The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-08-12

rect The years passed by. Mrs Crofton
wore herself out in taking care of him Mr.
Crofton grew bent and old trying to grind a
living out of the stony fields and melancholy
swamps of the Miller farm; and Nettie, the
tall, blooming daughter, attempted to exc out
the family funds by her slender salary as a
school teacher; and Uncle Malachi sat on the
stone pavement in the sunshine, nut ering
to himself, and seeming to take no heed of
the outer world.
! When Mr.. Crofton came in to get his din
ner he went for Uncle Malachi
He's been settin' out there long enough"
said he; "hes dreadful trial, but we must
not let him get the rheumatic"
But when they went together to the sun
ny, stonc.payed yard, the old man sat there,
quite dead, with his glazed eyes staring
straight before him, and his jaw dropped on
his breast.
Dead, ell y the ncighbors commenced in
chorus. well, | s'pose you'll come into the
property now, Mrs. Crofton ?"
81 suppose we should" said Mrs Crofton,
feebly; "only nobody knows where it Is"
1t was true. The wrinkled, little, old hui
man magpie had kept his secret to the last,
and his niece and her daughter were as poor
as ever.
Never mind, mother" said Neltie bravely.
We've done our duty, and that's all that can
be expected fany of us"
In Uncle Mala HIS old leather-strapped
memorandum there was only yellow
bit of paper, on which was marked the figure
"3"
Couldn't we make some sort of clue out
of that?" said young Doctor Drew, the vii
lage Esculapius, who was to marry pretty
Nettic when they had scraped together mon
ey enough to keep them out of the poor
house
NO." said Mrs. Crofton shaking her head.
"Threc was always Uncle NIaachs favorite
number. He put off all business until the
third day of the month if he wanted especial
good luck; he was born on the 3D. of January
and"
"And he died on the 81 of May" said Doc
tor Drew. "Well, it is rather curious coin
cldeuce. However, you had better keep this
old memorandum Mrs. Crofton; 1t can do
no harm and now we'll go to business"
1t was the day after Uncle Malachi's funer-
al, and Doctor Drew had come to prescribe
for Mrs. Crofton's periodical attack of aguc
Its very strange" said the young medi-
cal man. There must be BAD drainage some
where We can't attribute it all to the Old
swamp in the meadow"
"There's no fault about the drainage that |
know of" said Mrs. Croiton, in the drawing,
of late.
Mother" said Nettie perhaps it's the
sunken well"
Doctor Drew pricked up his ears.
what sunken well !" said he
There was an old well close to the house"
said Mrs Crofton. ut never was much used
ana 1t was dry most of the year. So, when
they built on the south wing, they just paved
it over and dug new one by the garden
wall. That's the very stone pavement where
Uncle Malachi used to take SO much comfort
in the sunshine, poor old man p'
"Ah !" said the doctor. Its very possible,
then, that we may be able to account for this
malarial affection. Have you a crowbar
about the premises?'
~ on amt going to uncover the old well ?"
SAID LeDedee Crofton, who wrapped in blan-
kcts, was enduring his regular "Chill."
Yes, an" said Doctor Drew
Out they all three went--Doctor Drew
Mrs Crofton and Nettie Neighbor Larkins
was summoned to assist with the crowbar.
III declare" said Mrs. Crofton; it does
most seem as if Uncle Malachi would rise
out of his grave to prevent us. He was
dreadful partial to this spotr
We'll, it can't be OF any more use to him
now," said Nettic.
Hello" said Doctor Drew; there are
nine paving-stones, aren't there?"
"Three each way" said Neighbor Larkens
"and the old well was directly underneath
the centre stun. Land O Goshen I recol-
leck covering it up as well as if it were yes
terday p
Three times three" said Doctor Drew
perhaps that accounts for the old gentle
mans Partially to it,"
Nettie started
never thoupht Of thut ~ ohm e,;l
"Heave 20 y sang Neighbor Larkins, who
had sailed on Greenland whaler once; and
impelled by the strong arms fthe two men,
the centre stone came up, revealing the black
and hollow mouth of the disused well
"Pah !" said Doctor Drew; there's enough
bad air and foul gas here to infect a regi-
ment ~
There's something else here" quietly ad.
ded Nettie, who had stopped to look down.
"A leather bag, suspended from spike dri-
ven in between the stones"
Neighbor Larkens who was long in the
arms, made dive at it.
Land O. liberty" cried he; otis full O.
gold pieces-eagles, by George Miss Nettie,
| declare fort, you've come into your for
timer
1t was only five thousand dollars; but to
Nettie Crofton it represented q fortune in
deed. Here, upon the central stone of the
divergng threes, old Uncle Malachi had kept
guard until it was too late to give any one the
clue to his secret.
The old well was filed up and properly
drained. Farmer Crofton got rid of his ague,
Nettie and her lover were married, and al.
though Doctor Drew is not a superstitious
man, he has ever since owned to a partially
for the figure 80"