The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-11
His Care Of Belinda
By S. T. S7ERN

= q & r -
in any way the testamentary provision of
our late friend and citizen.
| The court interrupted. Mr.. Burroughs,
you represent the residuary legatee, Mr..
| Nathan barley. If you can show me
single precedent upholding your contention
| i Will deny probate. Otherwise / must
admit the will. Mr. Dunton, you may con-
slider yourself guardian of Miss Belinda,
moment, please. Isis your ward In
| in court?'
| litter ran around the room as Dun
ton appeared leading his four footed
charge down the center aisle of the court
room. There she stood, blinking solemn
~ and apparently oblivious of her good
fortune. When the court inquired in
sepulchral tone whether Miss Belinda,
surname unknown, knew any reason why
| Blythe Dunton Of Baslow Hill should not
be appointed her true and lawful guar
dian, she gave no sign of disapproval.
The crowd left the courtroom Blythe
Dunton filed his bond and removed Miss,
Belinda, the donkey heiress. to her home.
From that day Belinda lived in style
She was straightway installed in the par
| lor of the Dunton household, which was
converted into stable for her benefit
Six months passed, and nothing had
been heard of the threatened appeal
Then, late one Sunday night, Blythe was
reused from his slumber by the sound
of footsteps in Belinda's room. Hastily
donning his clothes, he went below.
There lay Belinda in her stall-dead. -
|. '.Poisoned!' he exclaimed. He called
John, the hired man. john said he.
don't allow any one to enter this room.
I am goin' over to Blackwell market place
to fetch Belinda 49,.
t'Blinda.' stammered JOHN Why,
there she is in her stall. 1 guess she's
done for. ~. ..
THAT amt Belinda said Blythe with
wink. That's another donkey 1 was
.keepin> here for awhile Belinda is in
Matiock. : f~they want to prove the con-
trary, let 'em try it, ..r.. "a -
In three days Blythe returned He
came through the town in the dead Of
night driving a large covered wagon.
week later he was summoned to court.
Il have been informed that your ward
is dead" said Judge Smith. IF that be
the case, your guardianship is terminated.
Can you produce her?'
"Of course I cam" said Blythe. Then
he added meaningly: '1f anybody thinks
Belinda is dead, I would like to meet the
gentleman and hear his proofs. Fact is,
somebody entered my home two Sundays
ago and poisoned one of my animals, but
Belinda is home at this present moment
chewin' the cud of contentment. If YOU
would like to see her. judge, I'll bring her
round And there the matter dropped.
Six months later Blythe Dunton's house
| burned to the ground. The insurance
companies said the fire was of incendiary
origin, but they were unable to prove it,
and after some interesting litigation they
paid the policies. Once more an evil
! minded genius asseverated that during
| the progress of the fire he. had seen the
carcass Of a donkey lying across the
threshold of the Dunton house. Blythe
was summoned He appeared at once.
leading his donkey to court. The oppo-
sition when called upon to prove that the
animal produced was not the donkey
heiress failed signally.
Belinda was confusingly versatile and
| changeable in character For an entire
year after circus had passed through
the town she exhibited tricks and talents
that no one would ever have suspected.
The following spring she lost her clever
ness and suddenly developed a temper
| that brooked no approach within six feet
of her heels. Her girth, too, varied mar
! velouSly. One summer she waXed fat and
large. BY winter time she had become
1neager and scrawny. The decline was
! temporary: when the sun came out and
painted the apple trees she resumed her
former sickness. Tickle was Belinda.
even to her tail. That Interesting MEM
Der f1uctuated between hirsute length and
! bony brevity in a manner that created
| no little establishment.
| So matters went for five years. during
| which Belinda earned a tremendous repu-
tation. So pronounced was local pride
| that ten men were ready to make oath
that Belinda was born upon their farms.
Blythe Dunton basked in the, light OF
prosperity and literally denied the pre-
tensions of no one. ..
The following winter he died. His
last words We're. Take care of Miss Be
linda That was impossible, for his ad-
rninistrator reported that all Of the barley
fortune had been spent. AS he crossed
the Dunton garden patch a queer sight
met his eyes. He saw before him nine
teen mounds of brown earth, and over
each of them wooden slab The slabs
were all alike except their dates and each
of them bore the inscriptions: ---:-