The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-08-01
The Old
Homestead
(OosyrasAs. 1919. BY Western Nswspaa.r UaiOn.I
gy ALDEN CHAPMAN

Martin Frey to his old-time friend,
Judge Bartlett.
"Well, Mary is not a demonstrative
person." said the judge. Don't get
lot of nonsense into your head, Mar
tin. You have provided a beautiful
home, the children are healthy and
happy-what more can you expectT
But Martin Frey sighed and shook
his head, and although he did not pur-
sue the subject 1t remained in his
mind. He had married Mary back at
their home town, Leighton, twenty
years since. Never had there been q
more loyal and industrious helpmeet.
And now, only q month before he had
confronted Mary with the surprise Of
her life.
For years he had planned ft-the
building Of q model home as good as
any In the town. He had cherished
the idea, saving, scraping, for nearly
decade He had never let Mary even
surmise what he was at. When the
beautiful house was all completed and
newly furnished he had appeared in
q brand-new automobile and had piled
in the delighted children, with the
brisk, CHEEKY hail:
"Come, Mary, I'm going to take n
driver
And then, as they reached the new
home he had SO proudly acquired, he
drew a key from his pocket, handed it
to her and said, grandly waving his
hand toward the pretty house:
-
no one ever deserved one as you do !"
Mary was pleased, there was no
doubt of that She admired all the
Gne points Of the handsome residence
and her eyes frightened as they noted
the comfortable and even luxurious
furnishings.
"You are a good man, Martin" she
said, and her voice quivered with emo
tion, and then she kissed him, and his
heart warmed toward her.
For all that, as time went on, Mar
tin noticed that Mary did not seem to
exactly at into her new environment.
They were able to keep q maid now,
but Mary was welded to her old
housekeeping ways. She missed the
old kitchen stove and the shining gas
range troubled her. She missed wash
ing the children every Saturday night
I'm the old-fashioned wash tub.
tits beautiful, Martin" she would
say, ''but can't help thinking of the
old. home back at Leighton. DONE
you remember the view from the old
open piazza there, just far and grand
And the cool well water, and the
honeysuckle vine, and the little school
house just beyond our LOTT"
81 do, indeed" Martin would reply
land it's the sweetest picture in the
world in my memory. But ways have
changed, Mary. And the old place
Twenty-yearS-why, / suppose Leigh
ton is just bustling little city now
and you wouldn't recognize It. with al
the old landmarks gone"
Still Mary cherished her dream. 1
was not difficult to convince her that
the children were given great advan
tages under the new order Of affairs
but the old home seemed to beckoI
her. It was q shrine in memory AM
devotion and she longed for O sight o
1t once more. How much, Martin neve
knew until Mary was under a spell o
sickness. He was spelling the nurs
one evening and seated in the half
darkened room where Mary lay, whel
he knew from her restlessness that sh
was fevered and incoherent. 81
caught some words that unclaimed al
tention and interest In her deIiriur
Mary fancied she was conversfng wit
an old-time girl friend.
81 don't want Martin to know, dear,
Mary was murmuring. "He is so goo
and kind to me, but it has seemed I
me for years that the greatest boon
could ask would be to visit the dec
old home again. If it is only t
freshen my memory and help the lon,
ing I cannot repress, 1t would be
blessing to me. hope some time b,
fore die Martin will visit Leighto
and will get my WISH
"You poor, romantic, sentiment.
dear! That you shall!" whfspere
Martin to himself, and until the da
far ahead when Mary regained her Of
strength the idea never left his min
The glad look in her eyes fully r
paul his care anu LnOQglTfulnoS
when he one day announced that I
was going to take a trip to LeightC
in the automobile, children and all.
With eager. expectant eyes Ma
leaned from the vehicle as the m
chine turned into the street where 81
had passed her early childhood. Slo,
ly her face lost its token of deligf
There were stores where the hous
of her youth had been. The old-tin
green lawns were gone. The QUAR-
aforementioned little schoolhou
was occupied as repair shop, Z
grand valley view shut out by t
smoke Of great factories, the hone
Suckle vine was no more. and r
house. always so neatly painted a
kept seemed ready TO collapse wi
the first strong wind and was Civ
over to poor mill workers.
Mary drew down her veil to hi
her tears. 1--WE had better go oil
she said forlOrnly. and was very gu
all the way back to their starti