The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-10-29

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DULY. He was clean, but the
suit he wore was threadbare. Even
the light grip he carried contained
very little.
He was tall, spare, perhaps forty
three; life had carried Jim Steel over
some rough places during the twenty
years since his feet last rested on that
platform.
Twenty years How many hundred
times had he pictured this moment
Back to the old home town. He had
lain on the veidt in Africa staring up
at the stars and yearned for the sight
of 1t. Once. adrift In an open boat
In the South seas. when death had
lowered very close, his vision of the
place was extraordinarily clear.
He passed out Of the depot and no.
ticed the newly crowding buildings.
There was a field hereabouts in his
day, field with a path down the side
OF 1t, leading to an old five-barred
gate. BY that old gate the question
of his hopes and fears had been set
tied. She had a sort of blush sun
bonnet on; he remembered her jet
black hair peeping out beneath. He
had loved her that day. passionately,
devotedly; had been ready to enter
into lifelong serfdom at her behest.
Even now-he passed hand over
his eyes wearily---even now he knew
that he still loved her. Twenty years
1t was long test. And yet love such
as his was a thing upon which a
woman might depend for all time. He
wondered exactly where she was now;
exactly what she was doing. Mamie
Mamie of the Jet black hair; Mamie
of the deep, ever-ready understand
ing; Mamie Of the sweet swift smile.
Distance and time What of such
things as these where real love was
concerned?
He walked dazedly past the blatant
ly new post Office, his mind clicking
backward like reversed movie"
He stared about to the right and left,
walking up the little main street
Here and there were signs Of the old
days. A corner grocery store sur
vived. Gilpin's store. Shucks He
hadn't thought of the name for fifth
of a century.
A man came out Of a doorway,
doomed up on the sidewalk, glanced
directly at Jim. 1t was Chester Tur- |
ton. Once upon a time they both went |
to school together. Occasionally,
thousands of miles away, Jim had felt
the impulse to write to this man.
But when Chester Turton faced Jim
he didn't recognize him. There was
a hurt look In Jims gray eyes as he
passed on.
His heart leaped-there was Dbl
ney across the road. DID would re-
member him. anyway. Jim walked
over.
Low, Steel" escaped Dibney in
mild surprise "Where d'you come
from? 'Scuse me, got to hurry"
And he was gone.
The sadness in Jim Steels eyes
deepened to settled gloom. Unfa-
miliar faces appeared everywhere.
There was chill bite in the October
air. He buttoned his thin coat about
him, shivered and stood irresolute a
while.
Presently with a sigh he turned,
wandered up School street as though
drawn by some irresistible magnet,
yet feared something. His steps were
halting, the slight stoop of him had
become more pronounced. He was
weary, physically and in spirit, and
hungry. The cold didn't worry him
much. He paused casually outside the
window of a little store That, at
least. hadn't changed materially.
Candy and peanuts and pencils and
magazines and pen-knives. These
things flooded his memory. Genera
tons of kids had been passing that
doorstep in quest of those things just
as he, in his boyhood. had walked in
with his treasured dimes. But the
portly, cheery-faced Mrs. Floyd, who
in other days had presided In that
paradise was there no longer; over
the pile of envelopes In the window
Jim could see stranger weighing out
candy. The spirit Of things was bro
ken here as everywhere. Two chill
dren were fattening their noses
against the window. He wondered If
1t was the identical piece of glass
against which he had flattened his
nose with similar longing way back
through the years.
His hands were In his pockets. {
few loose coins jlngled there. Mostly
nickels. Jim emitted sound which |
laugh crudely. He drew
out the chicken feed and pressed 1t
into two warm grubby hands. They I
might just as well have 1t. 1t wasn't
much use to him now. Then the kids 9
went across the doorstep that had s
once been Mrs Floyd's.
Jim ambled on up School street. de-
preston taking a firmer grip on him
at every shuffiing step. Where was
the glad reunion of old fr ends? Where
the hearty Misunderstanding the warm
hearted questions, the wishes that he
had come back to ltay?