The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1897-09-16
AN UNEXPECTED 1000.

Willie Smith was l9-pretty, viva
cious, ambitious, but just now the very
much discouraged owner of the Smith
plantation and its membranes. Two
weeks before she had been summoned
from her school at Staunton by the
death of her grandfather, and, as there
were no other relative, had entered at
once into the possession of the property.
A few days after the funeral the owner
of the mortgage had made an ostensible
visit of coincidence, hut had 80 inter
polated his expressions Of sympathy
with matters of practical significance
that when he left Willie was for the first
time aware that she was only the nomi-
nal owner of her plantation.
At first she was stunned, for she had
already begun to make plans for the i'm
provement and extension of the ances-
tral acres. The poor cabins of the ne
gro tenants were to be replaced by new
ones, neglected fields were to be again
fenced and brought into cultivation,
and better methods and better machin-
cry were to be used. Her grandfather
had been easy-golng and impractical,
but she had supposed that her school
ing and the household expenses had
been met by the rents paid him by the
negro tenants. Now she knew that the
mortgage had been gradually increased
to meet the deficits.
This morning she was in the kitchen
helping Aunt Chloe with the ironing,
but her thoughts were busy with the
formidable problems of the future.
There were the expenses and the inter
est to be met, and, worst of all, there
was 800 still due her school at Staun-
ton. She could not see any possible
way to pay it, for the season had been
bad, and the renters, instead of paying
what they owed, were beginning to
clamor for advances on the next year g
crops; and the creditor had delicately
limited that her grandfather had already
raised the mortgage out of all proper
tion to its security. In anxious sue
cession her mind went over her own
accomplishments in search of some
thing that would be money-producing.
She was fond of scribbling, and was
good at music and drawing, and had
won a school reputation as linguist.
But she was too honest and practical to
overrate these accomplishments. They
were good things to know, but would
not help her at the crisis. No, she must
struggle as best she could until the
creditor foreclosed; then she would &c
out and seek place among the wage
earners.
"Heyer' yo' mail, Mis- Willie, "called
Uncle Tobe's voice through the open
window, and black hand was thrust
in with a package of letters. She took
them and glanced over the postmarks
carlessIy. Most of them were from
school friends at Staunton. Several
were circulars, and one was from Lead
vile, Col. She selected this and ex-
amined it curiously. She had no cor
respondents in any part of the west
Inside was check and a short letter,
with the printed address of Leadville
banking house. The letter read !:
"Willie Smith, Talbottom, Ga: We
are requested to forward you the in
closed check for ten thousand dollars
($1O,OOO.) Please acknowledge receipt
and oblige, yours truly,
"WALDRoN & Co."
She stared at it for moment, ther
hurriedly examined the check. Yes, il
was for $4,000, made in favor of Willie
Smith. But, of course, it was mis-
take. If she had any relatives in thu
world, they were so far removed as tC
have been overlooked and certainly
none Of them was rich enough to sen(
her $40, 200.
Talbottom was small, unprogressiv,
town, whose struggling arms reached
out drowsily to the line fence of tn
Smith plantation. Willie crossed tw'
fields and went down short lane, ant
was then in the principal street. Their,
was but one bank, and its cashier wa
an old friend of her grandfather. Sh,
went directly to him and explained he
: errand.
81 reckon it's all right, Willie, sait
the old man, after he had carefully ex
amined the envelope and its contents
'Its directed to Willie Smith, Talbot
tom, and you're the only Will Smith
know. And Waldron & Co. are al
right. Our house has dealt with them
And I'm bound to say, my dear, put
ting down the papers and looking q
her beamingly, "I'm plumb glad fo
this windfall. 1 can almost hear "
grandfather chuckle in his grave"
"But it can't be mine, insisted Wi
: lie, 81 don't even know that | have
{ relative in all the world"
Somebody yo' family has lost sigl
! of, /" said the cashier genially. NOV
there's a man over in Jasper count
got fortune from a cousin he hasn
baard from in thirty veara rackc