The Opelousas courier., 1899-02-04

uou u waste .pur tlme III cOnJurlng up
any further excuses. They are quite
unnecessary. II wish youa good morn
ing"
And she want on peeling her pota-
toes, while Herman Franklyn crept
out of the house, feeling very much
like a whipped cur.
For a day or two he felt heartily
ashamed of himself, but the reward
as at least he esteemed it-came at
last.
Mr.. Miner Molineux fell Ill. Being
i'll he was frightened. Being fright
ened he vas solitary. And consequent
ly he sent for his cousin Franklyn, q
thing he never would have done in
health.
"You don't think Tn going to die,
do you, Hermann" he asked, tremul-
ously.
"Oh, there amt no danger at ALL"
treasured the young man, IS the doc
tor had that morning said that the pa
tents spirits must be kept up at all
hazards.
"And you won't leave me?"
"Certainly not, if my presence can
be any satisfaction to you," responded
the delightful fortune seeker.
"But that girl that you're engaged
to-" grumbled Mr.. Molineux, "she
won't like it."
do you think that T could persist
in anything contrary to your wishes?"
reproachfully asked Herman Frank
Ign. "The engagement is broken"
"Good!" croaked the old man. "En-
gagements are a humbug, IN any
event. Engagements to girls that
haven't anything are still worse. Cou-
sin Franklyn, you've more ems than
I gave you credit for"
Day by day Miner Molineux grew
worse. On the fourth afternoon he
sent for a lawyer and made his will.
On the fifth he became s%peechless. On
the sixth he died.
"My fortune is made now" thought
Herman, who had listened at the door
during the interview with the lawyer
and heard directions given connecting
his name with the padlocked iron box,
whereof the key hung around the dead
mans neck. And he felt that Josie
had been we'll sacrificed.
"You wasn't at the funeral, eh?"
said Mrs. Pierce to the Widow Hall,
while Josie's needle flew faster than
ever through the cambria she was
hemming.
"Well no." said the widow, IT
amt partial to funerals in general.
And I didn't feel no special call to put
myself out to see an old miser buried
that I never saw nor spoke to while he
was alive"
"A man can't be a miser without
he's got money, can he?" said Mrs.
Pierce.
"I don't rightly know about that"
said Widow Hall. "But you don't
mean to say that old Molineux hadn't
anything, after ala"
Nothing but a few sticks of furni-
ture and some rusty coins as no de-
cent storekeeper would give change
for"
The widows eyes shone through
her spectacle-glasses.
"Land-o'-massy!' said she. "And
what was in the IRON box as everybody
had so much to say about-the iron
box as was willed to Herman Frank
lynn"
'.Just the sheets of paper as held a
dictionary the old man had been writ
ing all his days. Manuscripts, the
lawyer called it, whatever that might
be. He thought it was worth a deal
Of money-and he spent his all hunt
ing up old books as nobody but him.
self ever heard Of and travelling about
the country to pick up information"
"Humph!" said the Widow Hall.
"And what did young Franklyn say?'
"I didn't sit near enough to him to
| rightly hear" said Mrs. Pierce, t'but
them as did tells me he carried on
terribly when he saw what was in the
box and flung the whole bundle on
the back of the fire. I see it blaze
up myself"
"And was that ALL" asked the
Widow Hall.
"That was ALL" responded her in
formant.
I'm glad of it's cried out Josie,
springing up with sparkling eyes.
II never was SO glad of anything in
my life. He's served right for once"
Mr.. Franklyn called the next day,
meek and subdued. If Josie had
been a model heroine she would have
thrown both her arms around his neck
and vowed that she loved him better
than ever. But she was only a very
human little girl, so she stood up
with dignity and said:
"I wonder at your assurance in
coming here after all that has tran
spired, Mr.. Franklyn.
"There is the door, sir!" said
Josie. "sPlease TO walk out"
And there a nothing left for him
but to sswalk out"
Old Miner Molineux sleeps quietly
in the village graveyard and public
rumor has added another ghost to the
spectral population of the Haunted
Houses ye~llow-visaged old DOGGY
who wears q wig and carries in his
hand q padlocked iron box.
Two American Cities Debts.