Weekly Chillicothe crisis., 1885-06-18
A stream of bright arterial blood

only lived an hour.
At n suitable time there was Z search
among his papers for his will, but
none was to be found, and no one
knew of any property save the old
mansion of the Orchards.
There is the picture" Ruthie said,
timidly, to Lord Layton. at is worth
great deal OF money, is it not2 I'm
Gle said and she repeated Roscoe
Vane's last words.
"Of course Uncle Roc intended that
it should be disposed of for our bene-
fit" put in Ray.
"My dear girls, said the gentle
man, kindly, 81 grieve to disabusc
your minds of a pleasant idea, but the
truth is, the picture is comparatively
worthless, but he was mistaken in his
estimate of his own ability. His de-
lusion that this picture was a great
one, no one who loved him could bear
to deprive him of, 20 great was his
qualification in it; but beyond a few
pretty effects the canvas has no merit
amOEg connOisscurs, and would not
bring ten dollars. "
Ruth looked astoundcd-Ray an.
cry.
II knew it," said the latter. 81
guessed 1t long ago, and you and are
bcggars, Ruthic! A pretty set of men
the Nancs have been, to leave two
girls nothing out of such a property"
She went down into the garden, and
Lord Layton followed her.
1t seemed to Ruthie that she would
never get over the shock OF the news
concerning the picture. Was she then
so poor, even poorer than she had
feared, and must she labor for her
bread? She could sew cXQuisilclv-
but sewing-girls starved. Well, she
could give music lessons. And when
she had decided this, in the dim
watches of the night, Ruthic fell
asleep.
The next day, Ray announced that
she was going to marry Lord Layton.
"Hc asked me long ago, and | told
him Yes last night, in the garden.
We are going to New York. You can
come with us" she added; cor You
can live here. For myself, | repudi-
ate the old home and everything there
is in it. If Uncle Roc's picture were
sold, | suppose it would buy us pair
of shoes apiece
"Dcar Ray, should like to keep it,"
"You may have 1t, then, never
want to hear of it again. Sell it or
keep it, as you choose, and everything
else in this dismal old barrack. | am
provided for; it is only fair that you
should have what there is here
So Ray was married and went away,
and Ruihic remained in the old man
sion of the Orchards, and gave music
lessons for her bread. She made u
nice little teacher, and every day
goldcn-haircd girls came through the
little garden into the low, broad par
lor, and chattcd gayly while they
drummed their exercises. Ruthie had
learned herself, and then taught Chloe,
to rub the wndow-pancs, clean the
brasscs, and dust the old mahogany
furniture, and, in the chilly fall eve
nIngs, Llslc Stanicls would come and
bear her company by the bright hearth
stone Of the lonely home.
"Dcar Ruthic," he sald, eve might
be married if were not quite so poor"
al have II shelter for us BOTH said
Ruthic.
"And only bread and cheese and
kisses for my SHARE returned Lislc.
"My practice grows so slowly"
But they thought of the bread and
| ,,In,.., ,,,I i,ga., amt IL Inn,. a
cd to try them. Ruthic was able to
help her husbands modest income
along by continuing hcr music lessons
for nearly Il near; then there was Il
little one in her arms, and added en-
pcnSc.
Poverty is no disgrace, but |, for
one, shall never write poetry to it, J."
said Lislc, rucfully, one day, when the
groccr's and butchers bills both came
due, and he had barely money enough
to buy himself decent new suit in
which to visit his sick.
"Lislc," said Ruthic, walking tho
floor with Baby Lislc, who was teeth
ing and worrying, "thero is the pic.
turc. would like to keep it; but |
know how you are harassed for money,
and yesterday | asked Chrome &
Crayon what they would give for it,.
They said seven dollars. Let it 90. |
had rather see you relieved than to
keep IT,"
Chloe brought it and set it against
the wall, upon II table. The rich col
ors and gildcd frame attracted Baby
Lislc's blue eyes, stopped his crying,
and as Ruthie stood before it, he
made sudden plunge upon it with
both chubby extended hands. In
stantly there was collapse, a crash.
The canvas had fallen out of Its frame,
and the lloor was covered with strange
gray things.
"Money!n exclaimed Lsle.
"Bank bills!" gasped Ruth.
There were hundreds. The back OF
the picture had been lined with them,
and u careful search produced note
"MY DEAR NIECEs. When yorl
grandfather died he left this money
not with me, whom he had little
ness, but with old Peggy. 1t was
never to be investcd-hc had lost
much by unfortunate investments OF
his own-but was to be divided be
tween you when the elder reached hel
twenty-lirst year. 1t has been n grra
care and trouble TO me since Peggy
died, and place it here, for the pres
ent, for safe keeping.
"RosCoE VANE."
The date was but n few daye pre-
vious to his death. None who knew
Roscoe Vane could doubt that thu
possession of so large sum of money
was a source of great discomfit tt
him. His life annuity-which haC
supported the houschold-had per
ished with him. He had had little us,
for money himself, and no wish for it
Ruthe instantly wrote to Ray
proifering her half the sum now in he
hands, but Ray replied that, as sh'
had repudiatcd the picture, she fel
that she had no claim to that Ii
fact, she did not need it-they wer
prospering, and Ruthie might keep it
And Ruth kept also the old picture
which, with its story, is an heirloom
lie Came From Chicago.
"0h, say, MAJ exclaimed brigh
little pirl nt the Hoffman House Will