The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-05-25
CHAPTER I.

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
ins 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.
John? You needn't try to hide it. /
know what it is, sir. l saw you start
cut of the postofice on trot.the minute
you broke it open"
Broke open the postoffice, ma? That's
an indictable offense, punishable with
fine and Imprisonment" called out Miss
Lizzie Wickly from her writing table in
the sitting room.
wait till I come and box your ears,
Miss Prunes and Miss Prisms. l was
talking about the letter-not the post
Office. OF course 1 mentioned the post
Office. But"
That explanation is sufficient, ma.
won't mark you as low as zero for this;
because l want to let you of before you
make a more inexcusable mistake. WAT
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 to-morrow-neither of you. And
preaching at Mount Zion, too. Right
under your noses
80 the preaching yn't through the
minister's nose, like was Sunday be-
fore last-we can 81 we its being I'M
der ours, can't we, pa
And Miss Lizzy could be seen through
the middle door" chuckling in a very
mellow, little good-natured laugh, as she
sat at 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
iIgs of morning glory vines, now gay
with profusion of variously tinted flow
ers. too pretty to be also sweet.
why, it's a letter from the honora-
BILE Mr.. Biler concerning my-my estate,
you know" said Mr.. Wickly, endeavor-
ing to put on an appearance of great I'M
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 1 read it myself. Don't You
suppose I 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 l
read it."
And the sturdy Mrs. Wickly held out
her hard and full-veined right hand in so
inlperious manner that Mr.. John Wick
~ 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 if
it 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 triumphan.ly 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, 1 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 faintest
sound of vexation in the laugh or shade
of it upon her fair brow. perhaps. 'You
know l always get different meaning
out Of those letters-every one of them.
And haven't the meanings that got out
of them been much more nearly the true
meanings than those that you and ma
got cut of themF'
"Why, Liz, that's about the size of it."
said John, sitting down in the doorway
at the feet of his wife, who was already
deep in the mystery of the letter as to be
oblivious to everything else. You've
been a great deal nearer right about them
than l have been, anyhow. But then it
may be said in view of this letter that
the others were preliminary. Hereto
fore the letters have been inquiries into
family history. the tracing of relatives
and relationships, and so on. But
this"
''Why, there's to be a great meeting of
the heirs at Chicago next Tuesday,
cried Mrs. Wickly, in the greatest burst
of enthusiasm.
"a meeting of the heirsw exclaimed
Miss Lizzy in amazement, and with real
interest very plainly depicted upon her
very expressive countenance.
"A meeting of all the heirs" repeated
Mr.. Wickly, with that grave judicial and
impartial nod of the head which discloses
the entire lack of any merely personal
and selfish interest of the speaker in the
subject matter of the discourse.
1.-The heirs and their counsel meet
there for the purpose of-of-what is
the exact language of the letter on that
point, MattY' said Mr.. Wickly, jerk
ing his wife's apron gently, to call her
back to the things of this particular por-
ton of the great world. What is the
exact language of the letter on that
point?'
'sHeh. Why, femme see. Yes! Here
il isl For the purpose of determining
upon the first step to be taken; and if
thought advisable, to select and secure
some one of the counsel tor their heirs
TO 90 direct and at once to, England and
make the proper examination of all the
records so as to enable him to see exact
Iy what proofs it will be necessary for
them to make in order to obtain posses
sion of the property There; that's the
exact language of the letter. And moth
ing, in my opinion, can be clearer than
that" said Mrs. Wickly, holding the let
ter in her hand. and very manife5tly ap-