The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-06-27


how soon will you be ready to go to
Scrantonville with met"
al will begin to pack to-day"
1t proved to be tedious job TO gather
all the household goods into travelling
compass, to start off box after box, to
take leave of neighbors, and make prepa-
rations for the long journey and new
home. But Jessie found comfort in con-
liant work, and the next week most Of
packing was finished
y ssS DAY before that appointed for
.ssRft, Bert sent to Tor Mr.. PIxon, to
axe one more appeal to his honesty.
There was long, rather stormy inter
view in the dismantled library, where
only the huge painting and two chairs
had been left. Bert had left the room,
Under some pretense of questioning his
sister, and Mr.. Paxon was peeping
about in Paul Pry way that Jes-
sic had told her brother was habitual
with him, when be made a discovery.
There was an ugly space in a recess
where Tom Thorpe's stationery desk had
stood for ten long years against the wall.
Scraps of paper and string, torn envel-
lopes, all the debris of packing, were
scattered about, but wedged into the
top of the mop board was an envelope,
almost concealed, that Mr.. Paxon was
sure contained an Enclosure. Warily he
crept up to it, seized it, and found it a
sealed envelope, directed
ITO Jessie, my wife. To be opened
only after my death. "
He crammed it hastily into his pocket,
and when Bert returned took his de-
parture. Something important must be
in that paper, that had evidently slipped
out of the desk when it was moved and
escaped observation. But the disclosure
was a startling one. Without any scruple
of honor or honesty, Mr.. Paxon broke
the seal and read:
DEAR JESSIE has been long known to
you, dear, that my life was precarious one,
and you will not be surprised that l have
made little provision for you and the chill
dren. Poor Fred left me ten Thousand dol
lars in United States bonds. and, unwilling
to trust it to any bank, l have hidden it away
in the lower right-hand corner of the picture
he gave me. The interest will run on until
you take the envelope from the hiding place
as no -one else will ever move the picture.
Forgive me for keeping this one secret from
you. TOM
No one elsel Why, they might tear it
down any moment. A.cold sweat broke
out all over the rascal's body. All his
boarded wealth, the result OF scheming,
cheating. saving, was as nothing COM
pared with this newly discovered treas
ure. Nobody else must find those
bonds,
But when he returned TO the house he
found everything in hurried confusion,
and Bert issuing hurried orders.
~ can't talk to you now" he said, as
Mr.. Paxon came up. ~ am obliged to
leave on the 7.30 P. N. train from B.,
and it is nearly two o'clock now. There
is still wagon load to go, and the chill
dren and Jessie are getting dressed for
the carriage at three o'clock
.'But l must speak to you"
''And that picture has to be packed
too" cried Bert, bustling into fine house.
"Here, some of you fellows bring step
ladderl"
mo, mop cried Mr.. Paxon. IL
came over to see if I couldn't buy that
picture"
buy it" Bert cried. "YOu might as
well ask Jessie to sell you one of her
boysl Why, her dear brother-in-law
painted itl'
''But it looks so well where it is, and
-, 90 ,..,-i---o,-1 % NOV, r.
Paxon, watching with horror Bert's
preparations to tear the painting from the
wall 81 will give you good pricel"
"How muchl But l am sure Jessie
will never part with i'll"
''F1ve hundred dollars"
"Bahr'
"a thousand"
= - Thousand dollars for such a work Of !
art as that mai Disc, e JJTssfc
ever could part with it, it ought to bring
five times that sunni
Give times that sunni Five thousand
dollars" cried Mr.. Psxon.
''Certainlyln said Bert, coolly. 'But
we do not wish to sell it all. Come,
hurry upl Take out the top nails very
carefully there" 80,
s'I'll give you FIVE thousand for 1t
cried Mr.. Paxou, desperately, rapidly
calculating the ten years interest on the
bonds.
aBut we leave here in half an hourl
You don't carry five thousand dollars
round in your pocket, do your
,rVo hut carry my check-book. I'll
give you check"
s,Won't dol 1 cannotstop t. cash 1t. ="
.rU run over to the bank with it my
swell. you nayen't much time. You
get the money, and I'll speak to Jessie
while you are gone. I'm not sure she
will take iti''
OFF darted Mr.. Paxon, ana Bert hur-
ried the last boxes on the wagon and sent
it off just as the carriage drove up. Jes-
sic and the boys were already seated
when Mr.. Paxon came round the corner,
actually carrying the money in his hands.
Very carefully Bert counted it, the
crisp notes for five hundred dollars each,
that represented the exact sum that Tom
had paid the rascally landlord for the
house his widow was leaving
Correct" he said, presently. ''There
is no need of receipt. You can see the
picture through the window ocd-byer'
The carriage whirled off, anG Mr.. Paxon
entered the empty house. The workmen
had gone with the wagon, but when he
pulled the corner of the canvass, he found
II already loosened from the frama A
large, yellow, envelope with three i'm
mense red seals, was behind it, and with
trembling fingers he tore itopen. A long
slip of paper was the only inclosure, and
halffainting, the disappointed schemer,
read:
"This makes our account square,
The Ledger.
A Tint Used in the Misty Past.