Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-04-16
A PAIR OF FUGITIVEs.
BY LOUISE s. DORR

brought to compound MS claims ana
sign fbeir release. then their toll In accu-
mEIatinG might be accounted TO some pUr-
nose But, unfortunately, no such ar
rangement is allowed them. None such
was allowed to cid Martin DrascOtt, dead
two weeks ago. He had belonged to that
upseIfsh class who grind and hoard to
enrich those who may come after them
p maonanimitv against which there would
be nothing in particular to object if, at the
last. he had enriched the right persons ;
but he had always been the most uncer-
tain Of men, and his latest business act,
though manicstly unjust, was wholly in
keeping with the rest.
On retiring from business fifteen years
before, being already under pressure Of
the grasshopper burden, Martin DrascOtt
had removed to the poorest of his estates,
a remote riverside cottage, with tapping,
fretting waters rolling at the back, and
in front IN unfrequented turnpike, at the
foot Of steep, spinOus, far-rcachlng
ridge. His next step was to make elec-
ton from his relatives Of two gTauuchlE-
dren, Martin and Charity DrasC0tJ To be-
come the familiars OF his solitude, CT at
least to save mis- old age from neglect.
they were brother and sister, aged at that
time twenty-five and twenty three respect
lively. Consequently. the addition OF t1f
teen years had made of them no chickens,
especially as the conditions of their ex-
isteace had not been well calculated to
keep green the feelings of youth. They
had, indeed, given up the best years oi
life to their exacting relative. Mar
riage he disapproved of, 50 they had in
definitely put away all thought 0f such u
-, i
firmed bachelor and spinster.
dramatically considered, Charity Dras-
colts sacrifice In giving Hp Eben Jenkins,
the miller, at her grandfather's bidding,
should no doubt be accounted the immo-
lation Of her lies happiness. But Chart
TVS day-dreams had long since ceased to
be disturbed by thoughts, and her night
dreams by visions, of Eben The best
part Of her life and her brothers. had
been given up to their grandfather This
was probably with the expectation of be.
coming, in time, his heirs Yet they had
strong ftmily feeling, and their care was
really more for him than for his property
They had never thought of coveting his
wealth. Certainly not until they found
that all but the house they lived in had
been given to their cousin, Ashur Tun.
stall, who was himself rich man. Per
haps not even then. But it was a cruel
blow, that of knowing themselves disin-
herited, and the more cruel that it was for
Ashur Tunstall. He had always seemed
to look upon themjealously since they
came to live~at the cottage They be
lieved it to have been ne, if any one, who
had turned their grandfather's mind in
his dOtage against them.
Their future now looked unpromising
enough. They had place to live in, in,
deed, but nothing to live upon. For the
pursuits abandoned long ago they had
lost their aptitude.
One night, when the old man had been
dead two weeks, they sat together talking
ii over.
OF the dead Martin enough has been
said. The living Martin was thin and a
little bent. His hair and beard were gray.
lie had never been robust in health, and
probably looked the older on that ac-
count. His manner was very quiet To
his sister he was, as she often declared
warmly, "t the best brother in the world. -
Charity, on her part, tenderly loved Mar
tin. She was one of those shrinking
plant women whose fears are their own
their opinions often borrowed. Both
brother and sister, indeed, so far as
known, were simp le-hearted, guileless
people, deserving much better at the
hands of their grandfather than they had
received.
| can't see what made him use us so, .
Charity was saving on this night
Martin had heard the sane remark
twenty times before, but he replied, pa
tiently: Grandfather was always QuirkY
you know-one thing to-day, something
else tomorrow. If AShur had lived with
him as we did, we might have been the
ones to get the property. Not that care
for more than enough of it to live upon,
and think Ashur ought to give us that.
I've notion that we might claim it as
wages, waiting and tending upon
grandfather as we did, or as damages,
considering what we might have done for
ourselves five had not come here"
Ashur will not give it up if we do
claim it. He is hard man. I'd saw il TO
his face, and worse, if had a chance As
long as he lives we might claim and claim
and be none the better If he were to
die, to be sure"
lie die! But his sort never do die
shifted the thin, dry voice of Simon
White, VINO lived halt mile farther up
the river. This man had Il weakened face
foxy eyes, cat-like tread, and way of
always coming upon people unawares
Add 10 this habit Of saying rasping
things whenever opportunity occurred,
and you will see why Simon White was
not exactly regarded as a Ckeery0le
Brother among his neighbors.
you here, Mr.. White ?" observed
Charity, hardly in tone of welcome.
ITO the best of my knowledge, l am.
So you haven't got enough yet of waiting
for dead mems shoes? But Ashur Tun-
stall won't be in n hurry about slipping
off his. No, no-not he 1t won't be
much good to you, my word for it, old
Martins provision that if Ashur should
die the property is not TO be alienated
from the Drascctt family Look There
comes Ashur Tunstall now. Some might
say it was a putting of mis- head into the
lions mouth for him to cone here after
what you said just now''
With disagreeable laugh he rerealed
as unceremoniously as he had entered,
walking toward the village, a mile farther
on. He was scarcely gone when Ashur
Tunstall arrived, riding in light, highly
polished buggy. A somewhat ponderous
gentleman was the newcomer, rubicund
OF face, sleek and unctuous. He was
proud of his wealth, and clicked gold
pieces in his pockets when he walked
producing thus the music most pleasing
to his soul. Charity was right: Ashui
TunstalI was hard man.
At the time of the funeral he was i'll,
consequently he had not been here until
now since old Martins death.
you'll fird everything as he left it,
said Charity, leading the way to the old
mans room. "You have brought the
keys, | suppose? gave them to you