Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-01-02

COOK ana WuBH uisHGb IOI al
cant individual like me.
II know I've nothing Of my own.
grandpa" admitted Patience; but"
"No, and you never will have,
growlcd the old man. You're care
less, wastcful, extravagant creature,
and Charley Mercer is just such an
other lie was here this morning to
ask me to lend him five hundred dol
lars to buy out the goodwill of the store
mt Deep Hollow. i told him I'd see
him farther first. I'd just as soon
throw my money into well as lend it
TO him"
"Grandpan'
"Wcll, what nowP'
you refused hmp"
IL just did. And I'll do it again.
Oh yes, know that you are engaged to
him and that you expect to get married
on my money. Rut you've mistaken
your calculations there"
"Grandpa," cried Patience in a
ehokcd voice, edo you remember those
nights Charley Mercer watched with
you, when you had typhod-feverP Do
YOU remember that the doctor said his
care and vigilance saved your lifeP"
doctors are always talking some
such stuff, said Mr.. Plumcr. "And
besides he was well paid for what he
did Didn't send him half Il bushel
of secd-potatoes the very next springP"
Patience turned away with sigh.
Grandpa" said she, ''you are sell
fish and ungratcful. Oh, | must say it
l cant keep it in any longer! You
are narrowing down into perfect
INSERT
"A miscr, am ~" screeched the old
man, fairly foar'ing with rage. And
selfish? aud ungratefulP Well, in that
cnsr, won't trouble such very fine
young lady as you are TO stay here and
wait on me. Go and get married to
your Charley Mercer, rs quick as you
please, and live off crust, in tho gut
ter! won't have you here another
day"
IL spoke too hastily, grandpa" said
Patience, coloring. But lspoke moth
ing more than the truth. Yes, | am
going to marry Charley and we shall
struggle on rs best we can. We can
not live more povertystricken life
than ] lead in this house, where you
have bags of gold and packets of treas
ury bonds hidden away. But do not
want to leave you unproyided for. |
will stay here until you can get some
one else to come"
81 tell you" reiterated Mr.. Plumer,
81 won't have you in the house! Clear
out! Pack up your things and go! I've
given you board and lodging long
enough! Go, sayn
So Patience hurriedly packed up her
hnl finI hn, fo1n1 hon
net, and took refuge with old Miss
Clockcr, who kept thread-and-needle
store, and let out the upper part of her
house to dodgers.
No sooner had she left the house than
Mr.. Plumcr hastily trudged upstairs,
with an unwholesome perspiration
breaking out on his forehead.
$50 people know about the bags OF
eagles and tho leather wallet of govern
ment bonds!" muttered he. People
know everything, l believe! How do
they find it out, the prying, peeping
villainsP We'll, must find a new hid
iug-placc. shall invest it all, in day
or two, in that Gold Mining Company
on Stony Mountain Creek-but until
then until then" He pondered
moment and then an idea entered his
brain. 1--we got itr' he cried. "l'll
bury II III the stone wall by the CHM
ney of the old house"
At the northern boundary of the
farm half hidden by overgrown apple
trees and swampy lilac bushes, were
the remains OF the old house originally
occupied by Ebenezer Plumer's father.
Nothing remained of it now save
monster stone chimney, and an angle
of the cellar wall, concealed in rose
briers and wild weeds.
Tramps slept there sometimes of
summer nights-there was rumor of
the place being hauntei-and Just be-
yond wound the peaceful country road.
arohed over with maple-trces, and bor-
dered on either side by close-matted
growth of perfumcd clover.
Hither crept Ebeuezer Plumer, with
the gold and bonds buttoned securely
under his coat, and mason's trowel
in his hand. For it occurred to him
that if he could secrete his treasures
behind one of those hugo misshapen
stones in the chimney, it would be the
safest repository.
1t was sultry summer
Ebenezer Plumer was no longer strong
man.
The big drops of sweat stood on his
brow as he toiled-and at last he sat
down to rest.
He might even have gone to sleep if
he had not been reused by the sound of
voices, where some one was talking be-
hind the old well close to the road.
Why said Ebenezer to himself,
it's Mr.. Carson. the President of the
Gold Mining Company. And that
other one is Major Sheldon, the Secre-
tary."
He was about to scramble out of his
retreat and challenge their attention,
when the sound of his own name de-
cidcd him to remain perdu minute or
two longer.
1--WE almost knocked the side of the
house down." said Mr. Carson sharply,
land no one is there! | wonder what
can possibly have become of the old
foolP"
II hope he hasn't taken fright"
said Major Sheldon. ''Confound this
tin cup! the water leaks out at one end
faster than 1 can swallow it at the
other"
"It's essential that we get the money
into our hands at once" said Mr.. Car
son. The steamer sails at noon to-
morrow, and we must sail with her.
And money we must have"
''Oh, dare say it will be all right"
said the major sererely. Hes such
an egregious old blunderhead that he'll
believe whatever you choose to tell
him. How he will stare, to be sure,
when he finds out that there is neither
gold mine nor gold mining company
that he has just lined our pockets with
his funds! Ha, ha, har'
"But'n he'll never find that outr'
shouted Mr.. Ebenezer Plumer, scram-
bling to the top of the ruinous oldwah.
so that his green-and-yellow counten-
ance glared upon the two unconscious
conspirators from frame of thistles
and weed-like trees. "He may be q
TOOL, but he amt fool enough to be