The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-06-11
AN OLD HAIR TRUNK.
In Tt Was Found the Way Out of
Trouble.

The sun hal gone down behind the
hills, but the peaks of the western
mountains were still bathed in sunlight
and covered with that glory no paint
er's brush can reproduce. The shadow
that had fallen covered the small but
quaint and picturesque farmhouse to
its chimney-toP and stretched across
the closely cropped green meadow
land and up the sloping hillside, its
yellow stubble taking a golden tint
that deepened at the edges ofthe irreg-
ular swaths, as if labor bad set its sig
nature upon the field. The sunlight
still danced in the topmost branches of
the tall maple that stood on the crest
when a wagon was driven slowly up
the little lilac-lined lane that led to the
barn. Before the wheels could have
been heard by any but an anxious and
waiting ear, a sweet-faced woman
whose hair alone betrayed the fact that
she was far beyond the middle age,
came to the door and was at the side of
the wagon as the driver slowly de-
scended.
Don't grieve, father" she said, tax
ing his hand. THE darkest cloud has
q silver lining. We have Dick still"
"And that is all, mother, he replied
with a catch IN his voice.
The woman's sensitive face paled
and seemed to grow older in moment,
for though her husbands manner had
shown that his mission had failed, some
hope had still remained despite her
brave words, and, while expecting the
a., 4 r bo
house and land upon which both had
lived since childhood, there had been
expectation that some way out of it
might be found or that the blow might
be in some way softened.
"Then Nichols would not give you
timeP'
Not day. He is merciless, and
the sale will take place Saturday. He
must have the cash, he says, Saturday,
and viii only sell for money down.
Williams is away in New York. / saw
every one who might be able to let me
have the money, but none could lend
me so much by Saturday. He will
buy it in himself. Barker says he can
get the money for me in ten days, but
when l asked Nichols to give me one
more week, he replied that he had not
forgotten his oath if had"
dignantly. but is it legal, fatherP"
she asked. "Can he rob us of a farm
worth six times the mortgage and have
the law on his sideP'
II asked Squire Andrews, and he
went over the papers carefully. He
has planned his vengeance WE'LL An
drews said. Every legal form has
been complied with, and he added that
/ would be morally, but not legally,
justified in shooting him"
Poor DickI' said the mother.
"Come, father. the house is ours for
three days longer any way. Some
thing may happen. Let US talk of
other things. Supper is ready and
Dick is coming across the field.
While talking the light wagon had
been put in the carriage-house and the
horse had been fed and watered. 1t
was easy to see that the bright-faced,
broad-shouldered young man who met
them at the door was their son and
that he was a mothers boy" His
arm fell naturally around her waist,
and he stopped to kiss her as they
passed into the kitchen.
''Well, Mimi, are you ready to feed
bear after his winters sleepP" he
asked playfully. ''Why, mother, there
are tears in your eyesi Father, what
Is the matterP' he asked, as for the
first time he saw his drawn, set face.
His mothers arms were around his
neck, and she was crying softly on his
breast.
1T means, Dick, that Nichols bought
the mortgage from Secor before he
went to Mexico; it has been due, as
you know, for four years; but Nichols
did not want the money, and wished
80, lot 4 I IaA 4
than he did. Secor knew that Nichols
was my son-in-law, and, from what
Nichols said, supposed he wanted to
clear it off. SecOr told Jim Ferguson
that he was going to do it.
"Secor did not know how he treated
NellieP" asked Dick.
mo" was the weary reply. Even
you, Dick, don't know that when 1
brought Nellie home-a wreck, dying
from his brutal treatment-that he
swore an oath to have revenge on me
and mine, because l would not let him
take her back to the city to die. He
hated her because she would not help
him in his wickedness, and when he
saw her days were numbered, told her
that she should never see one of us
while she lived, and none of us would
know where she was buried when she
me. l went to New York and brought
her home. When he came, in hot
haste, for her, kicked him out. You
were only little lad of FIVE then,
Dick. He has waited all these years,
and now he has his revenge"
''But how, fatherP We can easily
pay the twelve hundred dollars in a
week or ten days.
He has given me the legal thirty
days notice by publication in the
Bloomfield Register, which never comes
90 this post-oiiice. Mrs. Winters saw
it yesterday and sent me word. The
sale is for Saturday. He requires spot
cash. No one can get twelve hundred
dollars in so short a time and he will
buy it in himself
The young mans eyes blazed. ''If
he does-m he dares to show himself
I viii put q bullet in himr'
The mothers arms were around
him. His father laid his hand upon
his shoulder.
Leave him to God, Dick; don't
make our burden harder than we can
bear. Let us have our boy for the few
years yet left 10 u.s.
Remember Susie" sobbed the
mother