The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-30
ACkS

astonlshed, therefore, that she found
the news OF her bargain quite an
agreeable adjunct to her breakfast that
morning?
Mrs. Trapaud was woman OF
some humor; when her husband died
she met friend-a man also of some
humor-who knew as all the world
knew, and as Mrs. Trepaud had never
pretended to hide. that the marriage
had been the reverse to happy. He
looked at her weeds with Il Compre.
bending smile.
Got your divorce at last:" he said
"Yes. and in the higher courts. too"
she replied.
Mrs. Trepaud was always equal to
any occasion.
When Trepaud died his widow car
ried on the work of his life; she con-
tinued TO breed his horses. Not so
much. be 1t understood. from any
touching sympathy with Tie dear de-
parted rs from a sound conviction
that il was In her to make the thing
pay. And she did.
1t was a strange household composed
vi NlhE illfll anu WV
men who had been begotten and born
on the estate. and in whom the last
expiring breath OF feudalism fingered
MS though dying hard. Trepaud left
no heir. and these farm and stable
hands. these domestic serving maids,
N'er. Mrs. Trepaud's children. She
dosed and physicked them when they
reqrired 1t. she rubbed their backs
when the rheumatism got imp0rtunate:
she scolded, she praised. rewarded and
blamed-and they loved her.
But as in every household there Is
one black sheep, so in this patriarchal
family there was one stranGelinG. Dan.
'iel-he had no other nanie-had not
been born and bred on the estate; he
had not even first seen light in the
village; no. not within ten leagues of
1T the gOssips said. lie came from
practically nowhere, II was 50 very far
AWAY. on winter nights. when the
evenings were long and dull. the
younger ones-for age was a mere mat
ter Of comparison in the Thanaud
,household7 would coax old Mrs. Good
!. cart to/tell again the story of how
First came TO tho hail
>Hlrt' were wild. hicGt night. Jest
..ru,h n one rs this" the Oil houseSeep-
er would begin.
"And the wind ware bowling In the
chimbley. we krows" wouid interpo.
tate an irresponsible voice.
"will ye nlver learn to houid rcr
tongue. then. and NOT interrlDt the
story" a chorus Of voices would pro-
test. and then. Mrs. Coolheart. having
duly allowed herself TO bo apDeased.
the story would drag out IT'S slow. fa.
miliar existence punctuated with
"ohs" and "ahs" and "there nows" that
had become sanctlfcd by custom into
sort OF rite. But the reader who does
not know what three hundred and six
ty-five Gays sDent on midland horse
farm situated good twenty miles
from anywhere on the map can be like
woul1 hardly appreciate the nrt with
which Daniels history was told. SC
we viii offer brief aud more modern
up-to-date sketch that shall state the
plain matter in n nutshell.
One Christmas eve quarter Of 9
century ago the Eospitahe glare of {
fire that not only could roast an ox
but was actually doing so. attracted ;
little ragged follow. who was trampir:
along the high road In search Of {
nights lodging. One OF the keepers
found him in the fir plantation anC
dragged him after him TIL they stool
in the glare Of the freight before The
L., al I 4
household. Questioned. the little fel
low said his name was Daniel: he wa
foundllng and Ind been put out 4
service with drunken carpenter
from whom he had run away. He hat
got as far nor,h rs this IN n barg
along the canals and had worked n
whatever came to his hand for all tn
food and lodging that charity had no
given him. Trapaud liked the lad
face and took him into his service II
was honest and industrious, he had rls
en- by slow degrees, and now for seve
years he had been butler at the hal
Daniel took a pathetic pleasure !
hearing his own story rected; 1t mad
him feel n kind OF hero: but there WI
always the cyer-present ache Mt hi
heart that he bought his proud pos
lion at the cost of love and fear. II
was never quite one OF them. but
thing apart as n man who does NJ
know his own surname must ever b
Mrs. Trapaud was habitually carefI
about money, never leaving careless
about any sums. however small, 81
never distrusted any OF her people. b'
she knew the value OF the axiom co
-cerning the open door. On this partl
ular morning. however. she rang Il
bell for breakfast to be cleared whi
4be hundred and thirty soverelgns we
still lying gllstenlng in the sun upC
the table.
Daniel answered the summons
usual and began TO clear away. !
he did 80 his eye fell on the mon'
and be gave little. quick. shal
gasp. Mrs. Trapaud heard II al
turned to~ook at him.
"Yes said. ''it's lot Of moe
n ssp1 One hundred and thI
bay mare and her 10