Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-07-24

an up TO tile 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 dogs hind FOOT" he blurt-
| ed out 'Thar's somen behind all them
hints an threats that have been passin
betwiNt ma an pa scnce l was knee
high to a 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 a general thing; l can see
inch fore my eyes, eff | am cross-eyed.
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, Dave?" he ques-
toned.
"If ever was in my life"
Did you find out anything-posi-
tive?" the last word came out with a
jerk.
mo, but you can, Ron; ma is all 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 as she shook
the latch of Ann Josephines door:
Wake UP, JOSIE" she said "yore pas
been dead good half hour, an thar
amt nobody to cook breakfast"
Ronald began to dress himself.
"Dave," he said, your suspicion has
taken me completely by surprise; l
have suspected for good many years
that they did not feel towards me as
they did to the rest, but / cannot yet
believe am not really-a Fanshaw."
wait till you talk to ma" counseled
David. "Be shore you come at Ter eN-
aetly right. Make 'er feel shore you
won't give 'er u speck o trouble an
she'll let the cat out the bag"
The next day when Jade Fanshaws
implanted box was lowered into the
grave near the meeting house, half a
mile over the hills, the snow was falling
so fast that the faces of the few mourn
ers and neighbors who stood around
could hardly be recognized. The mound
had scarcely received its shape when
it was robcd 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 two
girls and Bud Tarbell. Arriving at
home the girls went into the house and
Mrs. Fanshaw hustled about on the
hackpcrch, opening the window blinds
which she had closed that no one might
gain access to her house during the
absence OF the family. There Ronald
found her, still in her bonnet and heavy
shawl. Her eyes fell before the hun
CRY stare of his own.
II wantto see you in private" he said,
excited in spite of strong effort at
calmness. She moved as if to pass him
and go into the house, and then she
paused before him, a logged expression
i'll her unsteady glance.
Dawes been blabbin to you, Ron,"
she said; 81 wouldn't pay no attention
to that boy"
you've been keeping something
from me-something concerning my
self, all my life," be heard himself
saying in deliberate tones.
She caught her breath, and then
looked through the hall a. Bud Tarbell,
who was turning his wagon away from
the gate.
Dave tor me back thar at the grave
jest now" she faltered, "that you said
You never would give me no trouble
about anything. If l knowed that
you would not bring me to court, an
that you would let us have the insur-
ance money to buy land in Texas, Ron,
I'd not keep back thing"
''Iour name shall never be men
tioned,' he promised, now chilled to
the center of his heart by what might
b.revealed. "1have right to know it,
If am not your son, and not his. You
know you are welcome to the insurance
money"
Cant you put it off till after supper,
when all the rest is asleep? l am so
excited"
mo, I'd rather know now" he said.
TheWinG blew the fine flakes of snow
under the roof of the porch, and they
fell and melted on her iron gray locks.
She did not look at him when she be-
gan, nor did she give him her eyes
steadily once through the whole re-
cital.
you've heerd bout yore pas bush
whackin' days up in Tennessee endurin'
of the war;" she began. "He was a sort
of head man against 'em all. They
made good deal by it, fust an last.
He used to tell me all about it fore we
got married an / was sech foolish
young thing that l thought his conduct
was smart, an that Jade Fanshaw was
about the finest ketch in them noun
tains. They did their biggest business
an made their biggest hauls by captur-
in folks that was trarelin' heer an
yam through the mountains to git away
from the war, as most of sech folks had
money about 'em. They didn't kill
often, unless it was through lack of
proper Judgment, like, for instance, in
threatenin' man 10 give up his treas