The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-05-24

poipicAeu tuouknI, nlS nngerS
Fvously rattiing his watch chain.
zRssie, his only sister, Tom Thorpe's
Ndow, was sobbiDg on the sofa.
Jessie, dear.n lie said, presently,
4 is cruel TO make you talk, but If
epuid only get some really clear
"a of the business. 1 might. per-
lbs, help you"
Je: sic sat up and tried TO still the
SIS that fhe talk .Abput her hpsband
Mt q s-SDlzfll tl6ad had called
flh. Sire was a woman with fair
Ihk and biue eyes. and young genough
Ist1l to make her deep widows
hourning doubly pathetic.
"About the house ?" she said.
Yves. You say it is almost paid
fOrW
"TNe price WIS six thousand dol.
lars fer the house and grounds.
There isa verylarge orchard and a
vegetable gardel, besides the garden
in front. Tom was to pay for it just
as he could, but, not less than three
hundred year We were so anx-
ious to have home of our own,
Bert, that we worked very hard for
it, and that is the reason / know all
about it. l put all my writing mon.
ey in, too; n5t vast sum, to be
sure, but it hoped along.
"AnG yOu are sure there were five
thousand dollars paid to Mr.. Pdxon?
II am positively certain of it,"
"And the receipts are lost ?"
Lost! Gone entirely. Ber:,
never dared say it, for 1 canno prove
it. hut ! firmly believe Mr.. PAXon
stole TOMS rec ipt book"
why ?"
"Well, he is man who is not
much respected, and there have been
several stories told about him that
throw a doubt over his honesty.
Still, he keeps clear of the law. Tom
took the receipts for the payments
on the house, in small. red account
hook, that had nothing else in it.
ls,,>at day-no, | am not going to cry
z +}El. oiear-s,that dreadful day. he
Sent "'Grd to Mr.. PaxOn that he
would pay him five hundred dollars.
He had sold a lot of wool, and | mad
two hundred dollars saved. | know
he had it when Mr.. Paxon came.
Then there was that dreadful hem
onhage. and how could we think OF
anything hut Tom for the next three
days? ? But, Bert, Mr.. Pdxon was
alone with MIN when he was taken
i'll, and gave the alarm. There was
nothing to prevent his slipping the
ractipt.bopt into his p.~Npi, aud |
hplievp he did it. Ii cAnDui he found
and Mr.. Paxop would not dare &C
assert that he has never been paid
anything bat rent for the house. il
Ire die not know l cannot produce
the receipts"
"H'm! Yes, I see But one can
not accuse man of such crime as
that without some proof"
II understand that. l think he
intended, if Tom got better. to pre-
tend it was a mistake, or he NIGH
have meant to cheat him."
"Was there never any witness tC
the payments"
mo. He would come over, ol
Tom would go to hun and pay what.
ever we could spare. But l bayt
seen the receipts often And think
Bert, how that five thousand dollar,
would keep me now"
Bert did think of it He was g
young man who had made for him.
elf home in Western State. over
which he had asked his widowed sis.
ter to preside, He had come to her
with open hands and heart, to offer &
home to her and her two boys. know
ing that his brother.in-law had lived
upon his salary as clerk in a whole
sale house. But he had found thai
these two by close economy, by
Toms experiments in sheep-raising
and Jessie's contributions TO maya
zine literature, had nearly secured 9
home Of their own, when sudden
rupture of a blood-vessei had ended
life for one, atd left the other desc
late.
Many long talks the brother and
sister had about this cruel wrong
pressing upon her, but ARRIVING
always at the same conclusion thai
only the finding of the receipt. book
could help her. They were still talk
ing, in the room that Tom had de-
voted to his wife's literary labor,
and his own business affairs, anC
dignified by the name of library
when Bert, pointing to the wall