Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-01-05

said that Mr.. Sawyer was SO stuck up
that he wouldn't speak to common
folks. Waal, think he's real gen.
tleman. 'Twon't do for any one to
run him down to me arter this"
Here she thought of her money, and,
spreading out the three bills in her
hand, she opened the kitchen door and
screamed at the top of her voice,
Jonas! Jonas!! Jonas! ~" There
were no signs of Jonas. Where is
that man? He's never round when
he's wanted"
What is it, Marthy?" said voice
behind her. Turning, she saw her hus-
band putting away at his brierwood
pipe.
81 thought you went out to the
barn" said she, 'to help Abner hitch
up?"
WAL, did," he replied; "but it
didn't take two on us long to do that.
l eat so much chicken salad that it
laid kinder heavy on my stummick, so
| went out in the wood-shed to have a
smoke. But where did you git all that
money!"
"Mr. Sawyer took the front room
for two weeks and paid for it ahead,
and do you know he said my chicken
salad was jist as good as Mrs. Young
and Mrs. Parker makes down to Bos.
ting"
I don't know Mrs. Young nor Mrs.
Parker" said Jonas, 'but on maxim
chicken salad I'll match Mrs. Haw-
kins agin EN- any day" and he went
out in the wood-sned to finish his
smoke.
AS Quincy walked down the road to-
wards the Pettengill house his mind
was busy with his thoughts.
"To think" said he to himself, "that
while was listening to those stories,
to call them by no worse name, at the
dinner table, the woman I love was
witnessing the death agony and listen.
ing to the last words of dear friend
the woman who's going to leave her
a fortune. Now that she knows that
she's an heiress. can speak; she new
er would have listened to me, knowing
that she was poor and / was rich, and
never could have spoken to her with
that secret in my mind that Mrs. Put
nam told me-that she was going to
leave her all her money. am SO glad
for Alice's sake, even if she does not
love me. She can have the best medi-
cal attendance now, and she will be
able to give all her time to her literary
work, for which she has decided
genius. Won't she be delighted when
tell her that Leopold has placed all
her stories and wants her to write
book?"
AS he reached the front gate he saw
Hiram driving up the road and Alice
| was with him. AS Hiram stopped,
Quincy stepped forward and took Al
ices hand to assist her in alighting
from the buggy.
ooh, Mr. Sawyer" said she. ''have
you heard that Mrs. Putnam is dead,
and I've had such terrible day with
her?"
Her nervous system had been
wrought to its highest tension by what
she had undergone during the past six
hours. She burst into flood of tears.
Then she tottered and would have fall
en- if Quincy had not grasped her.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
She took step forward, but he saw
at a glance that she had not sufficient
strength to reach her room.
"Open the gate, Hiram. Then give
the door-bell good short ring, SO that
Mandy will come quickly
He took her in his arms and went
up the path, by the astonished Mandy,
and upstairs to Alice's room, where he
laid her tenderly upon her bed. Turn
ing to Mandy, who had followed close
at his heels, he said:
"She is not sick, only nervous and
worn out. If you need me, call me"
He went into his own room and
thanked Heaven that he had been at
hand to render her the service that
she so much needed When he went
down to supper Mandy told him that
Miss Alice was asleep, and she guess
ed she'd be all right in the morning.
CHAPTER XXI.
An Inheritance.
Quincy reached his room at Mrs.
Hawkins boarding house about mid
night of the day of the town meeting.
About the same hour Mrs. Heppy Put
nam awoke from a. troubled sleep and
felt pain, like the thrust of knife
blade, through her left side. The room
was dark and cold, the wood fire in
the open CRATE having died out cou-
pie Of hours before, while a cool wind
was blowing with great force outside
/ Mrs. Putnam came of the old stock
which considered it a virtue to suffer
and be silent, rather than call out and
be saved. So she lay for five long
hours suffering intense pain, but de
claring to herself, with all the sturdi
ness of an old Roman warrior or an
Indian chief, that she would not ask
for assistance "till it wuz time fol
folks to git up"
i This delay was fatal or was destin
ed to become so, but she did not know
it; she had had colds before, and she
had always got well. Why shouldn't
she now? 1t is a strange vagary o1
old people to consider themselves jus-
as young as they used to be, notwith
standing their advanced years. To the
majority of the old people, the idea O.
death is not so appalling as the ina
bility to work and the incapacity tt
enjoy the customary pleasures of life
Mrs. Putnam had always been an &C
tive, energetic woman until she hat
} lost her power to walk as the result o
rheumatic fever; in fact, it was al
ways acknowledged and said by ~
} country folk that she was the bette
| half of the matrimonial firm of Sila.
: and Hepsibeth Putnam. Since he
| husbands failure to mount to Heaver
on the day fixed for the Second Adven