The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-12
FROM 4 FAR COUNTRY
BY ALLAN INGlIS.

Copyright. 1915. by w. G. Chapman.)
The prison gates closed behind Lar
rimore. He was free. Nobody had
come to meet him except the report
ers, but that caused Larrimore no dis.
tress. OF course Laura would not
have come to the prison gates. She
had pride, and, though he had been
unjustly condemned, Laura was not
going to publish her shame before the
eyes Of the newspaper men.
Larrimore had done no wrong.
True. he had beggared few score of
women and trusting men who had put
their all in his wildcat scheme, but
then everybody did things like that
every day in the course of business.
The five years in the penitentiary that
he had served had been q gross injus-
tice. Larrimore felt no degradation.
He meant to repeat his trick, but
more craftily, in order to secure the
funds to start things going again.
Still. he was thinking, as he sat In
the train, a lot of things which dis.
tressed him; and yet he could not
shake them out Of his mind. He had
gone to the metropolis twenty years
before, gawky farmer boy, to make
his fortune. He had become wealthy
in an incredibly short space Of time,
for Larrimore was quick to adapt
himself to the dubious ways of finance
In ten years he was married and had
q hnnoo ~, hn ouonnn
He had married the daughter of his
employer. He had not loved Laura
exactly, but she had thought he had.
After his marriage he seldom went
home. He made his old mother an
adequate allowance, but he had not
seen her for three years before he
was sentenced. With his connections
he could not afford to have 1t known
that his mother was an illiterate old
woman. Laura had never seen her;
Larrimore had been ashamed to let
her know.
Still there had been trying episodes,
which. as a man of the world, he had
found difficult to explain to his wife.
For instance, old Mrs. Larrimore's
letters. The old woman had been
growing lonely. She wanted to come
to town and live with her son. OF
course that was impossible, and he
had told his mother so frankly. But
Laura had seen one of the ill.spelled
letters. and Larrimore had been
ashamed.
you see. she never could learn to
spell very WELL" he explained to his
wife. I'VE are Of good family, but
mother was always the Ounce at
school,"
The look in his wife's eyes when he
apologized for his mother had vague.
ly annoyed Larrimore.
After his conviction Laura had come
to see him regularly each three
months. Three months before his SEN
tence expired she had told him that
she thought 1t would be no use their
living together. The house had been
sold. and she was living then in .
clearinghouse. Larrimore had not
answered her, because he meant to
60 to her as soon a. he came out of
prison and explain that he would be
. rich man again within . year, and
that he could provide her with every
luxury. That would alter his wife's
decision, he knew.
Nevertheless, when he got out Of
the train he was dissatisfied with him.
self. Something Of conscience had
begun to prick the thick skin of the
man. When he called at the boarding
house he discovered to his dismaY.
that K& wife had gone away: A letter
was handed to him, and the door
closed on him. Larrimore did not
mind the closing Of the door; he went
into the park and read the letter.
Il am leaving you for ever, Henry"
his wife had written, because I can.
not live with you again. For years
have borne your callousness, but my
eyes have been opened. You are tho
most selfish, worthless man that ever
lived. I am going to the last place
on earth where you will think of look
ing for me-"
The letter was signed simply
Laura"
None Of us Is so bad but sooner or
later the day comes when we see our
, selves in the mirror of our souls. Lar
rimore said afterward that 1t was the
reading Of this letter which shook
down the palace of his colossal self.
conceit. He sat for hours in the
park, dazed with the hideous selfrev-
citation.
And. like the prodigal in the para
BILE, except that the more loving par.
ent remained alive to him, Larrimore
said:
Il will arise and go unto my
mother"
The following morning he took the
train out to the little village where
his mother lived And as he dismount-
ed upon the platform a great terror
came over him that his pilgrimage
was vain, and his mother dead.
He hurried up the well-remembered
street. He reached the little cottage.
The place was occupied. He knocked
An old woman with white hair came
to the door and peered at him with
her dimming eyes And Larrimore
gasped out his repentance and fell
upon the floor before her.
Mother. ! am going to take care Of
you." he said at length. rising We
two will live here together, and"
The door opened softly, and LArri.
more, looking up, saw Laura standing
before him. One glance at him, one
incredulous look, and the two children
were kneeling In each others arms at
the white-haired woman's feet