Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-04-14
CHAPTER l.

store that served the government for a
postollice, John Wic'ily, as everybody
familiarly called the head of the Wick
ly family, was observed to be moving
at a significantly rapid pace, and to
have his head extraordinarily high in
the air
Mrs. Wickly, at the kitchen table IRON
ing very diligently, saw him through the
open window, dumped the smoothing iron
suddenly and heavily upon the scorched
section of an old and worn blanket and
ran through the sitting room and out to
the front door.
"NOw what is it you've got this time
Johnf You needn't try to hide it.
know what it is, sir. l saw you start
out of the postoffice on trot the minute
you broke it open
Broke open the postofice, ma? That's
az indictable offense, punishable with
fine and Imprisonment" called out Miss
Lizzie Wickly from her writing table in
the sitting room.
wait till come and box your ears,
Miss Prunes and Miss Prisms. l was
talking about the letter-not the post
office. OF course / mentioned the post
Office. But"
THAT explanation is sufficient, ma. l
won't mark you as low as zero Tor TINS;
because | want to let you off before you
make a more inexcusable mistake. what
letter did pa get? Suppose you bring
the document in, and let's all discuss 1t.
You'd better go on with your writ
ing. my young lady. You're only trying
to find some plausible excuse for leaving
off. | know you, Miss. Now, I'll war
rant that you haven't written two pages
since you came in from hoeing the cab
bage. Where is the letter, John? Don't
keep a body waiting all day from her
ironing. You won't have a clean thing
for o-morrow-neither of you. And
preaching at Mount Zion, too. Right
under your noses
$50 the preaching isn't through the
minister's nose. like it was Sunday be-
fore last-we can survive its being un-
der ours, can't we, paF'
And Miss Lizzy could be seen through
the middle door" chuckling in a very
mellow. little gOOd-natured laugh, as she
sat Mt the small walnut writing table in
the light of the west window, away from
the sun. and shielded from observation
OF the passing public by dozen train
ings of morning glory vines, now gay
with a profusion of varously tinted flow
ers, too pretty to be also sweet.
why, it's a letter from the honora-
ble Mr.. Biler concerning my-my estate.
you know" said Mr.. Wickly, endeavOr-
ing to put on an appearance of great un-
concern, as if letters of the import of
this one passed between the honorable
Mr.. Biler and himself every day of the
seven on which Uncle Sam carries the
mail about the continent.
Now. John Wickly, you know there's
more than that in that letter. Hand it
here, till | read it myself. Don't you
suppose l could tell by the way you
struck out for home that there was some
thing more than usual in this letter
Now give it here and come in till
read it,"
And the sturdy Mrs. Wickly held out
her hard and full-veined right hand in SO
imperious a manner that Mr.. John Wick,
ly was constrained to draw the docu'
ment from the pocket of his black alpaca
summer coat and deliver it with a tri-
umphant grin into the hard palm afore-
said.
"Now then. you read that and see il
1t doesn't mean something. Some people
that | am acquainted slightly with have
often expressed doubts on the subject OF
the great Wickly estates in England"
Here he leered triumphantly in the di
rection of the walnut writing table and
the morning glory vines that just now
began to rustic their green gray leaves
in the prairie breeze.
But after one glance at the contents
of this letter, l don't think any person
of mature judgment would
Now. pa, you wait till | read it." calls
out Miss Lizzy laughing still, but not
so gaily-in fact, with just the faintes-
sound of veXation in the laugh or shad,
of it upon her fair brow, perhaps. ''Yor
know | always get a different meaninl
out of those letters-every one of them
And haven't the meanings that | got ou
of them been much more nearly the tru,
meanings than those that you and mi
got out of them?
"Why, Liz, that's about the size of it.
said John, sitting down. in the doorwa,
a, the feet of his wife. who was alread!
deep in the mystery of the letter as to b,
oblivious to everything else. "You'v,
been a great deal nearer right about then
1
may be said in view of this letter tina
the others were preliminary Hereto
fore the letters have been inquiries int
family history, the tracing of relative
and relationships, and so on. Blu
this
"Why there's to be great meeting o
the heirs at Chicago next Tuesday!
cried Mrs. Wickly, in the greatest burs
OF enthusiasm.
"A meeting of the heirs" exclaime,
Miss Lizzy in amazement, and with rea
interest very plainly depicted upon he
very expressive countenance.
"A meeting of all the heirs" repeate
Mr.. Wickly, with that grave judicial an
impartial nod of the head which disclose
the entire lack of any merely persona
and selfish interest of the speaker in tn
subject matter of the discourse.
saThp heirs and their counsel moo