Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-10-29

ultH Uul NO 1fCu uCIC dAA III
life you know
"The more reason for wanting t
get out of it now," said the doctor
impatiently.
Judith was silent. She looked a
the blazing logs on the old-fashion
ed hearth, and tried to keep bacl
the fast-rising tears.
Doctor Dedling rose and took III
his hat.
"Then ana to consider that ou
engagement is at an end ? said TIN
doctor.
Eyes," replied Judith in a low
tone.
''I shall always wish you well, ,
said the doctor affably.
"Thank you," said Judith.
"Good-byv' said the doctor.
"Good-by ~ responded Judith.
The next moment she was alone
with the blazing logs, and the crick.
ct chirping on the hearth, and the
strange, Weired shadows that came
and went on the wainscoted walls
1t was just a month tonight since
they buried old Miles Grey out oi
sight. Little Judith, who had worn
herself out in taking care of him,
had dropped few sincere tears on
the cheap coffin that incased his re-
mains, but no one else had seemed
particularly to grieve.
Mrs. Pytchley, her elder sister.
who had marrieCta New York gro
Ger, had boldly declared that it was
high time her uncle took himself off
4 h. - <Df hi
secret of her disappointment when
it was discovered that a thousand
dollars in gold. pieces represented
all his honored wealth, with the
exception of the cranberry swamp,
upon whose dreary verge stood the
house; and this property, by the
terms of the will, was to be divided
between his two nieces, Judith Grey
and Maria Pytchley, as they them
selves might agree.
''I'll take the money!" said Mrs.
Pytchley. "What could / do with
three or four miles of cranberry
swamp?"
''Or what could Judith do with it
either ?'' said Hobart Pytchley,
who was whiting a pine stick be-
side the fire.
81 dare say she could manage
very nicely" said Maria. "I've
heard uncle say that he sold sixty
dollars worth of cranberries one
year out of the swamp"
"Humph ~ grunted Mr.. Pytch-
S'And that's legal interest on
thousand dollars you know" added
his wife.
"What do you say Judith?
"It makes no difference to me-"
said Judith quietly.
"It does to me then !" said Mrs.
Pytchley, "because, as you know
very we'll, Hobart's business is in
the city, and we could do nothing at
all with lot of swampy land, down
here in the backwoods,.
So Mrs. Pytchley had taken the
lions share of the old mans bequest
and gone back to her city home ov-
er Hobart's grocery store; and
young Doctor Dedling, who had so
confidentially calculated on at least
FIVE hundred dollars as the dowery
of his bride elect-broke his engage |
ment in a fit of pique that Judith |
should have so deliberately flung |
her fortune away.
ga set of harpies ~ cried he with
disgust
"Stop, Doctor Dedling,p said Ju-
dith, coloring. "You forget that
you are speaking of my sister and
her husband"
''But they had no business to inn
pose on you thus ~ exclaimed the
doctor.
"I agreed to the plan without re-
Doctor Dedling shrugged his
shoulders.
"In that" said he sharply, 'tyou
showed your lack of common sense!
If you had no good regard for your
'elf, you might have had some for
mel"
"Was it for money you wanted
ne?" demanded Judith, stung to
he quick.
Doctor Dedling colored and hesi-
ated
ga man must take money mat
ers into consideration" said the
loctor.
And so it came about that the en-
was broken and Judith
Trey was sitting there, alone in the
Vintry twilight with clasped hands
nd head dropped low upon her
'reast.
Doctor Dedling plodded home to
he village, and as he passed the
windows of the htstelry he
aused, remembering the bitter cold {
f the winter air, the frosty influ-
nee of the breeze.
81 may as well go in and warm
lyself," he thought.
Mine host met him with CHEEKY !
ir.
"Walk in, doctor-walk in said
e. "Not that rOom," as Dedling
Mechanically laid his hand upon {
he door-knob of the apartment he
sually entered. "The Railway |
is a-settin' there. This {
yay, please !" t
''The Railway Committed" !" ech-
ed DedIing. "What railway Com !
littee? You don't mean that they |
re actually taking any steps about |
ne old idea of a railway between !
ere and GIassville? |
L
a committee of rich capitalists, as G
re building factories close to the |
alls; and they mean to put up 7
houses all along, aud lay I
own line of rails, and-don't say b
) mentioned it, doctor, because / 2
My caught snatch here and there g
hen l was carrying in the plates :
nd setting on the fruits and nuts, I
nd wine-but it's to go right I
trough old Miles Gray's cranberry e
vamp, the new railway is And !
he chairman of the committee is q
OIng to offer Miss Judith five thou t
md dollars in good clean hard Z
IOney fol her share of it !" 8
Doctor Dedling stared.
observation-disclosures % he
,peated slowly.
Could it really be a fact? If So I
nd there seemed very little reason >
II doubling it-what a fatal mis- +
Ike he had made in rejecting :
ride who could bring him the rich +
Ortion of ''eranberry swamp as b
er wedding dover. II he had 4
1ly known this half an hour-one
tile half hour ago! y
Gsnonjt frat ahouf him Tud;fh =