The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-06
FRO1 / FAR COUNTRY
BY ALLAN lNGLIs.


Copyright. 1916. by w. G. Chapman.)
The prison gates closed behind Lar
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 flve years in the penitentiary that
he had served had been . gross injus-
tice. Larrimore felt NO degradation.
He meant to repeat his trick. but
more crafty. in order to secure the
funds to start things going again.
Still, he was thinking, AZ he sat in
the train, . 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
| = house on the avenue.
| 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. or
course that was impossible. and he
had told his mother SO frankly. But
Laura had seen one of the illspelled
letters, and Larrimore had been
ashamed.
You see, she never could learn to
. spell very WE'LL" 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 It would be no use theil
t living together. The house had beer
I sold, and she was living then In 9
\ clearinghouse. Larrimore had MOI
. answered her. because he meant t.
go to her as soon as he came out o
prison and explain that he would b
| u
9 that he could provide her with ever!
u luxury. That would alter his wife,
). decision, he knew.
d Nevertheless, when he got out o
the train he was dissatisfied with him
y self. Something of conscience ha'
= begun to prick the thick skin Of tn
T. man. When he called at the boarding
!. house he discovered to bis dismaa
.. that 6N wife had gone away: A letts
was handed to him, and the doc
g closed on him. Larrimore did no
s mind the closing Of the door; he wen
a into the park and read the letter.
II am leaving you for ever. Henry.
his wife had written, because cal
:. not live with you again. For years
- have borne your callousness. but m
- eyes have been opened. You are tn
= most selfish. worthless man that eve
~ lived. l am going to the last plac
v =. on earth where you will think Of lool
+" ing for me-"
= The letter was signed simpl
:. Laura"
n None Of us 10 so bad but sooner {
=. later the day comes when we see on
selves In the mirror Of our souls. La
rimore said afterward that 1t was Ii
"A reading Of this letter which shoe
= down the palace Of his colossal Sci
:. conceit. He sat for hours in Il
4. park, dazed with the hideous self-re
elation. -~
And, like the prodigal in the par
n BILE, except that the more loving pa
ent remained alive to him, Larrimol
said:
Il will arise and go unto n
p mother"
The following morning he took Il
-, train out to the little village whe
his mother lived. And ~ he dismouu
ed upon the platform . great terri
Az came over him that his pilgrimal
:. was vain. and his mother dead.
ne He hurried up the well-remember,
!. street. He reached the little cottas
"A The place was occupied. He knocke
=. An old woman with white hair can
~ to the door and peered at him wi
IN her dimming eyes And Larrimo
u. gasped out his repentance and Il
upon the floor before her
Mother. l am going to take care
you" he said at length, rising. ~
two will live here together, and"