Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-18

the ground was like iron from the second
hard frost, and it looked as though in
1t wouldn't be long before it began to
snow The old lady was sorter cranky
Ike, and wanted her own way, and
Wouion't listen TO anything that Thank
Iui mad to say, but told her to have
llmo5hE Iubbs hitch up the old mare
ana they would start right off. Thankful
wrapped aunt up in her big clock and
ooa, and tied on her bunnit for her, and
put not prick in the chaise, and about
L O'CLOCK lsne and Timothy started, and
aiong ABOUT they came back in driving
snoWsVorm, and the old lady seemed Just
ABOUT spent when she came in.
Thankful had blazing fire and q good
cup of strong tea all ready, and after
aunt Mirandy got warm she kinder chick
ed up like and was real lively and enter
tanning, and she gave Thankful cherry
coiored neck ribbon that she'd bought for
her In Watertown. Thankful asked If
she'd good luck with her business and
the old lady said "partly So" bus She
didn't sec the doctor, for he'd gone to a
funeral over In Danqury and would be
home for week. At O'Clock she told
Thankful to look up and they would go
to bed, for she was completely tuckered
| out. Aunt Mirandy made Thankful go
first, for she said she had something to
see to, so Thankful said good right and
went upstairs to her little room.
1t was bitter cold night, with a high
| shrieki2s wind, and the trees groaned
and the house shook in the blast, and
along toward L O'Clock the wind sorter
died away and Thankful dropped into a
sound sleep and didn't wake until long
past Der usual time. In the morning
when old Euniee (the hired gal) called
Thankful to breakfast, thankful found
out that Aunt NIrandy hadn't come out
OF her room yet; so when Thankful went
into her aunt's room to call her she found
the old lady lying outside of the bed. with
her clothes all on jest as she'd either the
night before. Thandktul ran out and
called old Eunice, and the two gals to-
| gether couldn't rouse Aunt Mirandy, who
vast stiff and cold. Timothy got the
| Woodbury. doctor there as soon as he
could, and he said the old lady had been
dead, for hours, and that she had died of
heart disease, and that her death was
FASTENED by her going out into the bitter
cold on the day before, but from the
peaceful expression of her countenance
ne said her death was no doubt painless,
and That was great comfort to poor
Thankful, who felt dread fully to think
that her aunt had died all alone.
Well they had big funeral. All our
folks went over, and after Aunt Mirandy
was laid away, in the cold and frozen
grave, on the bleak and barren hillside,
along with the rest of her kin, they came
| back TO the house to hear the will read.
ThankfuFs pa found out who Aunt Mir
andy's lawyer was. The lawyer said Aunt
Mlraudy had brous hit her will home the
day before she died, to make some alter
atoms in it. Well, they hunted the secre-
tary through, and her workstand and
every available place; but no will did they
find; and Thankful's pa jest asked the
lawyer, what was In the will anyway? but
the lawyer wouldn't make any disclosures,
but said probably the law would allow
| Thankful to stop on until the will was
found, but if it never turned up, until
| the heir-in-law, the scalawa g uncle, could
| be hunted up.
| We'll, the law decided that the two gals
was to stay on, and the expense of their
| keep was to come out of the estate. It
was long, cold winter, and at cold spells
| the two gals searched for the will which
they never found; and it got to be late
| spring, and along in april there came
revivalist to Woodbury. to hold pro-
| tracted meeting in the South Congrega-
tional church, and Thankful embraced
the opportunity to get religion if she
could. She went to meetin' afternoon
and she prayed at home, but she didn't
seem any nearer conviction than she'd
been two year before. Well, there was
to be special meeting of intercession
aud prayer. The young converts were
going to give in their testimony, and the
levivalist himself was going to wrastle in
prayer $50 to speak for those poor cree
turs still in Satan's clutches, This
| meetin' was to be opened Friday night;
or "Fast day" (as it was called by those
outside of the Episcopal church) in the
| state of Connecticut when 1 was boy.
Thankful went over TO the meetin' in
| tears; and stayed until midnight, and
and came home all worn out. She sot
| down IN her aunt's big arm chair, and the
room was as light as day, for the moon
was at the full Che Passover moon) and
| there was a good fire on the hearth too;
there was the old brass-handed secretary,
and the humble old rag carpet that
Thankful hated go; and as Thankful was
a-thinking of her sins, and sheddin' tears
over the hardness of her heart, the door
of the setting room opening into the hall
opened softly,-and in walked Aunt
M1randy-aS natural as lite!
She had On her back black bombazine
dress, with its muttOn-eg sleeves, her
deep-worked collar, and blue and white
checked linen apron, and Thankful could
see, as plain as day. her gold beads shin
ing in the freight. She had on her
black fore-top bound round her forehead
with narrow bit of velvet, and she had
on the very identical things that she wore
I'll mir he 5iad She looked straiOhf
at Thankful, (who was too frightened
to stir as though she were about to
speak, but changed her mind; then she
went straight to the picter Of the ship
and turned lit partly round so that
Thankful plainly saw the brown paper
pasted across the picter's back,--and she
seemed to be searching for something
and that was the last that Thankful
knew.
When Thankful came to it was broad
daylight; she shook herself together and
went out into the kitchen where old
Eunice was stun PIN round, getting
breakfast, and told her what she had
seen. The old woman laughed and said
il was a bad dream; but Thankful knew
better, so after breakfast she mustured
up courage and went into the setting
room, and turned round the picter as
aunt Mirandy had done, and there in the
brown paper pasted across the back of
the picter was a slit, and out of Il was
sticken' q folded document, tied with
tape and sealed with red wax. Thankful
knew at once that it was the missing
will; SO Timothy hitch up and they went
to the lawyers in Watertown end he said
it was aunt Mirandy's last will and tesla
meut, that he had drawn up 10 years be-