River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-10-14
Che tiliser's Secret.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

old MISER FUEGIS was dying In
a large, bare. desolate room he lay.
staring wildly at the duil walls and
Slingy ceiling. No one entered his room
unless , lucsted save his wife. who
chung faithfully to his side. His chill
dren-iCr whom he had never exhibited
any great show Of affection and whom
he seemed to look upon as so much
property 20 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
slave and forced his children to work.
lived like the poorest Iaborer. that he
might hoard his hard-earued gold Now
he was dying. and he alone knew where
ii 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
"a tender light in them that told of love.
Lucy he began, in faint. hollow
voice. Il feel that l can't live much
longer I am dying. ard before l 70
] want TO tell you secret-ask YOU and
the children 10 forgive me for the cold.
hard life have caused you 10 live. You
will forgive me-when You know all.
Call the chiIdrcn-I-am going fast"
The familN gathered hurr.edly about
the bed. Ehe miSer asked to be lifted
70 a sitting position. and continued:
Chls5ren, when you know the secret
that ! an 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 a mighty eff
fort ne gasped; You'll find it all-on
on"
After another spell he tried again TO
speak. "DOn't-sclI- the-farn'
His features relaxed; there was
tremor, and the miser was dead.
The miscr was scarcely beneath the
sod before his children began the search
AOA HIS AAdAAtA EuAtl- NOW Nllll ne was
gone, and had sought in his last hour
10 make reparation, they thought of
him kindly. They forgot his asperities
As they thought Of the treasure he had
left them. Now il was all theirs. Il
never occurred to them that the prize
might elude their most careful and per
sistent search
80 confident were they of success. and
50 pleasant wa the contemplation of
their fortune, that Albert. tie youngest,
Sat down with pencil and paper TO figure
out the amount their father had ac-
cumulatet during the last 80 years.
His calculation was something like
this: The farm averaged an income OF
At least $500 year for the first five
years. The next five the average would
be $1,000. The next ten 1880. and TO
his own knowledge the profits the last
ten years had been $1,000 Fifty thou
sand dollars would be a fair estimate.
"Ou"-that was the only c,ew. The
second story Of the Building was care
fully gone over; then the attic. but moth
ing but cObwebs and accumulated dust
and rubbish was found. Then the
grounds were gone over again and
again. each time more slowly and care
fully. special search being made on
every emineuce. But il was always with
the same Disappointing results.