Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-06-06
CHAPTER XIX.


no response.
CHAPTER XIX.
The next stroke, two days later, ST.
fenced Jade Fanshaw's tongue forever.
1t fell at dawn, just as big red rooster
under the house crowed and tapped his
wings. Dave came upstairs and shook
his brother, who had fallen asleep only
about an hour before.
WELL" he said, "the old man has
handed in his checks. Geewhilikins,
Ron, I'm beginnin' to think I've run my
blasted head into n secret of ma an
pas that they've kept from us fur over
quarter of century. All night long,
an up TO the time he tuck his last suck
of air the old man talked of nothin'
else but you-you-you, an some dead
soldier"
HE seems to imagine" Ronald be-
gan, but Dave interrupted him.
Imagine a dogs hind foot!" he blurt-
ed out. "Thar's some'n behind all them
hints an threats that have been passin'
betwiXt ma an pm sence l was knee
high to bow-legged duck, an / have,
at this late day, jest got my fust Whit
of dead mouse. You don't have to
knock me down with load O. mill
rocks as general thing; 1 can see q
inch fore my eyes, eff l am cross-eXed.
The old man kept runnin' on last night
about baby an its dead daddy; an
ma kept tryin' to keep me from under
standin' till she fell asleep out O. pure
WEAKNESS of the brain an then the
truth begun to creep into my noggin.
Ron, l never did think you was bit
like the rest of us, an now I'm sure
you don't belong to this litter"
Ronald sat up on the edge of his bed,
as white as death could have made
him.
"Are you in earnest, Dave2" he ques-
toned.
"If ever was in my life"
did you find out anything-posi-
tive?" the last word came out with q
jerk.
mo, but you can, Ron; ma is oil broke
up. She knows you saved the insurance,
an she would answer any question you
ask. I'd go to 'er, after the buryin'
an demand to know it all. She'll tell
you"
AT this juncture the voice of Mrs
Fanshaw came up to them us she shook
the latch of Ann Josephine's door:
Wake ur, JOSIE she said, "yore pas
been dead good half hour, an thar
amt nobody to cook breakfast"
/ TO- 4 h;
Dave" he said, your suspicion has
taken me completely by surprise;
have suspected for good many year.
that they did not feel towards me a:
they did to the rest, but cannot ye1
believe am not really-a Fanshaw."
"Wait till you talk to ma" counselet
David. "Be shore you come at FER ex
actly right. Make FER feel shore 20,
won't give 'er u speck O. trouble an
she'll let the cat out the bag"
The next day when Jade Fanshaw'
implanted box was lowered into thu
grave near the meeting house, half ;
mile over the hills, the snow was falling
so fast that the faces of the few mourn
ers and neighbors who stood arount
could hardly be recognized. The mount
had scarcely received its shape wheI
it was robed in white. 1t was as if Ma
ture had spread an emblem of forgive
ness over Jade Fanshaw's last resting
place.
Ronald rode home in the wagon con
tanning Mrs. Fanshaw, Dave, the tw'
girls and Bud Tarbell. Arriving n
home the girls went into the house ant
, Mrs. Fanshaw hustled about on tn
hackpcrc opening the window blind
which she had closed that no one nigh
gain access to her house during tn
absence of the family. There Ronald
found her, still in her bonnet and heav,
shawl. Her eyes fell before the hun
CRY stare of his own.
II wantto see you in private" he said
, excited in spite of n strong effort a
calmness. She moved US if to pass hin
. and go into the house, and then sh
paused before him, a logged expression
in her unsteady glance.
"Dave's been blabbin' to you, Ron,
she said; II wouldn't pay no attention
to that boy"
: you've been keeping something
from me-something concerning my
self, all my life" he heard himsel
! saying in deliberate tones.
I She caught her breath, and the1
looked through the hall at Bud 7 .rbell
: who was turning his wagon away from
the gate.
! "Dave toll me back thar at the gray'
jest now" she faltered, "that ysu sal,
: you never would give me no trouble
about anything. If I knowed tina
= you would not bring me to court, an
that you would let us have the insur
ance money to buy land in Texas, Ron
S I'd not keep back thing"
"Your name shall never be men
, toned" he promised, now chilled t,
e the center of his heart by what nigh
3 b.revealed. shave right to know il
!, If am not your son, and not his. 70,
know you are welcome to the INSURANCE
money"
: Cant you put it off till after supper
n when all the rest is asleep? am s.
excited"
mo, I'd rather know now" he said.
| bASW Viz 4AAS AohCS VI eAON
under the roof of the porch, and the,
fell and melted on her iron-gray locks
She did not look at him when she be
gan, nor did she give him her eye
steadily once through the whole re
cital.
you've heerd bout yore pas bush
whackin' days upin Tennessee endurir
of the war;" she began. HE was a sor
of head man against 'em all. The
made good deal by it, fust an last
He used to tell me all about it fore w
got married an was sech foolis
young thing that thought his conduc
was smart, an that Jade Fanshaw wa
about the finest ketch in them noun
tains. They did their biggest bushes
an made their biggest hauls by captu1