Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-11-05
Cb< nli$er'$ Secret.
/.

ND AISER FURGIS was dying. In
~ large, bare, desolate room he lay,
staring wildly at the dull walls and
dingy ceiling. No one entered his room
unless requested save his wife, who
chung faithfully to his side. His chill
dren-for whom he had never exhibited
any great show of affection and whom
he seemed to look upoE as so much
property to be made the most of-stole
cautiously to the room occasionally and
peered in.
Miser Furgis, as he was known
throughout the country, had lived in
the old rambling house in which he was
dying, for 30 years. During the time
he had cultivated the fertile acres that
lay about it. He had worked like a
slave and forced his children to work,
lived like the poorest laborer, that he
might hoard his hard-earned gold. Now
he was dying, and he alone knew where
1t was buried.
One morning, after having lain I'M
conscious for days, he opened his eyes
and turned them searchingly about the
room until they rested on his wife. AS
they fingered finally on her there was
tender light in them that told of love.
Lucy" he began, in a faint, hollow
voice, Il feel that I can't live much
longer. 1 am dying, and before I go
want to tell you secret-ask you and
the children to forgive me for the cold,
hard life have caused you to live. You
will forgive me-when you know all.
Call the children-I-am going fast"
The family gathered hurriedly about
the bed. The miser asked to be lifted
to sitting position, and continued:
Children, when you know the secret
that am about to disclose you will for
give my seeming unnatural" he
stopped and writhed in agony as some
great pain took hold upon him. Trem-
bling violently, he sank back among
the pillows. Then with mighty eff
fort he gasped: You'll find it all-on
on
After another spell he tried again to
speak. sell-the-farm."
His features relaxed; there was a
tremor, and the miser was dead.
The miser was scarcely beneath the
sod before his children began the search
for his boarded gold. Now that he was
gone, and had sought in his last hour
to make reparation, they thought of
him kindly. They forgot his asperities
as they thought of the treasure he had
left them. Now it was all theirs. 1t
never occurred to them that the prize
might elude their most careful and per-
sistent search.
So confident were they of success, and
so pleasant was the contemplation of
their fortune, that Albert. the youngest,
sat down with pencil and paper to figure
out the amount their father had ac-
cumulated during the last 80 years.
His calculation was something like
this: The farm averaged an income of
at least $500 a year for the first five
years. The next five the average would
be $1,000. The next ten $500, and to
his own knowledge the profits the last
ten years had been $4,000. Fifty tho--
sand dollars would be a fair estimate.
"On7-that was the only clew. The
second story of the building was care
fully gone over; then the attic, but moth
ing but eobsvebs and accumulated dust
and rubbish was found. Then the
grounds we're gone over again and
again, each time more slowly and care
luily. special search being made on
eveFy eminence. But it was always with |
he same Disappointing results.
III.
Years passed, and the 1niser's gold lay
ecure in its hiding place. They who
ought il continued hopeful. and with
he exception Of short intervals Of rest
aey had kept diligently at work.