The Cairo bulletin., 1906-05-07
o HE OIL %
BEECH TREE
t0riginal.1

l0riginall
Hayward Cook sat Ia his office in the
city reading proposition to buy the
old homestead of his family Fifteen
years before be had left it, large
| brick house standing In four acre lot
about five miles from what had Since
| become great city. 4 suburb had
been established taking IN his prop
orty ana lie had had offers for 1t from
| time TO time, which he bad declined,
! but now an offer had come SO far be-
| yond the rest that he considered 4
worth while to 20 and look into II.
| Taking a train. he went to the city
| near which his property was located
and on alightiug mt Il stone station that
/ had taken the place of the frame one
he had knoWn as n boy turned cor
nor to find The omnibus that used to
take passengers in the direction he
wished to go Instead be found trolley
cars d car starting every few minutes
instead Of tile twice day trips for
merly made by the omnibus. Entering
a ear, in half an hour he was at Ridge
wood the name given n tlir suburb be
sought, and alightcd at a real estate
office The agent met him at the door
and began an effort to induce. him to
part with his property.
Il don't want TO sell the old place.
said Cook 1--WE always thought that
when | got through with my present
business Id come back and enjoy my
quiet home
Homer said the agent. You
wouldn't want to live IN house with
trolley cars running by it all day and
all night. hospital backing up against
you and a noisy school on the opposite
corner"
This staggered the owner, and he
said he would 80 and have look for
himself The agent offered to drive
him there, but he declined The truth
Is he dreaded TO have a Witness pres
ent when he Inspected the house and
grounds where be had spent a happy
youth. lie started alone and ON foot
and found the place just as it had been
described. There was the familiar
house dingy with age and the grounds
Fun of sapings That had grown up
about the roots of the larger trees
The summer house was falling 10
pieces. and the well house had entire
ly disappeared. He entered the for
mcr and stood among The ruins. on
that seat now rotten and partly fallen
he had sat beside Lucy Dean the even
ing before he went away and told her
that some day ne would come back a
rich man and they would be married
Lucy had long been put ia the back
ground. while he had been engaged in
Il fierce struggle to make himself rich. !
He turned away from this corpse OF
his former home, resolved that he
would sell it, There was or had been |
wood about hislf a mile up what had |
been the road-it was now the street
near where Lucy had lived and ia |
which they had often played as chill /
urem lie well remembered that be i
had cut his name and Lucy's on the |
bark Of beech tree there, and he
wondered If any trace Of it was left. /
The suburb had not yet taken in The
wood. though there were several houses
built on the street at different parts Of
it. Cook looked about for landmarks
that would point to the tree he sought
and finally found It in tllc back yard
Of one Of the houses Climbing = fence.
BIZ entered the ground and went 10 us
base Looking up. be could family dis
tinguish his initials and those Of Lucy
Dean cut eighteen years ago.
In a moment the busy life that had
formed through years barrier be
tween him and his little love seemed 10
him Ike mist borne away on the
wings Of the wind.
A eol0red servant came out Of the
house. and be- called go her. She APP
preached. and De- said
I wonder if your master would sell
ibis treeF 4
4 only got mistress. an she wont
ell dat tree 20 sartin. sure
why notT'
nv mistress had q lover when she
var a leetle gala no count feila'.
reckon lie cut his an her letters Oh
De names o. Ge bark O. dat tree.
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