Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-10-21
ALL, ALL WE'RE GONE.
Returned Wandcrcr Looked For old
Familiar Faces In Vain.

Returned wandercr Looked For OLD
Familiar Faces In Vain.
One day some years ago, according
to story told on a Squirrel island
veranda the other day, an old gentle
man stepped into the Elm House In
Auburn and opened conversation
with Albert Young, the proprietor
He said his name was Merrill: that
he was born in the town of Turner;
that his home was in California, and
that he was now carrying out a .oug
cherished plan of revisiting the scenes
OF his youth.
Il want" he said, ito hire q nice
horse and carriage to drive from here
to Turner, and to keep as long as 1
want. | want to deposit here a sum
or money sufficient to guarantee the
return of the outfit. 1 may be gone
week, might stay two weeks, and
L might stay two months and i don't
want any one chasing me with
sheriffs posse and a warrant for a
stolen team. l intend to be Just as
leisurely about it as L like 1 want to
see the old red schoolhouse where 1
went to school, and L want to see all
the old boys and girls who are now
living. IL can find a nice farm I'D in
that vicinity that somehow looks like
the old place 1 should like to buy Il.
I've been planning for this trip ten
years. I'm going to have just as good
time as l know how, and I'm not
coming back till get ready"
Mr.. Young hitched him up the team,
and the old gentleman started of as
gayly as n boy of twenty.
The next day, as Mr.. Young came out
from breakfast, he noticed an old gen.
tleman standing by the open fire look
ing reiectively into the Goals. Some
thing about him suggested the old
gentleman of the previous day, but
Mr.. Young could hardly believe it pos
sible that he had returned so soon.
And yet it proved to be the same, and,
as MIR. Young approached, the old man
turned around and said slowly, well,
1 made a short trip OF it this time,
didn't IT'
81 should say you did," said Mr..
Young. whats the matter? Did you
break DOWN.
The old man turned his eyes toward
Mr.. Young and, looking at him for a
moment, said, mo; only what's the
use? We old fellows have our dreams.
but they're only dreams after ALL We
can't call back the dead, can WEI" And
then he told Mr.. Young this story,
which seemed pathetic under the cir
cumstances. Said he:
For ten years I've been planning
this trip. I've said to myself, Some
time before 1 die Ill have money
enough TO go back To the old home and
do as please 1 appreciated that the
old boys and girls weren't boys and
girls any more, but l sort OF expected
to find them, and 1 knew il did /
could enjoy sitting down and talking
over old days. l could see the old
schoolhouse, the old swimming hole.
the old orchard, the old hill where we
used TO slide. Lots OF these things had
been rs real to me as the things of my
daily life out there in California. SO l
hired the team, as you know, and
planned that when 1 saw one of the
old boys or girls I'd put up the horse
and stay there n day or two and make
good time renewing our youth. 1
said TO myself that il could get into
the old kitchen where lived as boy
I'd like TO stay there n month and do
nothing but walk over the October
hills.
well, went to Turner, and here 1
am. i rode all day. and didn't see q
single soul that 1 knew or who knew
me or had ever heard Of ME. Every
hour that rode the lonesomer I grew.
The old house where / was born has
gone to the bad. There's nobody living
there. 1t was the saddest looking
wreck ] ever saw. Nobody asked me
to stay to dinner. Nobody seemed TO
care snap whether I'd come back to
town or not. / rode until sunset, and
at sunset 1 climbed high hill with
my tired horse and hitched him TO the
fence and went over on mound and
sat down. And as the sun set, so set
my foolish old dreams. And the
thought came to me that no man by
searching shall find his lost youth
Said to myself, .They-wbo are dead
revisit this world no more, and the
only chance 1 have OF seeing the old
time boys and girls is In some other
world than this Yes, I'm going back
TO California tomorrow. I've lost n lot
or Illusions, but perhaps it's just as
well for an old fellow like me to come
back TO earth as it is and live In ii
rather than live so much as have In
memories"
And ut noon the old gentleman paid
his bill, had his traps lugged to the
station and was off for the Pacific
Lewiston (Me) Journal.