The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-10-09
AN OLD ENGINEERS STORY
a Hill

him? Why. his hand goes there by m
stinct-Just as an ambulance surgeon
will feel for the heart of the boy with
broken leg.
1 asked the stranger 10 give her a
whirl." and noticed With what eager
JOY he took hold Of her. / also observed
with surprise that he seemed TO know
all about "four-mile- +" where most
new men got stuck. He caught me
looking at his face. and touching the
scar remarked: "A little love zap. with
tho compliments OF Wade Hamptons
men." We talked on a good many sub
Jects and got pretty well acquainted
before we were oyer the division, but
at last we seemed talked out.
Where does DilIon's folks live now -
asked the stranger, slowly, after
time.
'M-, said I.
He nearly jumped off the box. NJ
! thought it was Bostoni"
Moved 90 NJ.
What for?"
own a farm there"
'Oh, ! see; married again?"
No
MOI
Widow thought TOO much of Jim for
mo"
Yes"
"Er-whst became of the young man
that they-er-adopted?
Lives with 'em yet
"So?''
Just then we struck the suburbs OF
Al, and, as we passed the ceme-
terry I pointed to a high shaft and said:
"DillOn's monument"
Why, how's that?'
KILLED at Five Forks. Widow put
up monument"
He shaded his eyes with his hands
and peered through the moonlight for
a minute
That's clever" was all he said.
| insisted that ne go home with me.
Ed took the Black Maria to the house
ad We took the street cars for it TO the
end Of the line and then walked. As
we cleared our feet at the door / said:
Let me see, I did not hear your
name?"
James" said he. Mr.. James"
/ opened the sitting room door and
ushered the stranger in.
Well, boys" said mother" slowly
getting up from before the fire and
nrriedly taking few extra stitches in
her knitting before laying it down to
look UP at us. you're early"
She looked up, not ten feet from the
stranger. as he took off his slouched
hat and brushed back the white hair
In another minute her arms were
around his neck and she was murmur-
ing. James" in his ear, and I, like a
dumb fool, wondered who told her his
name.
Well to make a long story short it
was James Dillon himself, and the
daughter came up and Ed came, and
between the three they nearly smoth-
cred the old fellow.
You may think it funny he didn't
know me, but don't forget that I had
been running for three years-that
takes the fresh off a fellow; then when
l had the typhoid my hair laid off
and was never reinstaled, and when I
got well the whiskers-that had always
refused to grow-came on with rush
and they were red. And again. | had
tried to switch with an old hoOk-motiop
in the night and forgot to take cut the
starting bar. and she threw il at me.
knocking out some teeth: and taking
it altogether I was a changed man.
Where's John?7 he said finally.
Here" said l.
MOI
Yes"
He took my hand and said: John,
left all that was dear to me once be-
cause I was jealous OF you. never
knew how you came 10 have that
money or why, and don't want to. For
give me-
THAT is the first time I ever heard
of that" said mother"
''I had it TO buy this farm for you--a
Christmas presept-if YOU had waited.
said I.
That is the first time 1 ever heard of
that" said he.
And you might have been shot, -.
said mother" getting up close.
II tried my darndest to be. That's
why I got promoted so fast"
"Oh. james," and her arms went
around his neck again.
"And sent that saber home myself,
never intending to come back
"Oh. James, how could you!"
Mother how can you forgive me-"
Mother was still for minute look
ing at the fire in the CRATE. James. il
is late in life to apply such tests, but
love is like gold; ours will be better
now-the dross has been burned away
in the fire. l did what I did for love
OF you and you did what you did for
love of me; let us commence to live
again in the old way" and those arms
Of hers could not keep away from him. /.
Ed went out with tears in his eyes
and beckoned the daughter TO follow
me. We passed into the parlor drew
the curtain over the doorway-snd
there was nothing but that rag be-
tween us and heaven.
Copyright by Mcclure. Phillips & Co.