The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-10-21
THE WIDOW wICKETrs WINDOWS.

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Mr.. Tibbetts was riding slowly along
the road, thinking for once in . way
what a. brief life this was and Low
quickly we left it behind us. He had
Just been making old Mr. Parkman's
will, and it was doubtful it old MIR.
Parkman would live until night. The
pompous. busting, dictatory man was
diving. and the world would get along
well enough without him, a. It would
without any of us. e !.
One person would grieve for him, and
that the very one who would be benefited
by his death. Years ago Mr.. Parkman
had picked up in the streets of New
York, on cold winter night, poor
little Italian boy, who had been sent by
his padrone to scrape the violin on a
!, bleak corner. Nr. Parkman had found
that the little fellow was ill-treated, and
had taken legal measures to release and
adopt him, and this boy, now grown to
be seventeen years old, was the old
mans great pride and comfort.
s al want to give everything to Ludo-
VICE." he had said to the lawyer. HE
deserves it, and love him. My nephew,
Ralph Werner, would pounce upon every
, thing it l left no will No, should
make one even If / had never found this
boy. / should leave all tosonne charity.
Ralph Is brute-rich, greedy con-
temptible. Ludovico will carry out my
( ideas and do good with his money"
So the will was written, and it was
now in the lawyers breast pocket to be
carried to his Office and locked up in q
certain box.
q II may live for years. said the old
man, ssand Ralph would make no bones
of destroying the will. He's bad fell
Iowa very bad fellow
But at the door Mr.. Parkman's man
had told him that the doctor had said his
masters hours were numbered; that he
would not see the next sun rise. No
? wonder Mr.. Tibbetts felt that this was
an uncertain sort of world.
But the boys down in the hollow be-
side the road on which his horse slowly
trotted, who were making the most of a
holiday and some fire-crackers and other
gunpowdery play-things. such as one
might fancy Satan had invented for his
offspring, were troubled with no grave
thoughts or solemn emotions. The black
figure of the lawyer. long and lean, seat
ed on his quiet old horse. instead of
awakening awe in their small bosoms,
aroused them to deeds of mischief. Sud-
denly an invention resembling bomb
shell, though smaller and less destruc-
i. tive, hurled. through the air, hit Mr..
Tibbctts in the small of the back, and
exploded. Mr.. Tibbets started; the horse
~. ~~.<>~.> rl>:lx
belts was on his back in the hollow, the
horse mile away up the road and the
will sticking in the solitary gooseberry-
bush that decorated the Widow Wickett's
front door yard.
Now the Widow Wicket was one of
those people who are always wretchedly
poor. no matter what is done for them,
and though she had more given her than
any other person in the town, she always
had broken panes of glassin her window
and was always patching them up with
pasteboarti, tin pans and straw-hats.
Toddling out shortly after the acct
dent, of which she heard nothing, being
:. down cellar at the time, she found fine
piece of stiff parchment sticking in her
bush, and as it was just the size Of two
panes OF glass, appropriated it at once,
fastening it well on with many tacks.
As she could not read writing, the names
= upon the sheetneyer struck her eye, and
as for the red tape, she used that for 4
shoe string Immediately.
Meanwhile, down at the hotel to which
he had been carried. Mr.. Tibbetts came
TO himself, found he was not greatly in
jured, expressed his opinion OF boys in
general, and waited for his clothes,
(which were being brushed for him.
And, by the way cried Mr.. Tlb-
belts, suddenly, bring me the docu-
ment in the waistcoat pocket, William.
It's very valuable
William could not turn pale; he was
the color of charcoal but he stared at
Mr.. Tibbetts. ,e.----
rlFor de Lord, massa, your watch,
an pocketbook, an penknife, an card
case. an handkerchief, is all dere. was
in dc pocketsr' he said. g Dere wasn't
no dockyment darr'
paper-a parchment" explained
Z Mr.. Hbbetts. 500 - ~ s.
~ F'Sartinly. i is aware what docky-
inent am, sah." replied William, with
sah.n ss
Vain search was made on the road, in
the hollow = everywhere. The will was
gone. Sore as he was from his fall, Mr..
Tibbetts had himself driven back to the
Parkman mansion. He arrived there
before the sun set, but old Mr.. Parkmau
was already dead and all rewards that
We're offered failed to bring the win to
light. The Widow Wicket never read
the newspapers.
The law had its course. The nephew
came into the property. The two old
servants. who had been well provided
for by their master, sought other situa-
tons. Ludovico was left without a
penny but he had good education.
and Mr.. Tibbetts offered him a place in
. his law Office. on salary that saved him
from starNng-a better salary than be
would have given any other boy. Some