Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-01-06
:. What could it have been for ex-

10. w ndU COUIO III nave Do0n Tor 0X-
cept that mortgage %
The girl grew pale with excitement.
'That was the day my father died, y
said she. cit must be as you think,
for I can't imagine any other transac-
ton that he would be likely to have
to the same amount. He had been to
the village that morning, and was
taken i'll Immediately on reaching
home, dying very suddenly of heart
disease"
'"This is important, my dear. Ii
your tyrannical money-lender were
aware of the existence of this little slip
of paper he would not be so fierce.
Now let him 60 ahead"
81 cannot think that he knows of it.
His father soon died after mine, and
in some way"
SIN some mysterious way" inter
rupted the doctor, "the most import
ant Acknowledgement of the receipt of
$500 was overlooked; in some mystic
rious way, with other papers in Col.
Holmes desk, it got showed into an
old secretary, fate sent it to me, fate
sent you here, and what is meant bv
it all is that wrong is to be righted, as
it gene1 ally is in the long run'
Miss Lyster was too astonished to
speak. She was looking st the knight
in armor, while her thoughts were
rushing with lightning speed.
"You can almost see smile on that
grim visor, cau't your" said the doc
tor; 81 think / know of a knight OF
flesh and blood who, with this as his
weapon, will slay the dragon, and win
shall l say his lady-love?"
ooh, doctor! how can you be so
funny over SO serious a matter?"
"But it is serious only on one side,
and that is the other side" he replied.
:tWill you permit me to manage this
little affair for you? After all, there
may be trouble, and there will certain
ly have 20 be some legal formulas
But / think, if rightly managed, the
young man will admit that the mort
gage was virtually cancelled by the
payment of the $500 for which this is
the receipt"
eff you would assume the business it
would be a relief" she answered, "for
[ should not know how to proceed"
"Well, then, run away and see my
better half. go out and dig chestnuts-
no, pick UP OtatOes-no-well, don t
care what you do-go and amuse
yourself while [ do some thinking"
So the school-mistress rambled afeld,
to recover from her bewilderment and
forecast the future.
The doctor wrote a long letter to
John Redwood, whom he believed he
could trust with the affair, and not
without reason, for few days after g.
reply came, stating that Holmes was
amazed, indeed, at the production of
the receipt, but after examination
could not dispute it's genuineness, and
had very honorab1y released the
mortgage, restoring the interest paid
for four years. He recalled that after
the colonel's death he had sold some
old furniture, the secretary among the
lot, and he remembered that there
were some old papers in it, but not
considered OF any value. If he had
found the receipt he should certainly
have produced it at that time. Some
uncharitable people maintain, how
ever, that he would have burned it.
1t can be imagined that when Annie
Lyster went home to spend Christmas
she was received as little less than a
heroine. Her mother was brighter
than she had been in years. Even
Jane, the ''help," could not forbear
hugging Miss Annie, and when honest
John Redwood came over in the even
ing, "iest to look in and say how-de-
do" as he bashfully excused his call,
he stayed till the unseemly hour of
eleven O'Clock. 1t is to be presumed
that mis- bashfulness was DELIGHTFULLY."-
dissipated. The next Christmas there
was wedding. The genial old doc
tors absence was atoned for in part
by his presents-an autograph at the
bottom of very ornamental cheque,
and a. miniature bronze knight in ar
NOR to guard it.