The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1888-01-05

ter till the bare walls uttered remon-
strant grumbles, and the very win
dows had discontented look. Not
even a dog was there. "They eat
and bring no income" the old man
said.
I Years before when his brother died
the house had passed into his hands
There was a mortgage or something
that made it his and left penniless an
infant son. But people thought il
| very strange, and winked and nodded
and said, you'll see." Very strange
too, It wss, that his br5ther's child
should be left to struggle IN the world.
! Giles a snift'ess chap, I'll have moth
ing to do with him, he had said.) But
penuiless he struggled on while the
rich uncle lived in The great house
alone
But the feeting years brought
wealth to the man IN the old house.
! While his neighbors had danced aud
made love, and found With their hard
| earned dollars shoes for little feet and
/ food for little mouths, his time had
/ been given 10 gain and his dollars
bad been locked IN toe big iron safe.
Hardly farm in the country but had
| been covered by his mortgages, hardly
! 3 purse but had been drained for his
usuorous NAV How he chuekled
this Christmas day as neighbor pass
ed down the hill from his house. He
had Just loaned him thousand dol
lars. The little farm below was mort
gagged, for his boys must go to school.
aBoys boys!'' growled the old
man. From the time they are born
till they stand by your grave it is
money money! And they can hard
" wait to bury you decently SO itching
to get the little you leave And what
do they bring you? Nothing The
first dollar earned they are eff and
still it is money You lose your in
terest and you lose your prin cipal and
what do you get? Nothing, l say
nothing! And chuckling again he
turned into the sounding chambers
thanking his stars that be had been SO
wise. All, there lies hls money,
thousands upon thousands. Not dol
lar has be ever spent Il shoeing little
feet that dig through the toes as fast
as YOU get them shod. Not dol-
lar has ne paid for straw mats that are
to have the crown pushed out by to-
morrow morning, and stuck on the
back of some triumphant head. His
money doesn't buy ribbons fo1l some
one to deck a welcome in, nor has a
cent Of 1t ever gone for doctors bills.
All, [ have been wise, | have been
wise, he chuckled, and he thought of
the racket those boys were making
down there to. night He heard the
little ones singing with their mother as
he stood in the door and the sound of
the organ had come to him. "Yes,
borrowing money" said he, "and ray
ing interest while that squeaking
thing SETS open and wastes their time.
Three hundred dollars it cost, cent.
Yes, he had been wise, thank heaven.
There was no squeaking in his ears,
and no boys with their screaming and
banging to set him mad, and no wo-
man to take up his time with prattle
and nonsense about babies. Here was
his time and his life's earnings all
within hands grasp, and barring HIM
selfin he swung open the great iron
door.
But no! how the wind is blowing,
and it grows cold The old man gath
cred his great coat about him and
huddled over his pile of treasure.
Deeds of trust, and mortgages, stocks,
titles aud crisp bills from the treasury
all lay by the heaps of yellow gold
His lean finger runs down the csiumn
| of his ledger and he foots up again the
! thousands the year has brought. He
fingers the hard coin and listens st the
music OF its tinkle How it blows
And look What face is at the win
dow, SO white! He starts What
shakes the table and seatters the coin ?
ct is mine! It's mine, mine, mi ne! F.
comes wall on the wind, while the
house trembles and the empty cham
bers sound with voices. On his knees
| the old man grovels for the rolling
coins. Mine, mine, m-i-n-e!" roars
the wind down the hues, and out OF
| the dead emhers sprung white phan
| tom and whirled about the old man 5
head and darkened the futtering can
die flame. With scream like some
wild thing he crouched on the floor
! and hid his face. But it was only a
paper fragment Il thought he had
come again, he muttered presently.
ssHow nervous | am tonight, and
there is such pain around my heart.
Tomorrow I'll see a doctor. A doc
tori No, not /. I'm good for thirty
years or more. I'll laugh at pain and
doctors too Thirty years and my
thousands shall be millions And
then-then Ell bury my treasure and
no man shall ever lay iinger upon It,
| I haze them one and all
Hot Hot l.owIed the wind. Ho
Hol Hoi it roared. Minel mine
screamed the voice from the housetop
ana the STERN spirit slammed ths
swinging shutters and beat the great
house till It rocked.
Yes the storm spirit is abroad. Ht
catches the old oaks in his arms ane
shakes the trunks till they fling theil
dead branches away into the night
The boughs toss and wall, and ths
i flying fragments rattle against ths
weather stained house
i Within, the tattcred curtain is tor.
from the broken pane, and the bfeatl
Of the blast snaiches the titles from
the old mans and scatters them away
eThe devil is aloosc to- night r. b
| gasped, ae be clutched at the hyin,
treasures But heavens "A crash,