The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-02-08
THE OAK CLOSET.

apper servant in the household of Judge
Wallace. The Judge lived in a hand
some house in the suburbs of the little
Tillage of Thorndae
Margaret was left an orphan at an
early age. and the Judge and his wife
had taken her into their house to save
her from being thrown on the charity of
the town.
They had done their part well for her
They had two children Of their own
twins-Clara and Algernon, and Mar
gcret had enjoyed every advantage Of
education in common with the br-ther
and sister.
As she grew elder and began to real
ize how much she owed the J dye and
his wife. she felt a desire in some way to
make them recompense'in some way for
their kindness, and as she was an active,
strong girl, size soon became very useful
about the affairs Of the household. Mrs
Wallace was a feeble woman, and wiling
~ left the care and burden to Margaret,
ard IN due course of time, the yourg girl
came to be trusted and depended on uI.-
Ill, By the time she was TWENTY-FIVE. she
was really at the head of the establish
mcnt, though Mrs. Wallace still did the
honcrs in her quiet, lady like way, and
poured the coffee and tea at the head Of
the table
Clara had married early, and gone to
the far West with her husband; Ager-
non was finishing his medical studies at
German University, and only the
Judge anJ his wife, and Margaret-be
sides the man and woman servant, who
had been with them for years-were left
at home
Some unfortunate speculations, large
~ INDUCED in when the Judge was
quite young man, had encumbe red the
Old estate with "a mortgage. and this, it
was the Judge ambition TO discharge
He wanted to leave the pace totally
clear and free from debt to lis son Alger-
non.
The strictest economy hal been prac-
ticed for years in the house, with this
end IN view, aud at last the Judge held
in his hand the money with which to
h9uilate the claim.
1t sas late one Saturday night when
he brought it home and said to his wife,
as he swung the little black leath trunk
containing 1t before her eyes, "well
Anne, at last we are free from debt.
There Is eight thousand dollars In that
trunk, and on Monday [ shall pay Jones
10 full, and on Monday well burn that
abomlnable mortgage together. you and
|, Anne. 1t will be the happiest day OF
my life.
But If anything should happen, Will
ham p said Mrs. Wallace nervously =
Do put the money in some safe place it
has cost Us just dear enough to scrape it
together !"
The Judge bent down and patted The
anxious little woman on the head.
l am going to put 1t in the little oak
elosel, Annie. 1t has spring lock. and
If by chaLce any burglar should get in
TO the house he never would think of
finding anything of value in a little
stiHed-up closet at the head of the gar
ret stairs"
And With light heart the Judge went
CIT to deposit tic treasure
Margaret was sitting in the room darn
ing the Judges stockings, when this
conversation took place. and of course
she heard where the money was to be
placed, though at Tie time she gave little
heed to it.
The next day, John and Sarah, the
two servants, had holiday to visit "a
married daughter of theirs. who resided
fifteen or twenty miles away. and as it
was IL November, and the days we're
short, they could not return until Mon
day night.
AID some time after they set out there
came an Imperative message to the Judge
from his only si>ter-saying she was
very i'll, and desired to see him without
delay. Her house was in Shelby-eight
or ten miles off, and OF course the Judge
lost no time IN obeying the summons. He
took his wife with him, leaving Margaret
alone in the house.
After they were seated in the carriage,
the Judge stopped to say.
1t is barely possible, Margaret that
we may remain all night. 1t looks very
much like storm, and in that case we
shall certainly stay. And if so, You had
better get Sali;e Turner to come over and
stay with You Tor campanv.H
But though Margaret would have liked
SaIlie S company, she at once decilcd
not to ask for it. because if she did so,
she knew that Sallie's brother, Willis,
would lie sure to come along. and the less
she saw of Willis Turner. why the better
she was pleased Willis was an honest.
industrious, sort of fellow, and was
Margaret's most devoted admirer, but
with the usual Inconsistency of her sex.
she utterly refused to see what was best
for her.
The long afternoon wore slowly away.
Margaret read little, and drummed a
few tunes li>tlessly on the piano, pla, ed
with the black and white Kittens, and
held the old cat curled up in her lap.
ike sleepy cater pillar, and at last il
vas sunset
Time to milk the COWS and shut the |
barn door for the night
LII was evident enough that there was |
going to be storm, for the north and
west were dark and gloomy with omi-