The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-09-07
OUTLAWED.
BY J. L. Harbour.
A "A 4 - AAAAAA

THt DAl alter inc i"i " o"'
Coombs his five orphaned children
mere sitting around the kitchen stove.
irving, as Martha. the eldest, said, TO
look the situation in the face"
Martha was l6 years old; Ann, the
next Oldest, was IA; then there were
three little boys, Jerry, Lcander and
Horace.
Their mother had been dead three
years. and their father had been an in
valid for two years. He had at one time
been fairly prosperous man, but not
within the memory of his children, and
he had never said much about his bet
ter days"
The people in the town where the
Coombses lived wondered vaguely
what in the world those children
would do now" and Martha had lain
awake nights trying TO solve the same
problem Her mind was made up to one
thing-they would all stick together.
The house of four rooms in which
they lived was their own, and Martina
had exactly S25 in the world.
The day after Mr.. Coombs' funeral
was raw and dull. One Of the neighbors
had made Martha promise to come TO
her house for dinner, and bring all OF
the other children with her.
Everybody has been so kind Mar
tina was saying 10 her sister and broth
ers She had in her lap some papers
that she had taken from the tin box in
which her father had kept them for
years. Most of them were yellow with
age, and some Of them fell apart at the
creases when they were unfolded. Some
had seals. and were clearly legal papers;
Others seemed TO he old notes and bills,
and there were good many business
letters.
As Mr.. Coombs had told Martha that
none OF the papers were OF any value
and had advised her to burn them, she
now removed lid of the kitchen stove
and began to drop them. one by one, on
the Goals. She had burned most OF
them. when she picked up folded pa,
per. on the back of which was written
in her fathers hand:
This man | trusted above all others
and my loss of confidence in hin
grieycs me more than the loss OF TIT
money he should have paid me. But Of
what ! know to be my death-bed, Tor
give Justin Gye all the loss and sorrow
he has caused me-
Father could never hold a grudg
against anyone" said Martha TO hei
self, as she unfolded the paper. Sh
spread the document out on her knee
1t was a promissory note for 5000
signed by Justin u. Gye. IT had no IL
dorser. and Mr.. Coombs had written
red ink across the face Of ii this sin g
word: "Outlawed."
Martha looked at the date OF the not
1t was 30 years old.
Il wonder who this Justin ID. Gy
was. and / wonder what 'outlawe
means" said Martha. I'm going TO as
Mr.. Marston about IL when we go ov'
there TO dinner, and I'm going TO ke'
this note, because, when think OF II
don't believe that there's another lii
OF poor fathers handwriting in q
house"
Mr.. Marston told Martha that Z
word ''outlawcd." written on the MOI
h meant that the money due could not
collected by law, and that note "
''pi'htCSS uitCI WI Auih AeAAAS~.
years.
IF your father has written 'o'
lawed on the note, IL is OF no valu
concluded Mr.. Marston.
But promise to pay ought to
good Mt any time" said Martha.
1T ought 10 be, but unfortunately
isn't good in the written law. !
moral law "a another matter" said
Marston.
When Martha went back home l
took the note from the drawer In VII
che had placed II. and read II again.
few minutes later she busted hers
with some kitchen duties. Her pan
shelves needed clean papers on ~
Martha removed the things from
shelves. and took several papers fr
. bundle Mrs. Marston had given