Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1886-07-23
5elftf Reabing.
AN OPPORTUNE WITNESS.
THE RESULT OF 4 SOMNAMBULISTIC
FREAk-HOW TWO YOUNG PEOPLE
WERE MADE HAPPY.

"WelI. I'm mighty glad to get
home,' said Mr.. Briscomb, emphati-
calIy
And he climbed out of the buggy,
with IA teaming face. and hurried up
the front walk while the hired man,
who had driven him from the station,
turned into the lane with flourish
and ratified down toward the barn.
Anybody might have been glad to
get back to so coy home and so un-
mistakable welcome.
\ big dog came bounding around
the corner Of the house to meet him,
prancing around him excItedly and
making frantic attempts 10 lick his
face.
Mrs. Marks, the housekeeper-Mr.
Briscomb was a hopeless bachelor
paused in her preparations for supper
10 smile and nod from the window;
and two young persons, who were sit
ting on the front steps, jumped up
hastily, took charge Of Mr.. Brisconb's
, satchel, and dragged a chair out on
the porch and pressed him into it.
These were Mr.. Briscomb's boarders
Ruth llaues who had come from
the next county 10 teach the district
school; and Horace Bennett. who WAS
surveying for the new railroad and
buying land therefor.
II was whispered that the most OF
the surveying al been done in the
eishborhood Of the school house, the
children bearing witness to the fact
that the young surveyor WAS a very
frequent visitor. and that hardly a
day passed that he Was not on hand to
walk home with the teacher.
Well" SAID Mr. Bri>comb, re-
moving his travelled stained hat and
wipiug his forehead.
And he stopped short, and appeared
TO fall into reverb.
His comp,nions were silent They
were Lot quite sare which would be
the more appropriate sympathy or
'congratulatIon.
Mr. BrIscomb had been to a poin,
several miles distant, TO receive the
money left him by brother VINO had
died SIX months ago-the SIX months
having been consumed by slow and
sure system OF probating
lie gas worth more than nybody $
thought" said Mr. Briscomb, &C las,
! sss.-. a..Ha iafs Mariha. And the
buys more than they Can ever nee NJ
II they try; aud he also left me six
thousand dollars"
The surveyor and the little school
teae aer looked at each other breath
lcssly.
10 them, working hard for their
moaest earnings, and apprecistlng the
value OF money, 1t seemed an over,
whelmlng amount.
I've got 1t right here" Mr.. Bris
comb continued, tapping his bress,
pocket, "and its worried me all the
way home. You s.e, don't know
what In the name Of goodness to dc
with ii.
That's the last thing that would
trouble me- SAID Horace; and Ruth
laughed, rs she always did at Horace
salIles.
There's the btnk," Mr.. Briscomb
went on, muslnsly, "hut I'm afraid oil
banks. And there's the railroads;
suppose might take stock In some
OF them. But amt partial to rail
roads either. guess Id better keep
1t by me TIL I've looked around lit
tie he concluded, rubbing his chin
disturbedly
Nv Where will you keep it, said
Ruth wonderIngly
well, I've been thinking about
that" Mr.. Briscomb responded, look
ing at the porch floor with contracted
brows. Il thought of the back of the
old settee, and the inside OF the straw
tick, and the clock Case but I've come
to the conclusion that they'd be the
first places anybody look. Finally
thought of the thing. There's loose
board up in the floor of my room-the
northwest corner-just room for a
box under it, can put my trunk
over it. and there it is. Nobody d
think of going there"
Nobody but me-" said Horace,
cheerfulIy. IL should know exactly
where to go"
At which Ruth laughed again, and
Mr.. Briscomb smiled absently.
He was very fond of his boarders;
he often wondered how he could have
thought the old home cheerful before
they came, and what he should do
when they were gone.
I'D better get it off my mind" he
said, rising; "l'll go and do it now"
And be went into the wide hall and
up the stairs.
"ie ought to invest it at once, y
said Horace, Gisapprovingly. "Hell
always be uneasy while he has it on
bis hands"
81 am afraid so," said Ruth, look
ing after him regretfully.
And then the conversation drifted
to less practical subjects than that OF
NJ. Brscomb's money, and was Car.
ried on in rather lower tone.
1t was of Mr.. Briscomb's money
that Ruth was thinking, however, as
she sat in her window that night, look
ing down the sleeping road aud listen
ing to the chirp of IL belated cricket.
She had heard slight jarring
sound from the next room-her hosts;
and her thoughts had flown immedi.
ately to the loose board and MIR. Bris.
combs inheritance.
She sat motionles., with startled
face, listening iRtently.
A soft step crept down the steps
she heard it plainly; and the front
door opened with creak.
Ruth felt her heart beating fast and