The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-03-09
WIDOW WICKETT'S WINDOWS.

MT. l1DDettS was rlu1nB SLOWLY along
the road, thinking, for once in a way,
what brief life this was, and how
quickly we left it behind us. He had
just been making out Mr.. Parkman's
will, and it was doubtful if old Mr..
Parkman would live until night. The
pompous. bustling, dictatory man was
dying, and the world would get along
well enough without him, as it would
without any of u.s..
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 bleak corner. Mr.. Parkman
had found that the little fellow was i'll
treated, and had taken the legal meas
ures to release and adopt him, and this
boy, now grown to be II years old, was
the old mans great pride and comfort.
IL want to give everything to Ludo-
VICE." he had said to the lawyer.
"He deserves it, and l love him. My
nephew, Ralph Vennor, would pounce
upon everything if L left no will. No,
i should make one, even if L had never
found this boy. / should leave all to
some charity. Ralph is a brute-rich,
greedy, contemplate. Ludovico will
cary out my ideas and do good with
his money"
SO the will was written, and it was
now III the lawyers breast pocket, to be
carr ed TO his office and locked up In q
certain box.
Il may live for years." said the old
man, "and 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 sunrise. No
wonder 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 gun-powdery playthings, such as
one might fancy Satan had invented for
his offspring, were troubled with no
grave thoughts or solemn emotions.
The black figure of a lawyer, long and
lean, seated on his quiet horse, instead
of awakening awe in their small bosoms,
aroused them to deeds of mis-
chief. Suddenly an invention resem-
bling bomb-shell, though smaller and
less destructive, hurled through the air,
hit Mr.. Tibbetts in the small of the
back and exploded. Mr.. Tibbetts
started; the horse reared, and in mo-
ment more Mr.. Tibbetts was on his
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 wretch
edly poor, no matter what Is done for
them, and, though she had more given
her than any other person in town, she
always had broken panes OF glass in her
window, and was always patching them
with pasteboard, tin pans and straw
hats.
Toddling about after the accident, of
which she heard nothing, being down
cellar mt 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, fis-
tening it we'll on with many tacks. AS
she II d not read writing, the names
on the sheet never struck her eye, and
as for the red tape, she used that for a
shoe string immedi itely.
Meanwhile, down at the hotel TO
which he was carried, Mr.. Tibbetts came
to himself, found he was not greatly in
jured, expressed his opinion of boys in
general, and waite for his clothes,
which were being brushed for him.
~And, by the way" cried Mr.. Tibbetts,
~bring me the document in the waist
coat pocket, Will am, it's very valus-
ble."
William could not turn pale; he was
the color of charcoal; but he stared at
Mr. Tibbetts.
"For de Lord, massa, your watch, an