finished the job
and took a little inventory of stock he
found that he was a bit more than $4OO 600
to the good, most of 1t hard cash. He
reached California last August, dug up his
brother living in that state, found him
prospecting as farmer and contented. The
returned absentee raised a mortgage or so
for his surviving brother. however, and
made liberal presents of money to the lat
ter's wife and children.
Then he made the straight jump across
the country to Detroit-this early in No.
vember last. In Detroit he deposited nearly
all of his wealth in a number of banks
Then he changed his good store clothes for
a hobo's rig. took a train and repaired to
the county not far away in which he had
been born and brought up.
well. his plan may not have been a very
generous one in its conception, but as I
say, it was a mighty effectual one. The
first nephew at the door of whose comfort
able farm house he knocked was at home
at the time.
I'm your Uncle JIM son. said the tat
tered man on the steps; don't you remem-
when you were a shaver. but you must
have heard your father mention his
brother, your Uncle JIM?
Wel1. what of it?' gruffiy replied the
nephew, regarding with an aslant gaze the
grizzled mans rags Surprising you are
the old-well, the old tramp. my Uncle Jim,
what have I got to do with it? What do
you expect me to do for you?
oil Soid he fott
cold, and hungry. and homeless. and I've
come long ways. and
6 I'm taking care of all I'm going to take
care of right now the nephew broke in
meal. but after that you'd better be NOV
ing along-your condition is your own
fault-l'm not carrying the burdens of all
of the tramp members of the family etc.
That was the reception the returned wan
derer got at the home of that relative. He
humbly partook of meal in the kitchen
OF the farm house, and then went his way.
The same reception. virtually, met him
at all Of the other farm homes of his other
nephews and several of his nieces. They
turned him down pretty cold at all of the
places. They saw in him only a worthless
man beyond middle age, and his pitiable
condition did not impress them a little bit.
The reports, of course, of his rich strike in
the Klondike had never reached this coun-
try. or it can be conceived how unimagina-
BILE different his reception would have been.
had not applied for aid was not farming.
He was living in the county seat running a
blacksmith and wheelwright shop. a coal
yard, and doing any old thing he could to
pick up a livelihood for himself and his
large family. This one gave the tattered
man a cordial reception; told him he had
always understood that his Uncle Jim
was his-the nephew's-father's favorite
brother gave him a comfortable room in
his house, rugged him out in some Of his old
clothes. provided him with a pipe and to-
bacco, instructed his buxom wife to be just
as nice as she knew how to be to his Uncle
Jim. and told the grizzled man that there
was place in that chimney corner for him
just as long as the old house stood up.
well, that's all. The old man executed
a sudden disappearance on the next morn
ing. The nephew who had taken him in
had expressed longing to engage IN farm
ing in southern California. Thither the re-
turned wanderer went directly. He re-
turned to the county seat on Christmas eve.
logged out to the mines. and placed into the
hands Of the amazed nephew the deed to a
$50, 600 farm In southern California. Then
he handed him 1000 loose change where
with to make the start and the miner is
living with them out there now. They're
going to get all of his money when he
passes out. If you want to look upon some
sulky and chagrined people you ought to
visit my section Of Michigan and take a