The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-12-20
THE MIsER's INHERITANCE.

Miss Sammis was the only daughter
of heperson so inevitably called Old
Sammis, in his native town, that no one
called him by any other name, and UNI
til his will was read, the fact that he
had been christened Octavius Cicero
Sammis was actually unknown to many.
However, he had actually not lived
as many years as some who had not
been thought of yet as more than mid
dle-aged.
1t was his manner, his long nose, and
sharp chin, the wrinkles in his fore
head, and the sparse greyish hair that
gave him the reputation of age, and his
vices had not been those of young men,
even at fve-and-twenty.
A prudent, saving boy, he had gone
on to DO Il singy young fellow and a
misery elderly man.
His long, straight brown coat, his
shabby stove-pipe hat, his wrinkled
boots, and the trowsers, which, always
too long and full'fo him, fell over them
in many wrinkles, seemed always to be
the same, and he had worn one glove
for FIVE years. having lost its mate three
years after its purchase.
When his poor wife was i'll the doc
tor had ordered wine and beef-tea, but
he had demonstrated:
''Beef-tea uses up so much meat, and
wine is very dear-and a bad habit al
SO, my love. Don't you think you could
take nice little piece OF fried pork and
some old cider instead?"
The poor woman had answered that
she would try" But after she had
tried week even Old Sammis said
that something must be done.
He bought the wine and the beef.
but before the tea was made she was
past swallowing
Her daughter came home from her
uncles then and cried over what the
neighbors told her, but did not say to
her father what she intended to say;
for in going down stairs to hide, in the
cellar, the bottle Of wine his wife had
left as full as when it came into the
house. Old Sammis tripped aud fell,
the bottle broke and cut his arm, and
erysipelas set in, of which he died, and
the girl who had washed dishes in her
uncle kitchen to save her keep, found
herself worth half million.
She was small, thin girl; she stoop-
ed good doal, and her nose and chin
nearly met; but she was neat and prim,
and as soon as the power was hers she
furnished the old house decently and
hired servant.
She might have cut a dash and be-
come fashionable woman, but the
thought did not occur TO her.
She felt happy when she thought Of
the money that belonged to her, and
she could not bear to part with much
Of it. She was not even able TO bring
herself to the point of buying black
silk dress for her aunt, who needed one
sadly.
Two or three hundred dollars would
have filled trunk over which those
poor little shabby cousins would have
danced with joy; but she could no,
do it.
/ She could not have denied anyone
food and medicine, or fire, or light, OF
anything needful under her own roof
as her father had denied her mother
for she was only twenty-one and wo
man; but she had the old mans BLOOD
in her veins, and the miser's craving
lurked in her soul.
So the interest Of her money wa!
slowly added to the principal, and she
grew richer slowly but surely.
However, she was not yet miser
and when certain things in the way o
table-linen were wanted, she went dowr
to the city to buy them. and to make ,
call or two as we'll, and was hurryine
up Broadway from the ferry, when jus
as she passed Trinity Church maj
touched her on the arm, and said:
Beg your pardon, lady. but haven
you lost twenty-dollar gold pieceP"
Now Miss Sammis knew we'll enough
that she had no gold whatever with he
but she hesitated before saying no.
I'm not sure. I must look" sb
said, feeling for her portemonnaie.
II think / seen it drop oatin yf-
pocket when you took out your hl
kercbief,' said the man. ----
Satin got the better of
Then l must have lay
Eyes, lady; and it's HORSE
pick it up foI you, n'tit, wh6Ry o''-