Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1894-09-14


Miss Morton was sayin. mother"
said Martha, as she broke of little
green curl from the end of the hop
vine, 'that he'd lost a great lawsuit
and was very poor, and that his health
had suffered. That was the reason he
wanted sea air. and that was the
reason, too, that he didn't care to GO
where there were lots of folks"
"Ain't people queer?" said Mrs. Bar
stow, scratching her nose thoughtful
ly with the end of her knitting needle.
Up at Cliff house, where they had
"two sorts of butchers meat every
day, and ice cream of Sundays" a
grizzle-headed little attorney was talk.
ing to his friend, the legal luminary
of the village, after very much the
same strain.
THE longer live," said he, 'the
more become convinced of the oddly
of human kind. Now. there's Morti.
NOR Clagett--you know about the law.
suit of Clagett versus Clagett, don't
you?"
II have heard of it, yes"
swell, he's just gained it,"
"No-has hep
"And the strangest thing of all is,
now that he's got it he won't take it.
For twelve years he has been contest.
ing the thing-and the Gleason Clag-
etts have been fighting him tooth and
nail; and now that the courts have de-
n dn6 in 70 he r.
whole affair up and clears out"
I'm the name Of Justice and common
sense, why?" asked Lemuel Starbuck.
THAT'S what I'd like to know my
self" said the New York attorney,
scratching his shock of gray hair 81
can't account for it any way in the
world, unless"
"Well?"
"Gleason Clagett's niece is the only
surviving representative on that side
since the old man died-his wife's
niece, rather. And Mortimer Clagett
used to be fond of Edith before this
tormenting business of the lawsuit
commenced They haven't spoken to
each other for years, now, believe.
He won't take the property, and she
has hidden herself away somewhere.
It's come-down, tell you, from six
thousand year to nothing at all No
woman would be apt to like it,
1t was on the edge of twilight; the
tide was coming in again. Miss Dady
sat rocking idly to and fro in Martha
Barstow's boat, with the white kitten
coiled at her feet, and book in her
lap. Every now and then the breeze
lifted one of the light-brown locks OF
hair from her forehead, and dallied
with it, as il in sport; faint flush OF
color had risen to her cheek as she
turned the pages of her book.
All of a sudden she felt a peculiar
sensation, as if she were moving; she
looked up. The boat had slipped its
mornings, and she was already some
distance out to sea. The kitten was
peering over the edge of the boat and
mewing uncomforta5ly. The red stain
of the sunset seemed turning all the
waves to blood, while off in the dis.
lance the lighthouse rose up like a
shaft of ebony against the rudy sky.
She uttered little shriek-but there
were only the sea-gulls and the plain.
ing kitten to hear her, She looked in.
stinctively for oars, but there were nc
oars in the row-locks.
II am drifting out to sea-" she told
herself; ana then, with sudden idea,
she tied the scarlet-silk handkerchief
which encircled her neck, to the
handle of her parasol, and waved il
wildly toward the lighthouse.
There are rocks and reefs there,
she thought. II have often heard
Martha Barstow say how difficult il
was to land at the lighthouse. If one
of those sharp, jagged lodges should
saw it's way through the bottom of my
boat, then good-by to the red sunset
and the sweet salt air, and the evening
star that shines over yonder like the
point of silver spear! But | can dc
nothing can only wait"
Even while these disjointed refec
tions passed through her mind, g
little boat had put off from the circu-
lar stone foundations stairs of the
lighthouse, and was pulling steadily
toward her. In its bow sat a tall
sallow-complexioned man, with fac,
like the pictured prince of dor
Quixote.
st isn't little girl" he said aloud
as he neared the drifting boat. at il
a woman-it is Edith Dady!"
And she, looking intently at the
man, who was coming with long, ever
oar-strokes to rescue her, smiled to her
self and murmured:
st is Mortimer Clagett,"
So they met, these parted lovers, til,
last representa- tives of the rival side
of the famous lawsuit of 81 lagett VS.
Clagett."
There is no use trying to run ava,
from me-" Edith he said. "Even the
elements conspire against you"
$50 you are the Don Quixote of thi
lonely tower" said Edith, with smil,