The Princeton union., 1900-04-26
CHAPTER XIX.

The next stroke, two days later, 81
fenced Jade FanshaW's tongue forever
1t fell at dawn, just as a 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, 1.-The old man has
handed in his checks. Geewhiikns,
Ron, I'm beginnin' to think I've run my
blasted head into secret of ma an
pas that they've kept from us fur over
a quarter of a 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 dogs hind foot!" he blurt-
ed out. "Thar's some'n behind all them
hints an threats that have been passin'
betwixt ma an pa sence I was knee
high to bow-legged duck, an have,
at this late day, jest got my fust whiff
of a dead mouse. You don't have to
knock me down with q load O. mill
rocks as a general thing; I can see a
inch fore my eyes, eff I am cross-eyed.
The old man kept runnin' on last night
about a 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, never did think you was a 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 I 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 yor
ask. I'd go to 'er, after the buryin'
an demand to know it all. She'll tel
you.''
At this juncture the voice of Mrs
Fanshaw came up to them as she shool
the latch Of Ann Josephine's door
''Wakc UP, JOSIE she said, "yore pa
been dead a good half hour, an thai
amt nobody to cook breakfast"
Ronald began to dress himself.
"Dave,' he said, "your suspicion ha
taken me completely by surprise;
have suspected for a good many year
that they did not feel towards me a
they did to the rest, but cannot ye
believe I am not really--a Fanshaw.''' -
"Wait till you talk to ma" counsele'
David. "Be shore you come at 'er ex
actly right. Make 'er feel shore yo7
won't give 'er speck O. trouble an
she'll let the cat out the bag"
The next day when Jade Fanshaw'
unpainted box was lowered into tn
grave near the meeting house, half
, mile over the hills, the snow was fallin
. so fast that the faces of the few mourn
. ers and neighbors who stood aroun
| could hardly be recognized. The noun
had scarcely received its shape whe
I it was robed n>white. 1t was as if M
: ture had spread an emblem of forgive
= ness over Jade Fanshaw's last restin
place. ..-.s f.. - Ia
e Ronald rode home in the wa agon COZ
saining Mrs. Fanshaw, Dave, the tw
! girls and Bud Tarbell. Arriving /:
. home the girls went into the house an
S Mrs. Fanshaw hustled about on tt
a.; hackpcrch, opening the window blint
o which she had closed that no one migl
e gain access to her house during Il
S absence Of the family. There Ronal
) found her, still in her bonnet and hea,
: shawl. Her eyes fell before the hui
cry stare of his own.
d Il want to see you in private, he sal
G excited in spite of a strong effort
d calmness. She moved as if to pass hi
/, and go into the house, and then 81
sE5E=f : Il Z e z n