The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-01-07

flashes the whole past raced before eyes
and brain. stirring him to the depth:
Of his being. What well-remembere6
odor greeted his nostrils, and what un
forgettable music throbbed in his ears
1t was the same ripping. dancing sea
the same interminable sand, with it
undulations and ridges, its patches OF
sun-dried weed, it's scattered rocks ant
shells
And the wide water looked kind; Il
greeted him with flush and smile
it wanted to put him at his ease, tC
show him its friendliness and welcome
after the dark days which had flown
1t knew him as a baby, boy, youth
and it loved him as such, forgetting
and perhaps not caring, about the dark
er strain of the man.
For Hugh Rodney, after an absence
of five years, during which he had dis
graced the good name he bore, had re
turned to his native soil, IN outcas'
and q wanderer, sickened with the tur
moil of cities, whose glamour had beer
| his fall, and now fully repentant, des
perately in earnest to hold his head
level with the rest Of his fellow-men
and to live something of the life which
In moment OF alteration. he had for
feited with such calamitous results te
himself and to those about him.
Suddenly, however, he felt himself
wrenched from the pleasant train OF
memories into which he had drifted by
the appearance Of one who was the very
last he wished to recall-a man some
what his senior, with hard, intellec
tual face, yet incidentally handsome and
honest looking 20 boot.
For the moment Rodney was under
the impression that Frank Legion. like
the rest of the townspeople, had not
recognized, In the changed and sadden
ed pilgrim, the brilliant, well-beloved
Individual who had left his seaside
home to seek his fortune In the wider
haunts of men, and whose future seem
ed so full of every blessing and pros
pect which this world can bcstow.
But Legion knew him at once, and
with an indescribabie shrug Of the
shoulders, he approached the younger
man with a smile on his face His
hand. however, he kept behind him.
Not dead, thenf' he began, staring
Rodney full in the eyes. II thought
remembered you. Something about your
face, you know" And the speaker
laughed. perhaps not brutality. but II
sounded so to the erring one.
Rodney felt his face flush. II hard
ly expected to see you here. Leyton.'
he said; and then he looked away, in
capable of framing further speech.
1T must be-whyl almost five years
since we've met" said the other. 81
lot can happen in five years-eh, Rod
neyY'
a lot has happened" said Rodney
almost angry as he lifted his gray
eyes, "and you know it! I've stoler
bank note; I've been to prison; I've
FASTENED my fathers death. All thai
has happened. and now I've come back
to see what / was, to see what / USED
to love before | learned to gamble ant
squander money which wasa't mine"
Legion was hardly prepared for sucf
clean-breasted rebuff. 1t stung some
thing of the self-righteousneSs within
him, and the humor of his next attemp
rang a little untrue.
1.-The prodigal's return-ah. ali.
admire your courage, old boy. Hang 1t
but it wants some nerve. People dom
| forget-eh"
Rodney's lip quiyered painfully, hi
| eyes flashed, and his pale cheeks burn
a scorching red For q moment b,
seemed on the point of turning ava,
without saying another word. and thei
ne hesitated, finally stepping nearer t,
| the other.
"No," he said quietly; people don
forget. I'm learning that lesson con
tinually; shall know it well in time
/ suppose that you, who have Away
had the strength l lacked. couldn't for
get some things, even for me-"
"You shouldn't have been such
fool" said Legion, little uneasily
Somehow, his opinion of his own grea
worthiness seemed to be weakening
Rodney was putting things in an unac
customed light.
There was moments pause, the
| Rodney, now much paler, and apparent
ly laboring under the stress of a dee
emotion, said:
I'VE were rivals once-you recolleci
Have you been" And then he STOP
ped abruptly, while his mouth tightene
and somber
"Yes." said Legion, grasping every
thing In a moment, Il have been sue
cessful. and"
"And Edith" blurted Rodney, tikin
the words out Of the others mouth, Il
| your wife,
Legion nodded serenely. Eyes, she
my wife. You hardly expected her t
wait for you, eh?''
Rodney was on the point Of sayln
something which he would have bi
terly regretted ever afterwards, but b
mastered himself with n supreme e
fort, and slowly rejoined:
''No. | never expected it. She was
lot too good for me, even when l WASH
a blackguard. Don't tell her you've see
me. | shall be gone tonight
Legion laughed. MY dear fellow
he said jocularly, Mrs. Legion has lor
forgotten your vesy existence. Yo
surely didn't think that any woma
could remember theft"
lie hardly meant TO say it, and
was out before he realized the stingir
cruelty of it all; but thoughts of Il
Dast. whcG Hugh Rodney had stood fir