Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-29
Scip's Secret.
BY JUDGE CLARK.

mark" than old Orley, or one apparent
lyless worth the expenditure of ammunl
ton could hardly be imagined. lie hac
grown as DID, seemingly, as he could get
His Withered face left Time no room tC
edge in another wrinkle, and his palsied
limbs shook so many different ways that
the opposite motions in manner neu-
traliZed each other, and served to steady
the old man up. He was miser, Wlthal,
and thought by some to be of untold
wealth, its repository being secret OF
old Orley's own, or lying between him
and his colOred man Scip, the only hui
man being he was ever known to trust.
The scene, we had forgotten to mention,
is laid in the Old Diminion. and the time
dates back of the amendments"
Scip. whom old Orley had taken for a
bad debt, was nearly as old, but not as
decnpit as his master A sort of at
tachment had sprung up between them.
Isolated from the rest of the world, old
Orley's social instincts found in Scip the
only outlet. Scip, in return, who had
experienced more cuffs and Kindness at
the hands of his FORMER masters, requit-
ed his present treatment with the loyal
ty so common to his class.
All things n2lSt have an end and even
old Orley's came at last Scip stood by
him in his last moments, rendering
kindly offices, and prOffering such words
of comfort as he could command. HE
would be glad" he said, ''tO go long
wild ole massa, for company, an wait
on him where he was gWyne, for he
knOw'd his ways better'n strange darlies
,,-n,v1l - ID,r4 II ,y-oSI,'t Gu nyfla-al old
Orley had to make the journey alone.
Scip's new status was a problem to
more than himself. Old Orlcy had
neither kith nor kin. Was Scip his OWL
owner now, and, and by virtue of being
left in possession, that Of the rest Of the
dead miser's effects.
There was much division Of opinion
on the subject. The two leading men OF
the neighborhood, Col. Flute and Capt.
Scope, shook their heads over it.
Not that it makes much difference, .
said the captain, for the real estate
isn't worth the taxes, and Scip would
eat his head off in a week.
"Jest so, ;" assented the colonel, who,
nevertheless. lost no time in taking an
"advice Of lawyer Burkitt, which was to
the effect that the dead mans property
''escheated" to the State.
"And the Wust kind O cheatin' | call
it, muttered the colonel to himself, who
had entertained a sort of indefinite no
ton, which he had hoped the lawyers
opinion would confirm, that, under the
circumstances, the title to Old Orley's
possessions Wo9Io yrSg IN lh 3 IoFtua al
IlndeF. ana having 10 oouoI oot inc o.I
mlser nau Ielt MINT OF money ma
away, ne had set MS heart on gaming
track or 1t. ny nook or oy crook. sep
ne teit convinced, was the only one WI" WIN
knew the, secret buI would ne i'!I;
mere was enc way 10 G"l 'Ar ''",h on.
OF MN, ana ,hat was 10 n'% IL "''t; Hu.
the right TO d" so must mist he sec0re'h
Learning from lawyer Burllitt that It
was the States Attorneys business to
bring escheatcd property to sale, the
colonel at once applied to that official
to do his duty. which the latter grudg-
ingly did, protesting there wouldn't be
enough to pay expenses, let alone fees ;
nevertheless, b@inga candidate fora sec
ond term. he felt constrained to make a
SHOW of zeal.
When Scin WAS BROUGHT To the block.
there was the Iveliest Kind Of bidding.
Col. Fluffe and Can't. Sc0one. secretly
bent on The same project. Ind each re-
solved to become the n0sscs.or of sciu
and his secret at whatever cost.
The captain slw,cE out with "A stiff,
facer Of five hundred. which the colonel
nronpt]y countnrcl with another Then
came a sharp succession of hundreds.
then q rattIin@ vollpv Of fiftfes. then the
colonel spurted a hundred The cap
tain's blood was now up. and raising the
last bid two hundred and fifty dollars at
a lump, fairly distancad his connection
and came Out winner Scip had as lief
been knocked down 10 Old Nick rs
either OF them; still, he tclt not "a little
proud of having brought TWENTY-FIVE hun
bred dollars, when the market price of
likely young fellows wasn't oYur a thou
sand.
The same day Scip was summoned tc
the presence Of his new master, whom
he found Tipping flies from the wainecot
with his riding-whip, byway of keeping
his hand in.
.'Do you know where your old mas