Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-01-01

CHAPTDR u.-fContinued.D

CHAPTER II.-4Continued.D
Have You thought what's to become
Of your poor old grandfather II you turn
aim out of house and home, you graspins,
grinding. hard-hearted boy" he asked,
BEGINNING in a whine and ending In q
gTowl.
.Your father has got cottage TO him
self; why should you need one? Can't you
live With him."
Live with father. And who would
give me Goals and blankets then in the
winter. Oh, wish one of them scrip
scher readers would drop in on me now,
and softer your heart, you yallus Phil
fstan taskmaster."
turned to the door; he sprang up
and came after me.
"Wait, sonny" he cried, do you really
mean to sell the place to old FenwickF
Il must, IL you can't buy 1t.
Seeing that was determined not to be
gaoved either by whining or growing
his manner changed completely; there
was the strangest mixture of dread and
cunning calculation in his blue eyes as he
Srew the soft loose folds of his cheek
down betwixt bis thumb and fingers.
III must go and see father" he said
~How much do you want?''
81 can't go with less than hundred
pounds"
''You shall have it by tomorrow morn
ing" he said. l hesitated. "Fenwick,
be added, wouldn't give you the money
down on the spot" This was possible.
VERY well" said 1. Tomorrow
morning at 10 o'clock i will come here,
and If the money is ready you shall have
the cottage"
"And you won't go to Fenwick in the
meanwhile?'
''No; / promise you"
Take your oath on 1t, sonny" he
said, land I'll take my oath you shall
have the money Take your oath, sonny.
/ repeated my promise and went away,
wondering why the old man chung SO
strenuously to the possession of the cot
tage. Clearly he himself had not the
money, or with the dread Of my selling
1t over his head he would not have de-
layed the payment uselessly till the next
day. His father certainly seemed to be
In poorer circumstances than he; and
knowing the contempt in which he held
my grandfather, it was a browning mys-
terry how the latter proposed, with such
assurances of success, to get the loan
of such sum OF money from him.
At Sandhaven / took a room for the
night at the Trusty Mariner Inn. While
j was eating a chop in the little parlor
that looked upon the High street, | saw
my grandfather coming down the hill at
the settled pace of a man with a long
march before him. Opposite the inn he
paused and cast a wistful glance down
the sanded steps into the open bar. He
shook his head and made a few irreso-
lutte steps forward. then paused again,
glancing up and down the street for pos
sible scripture readers, as ne stroked his
haccid cheeks and rolled his tongue round
his mouth. Finally, with a stamp that
seemed to say, Hang it all, / can't help
it." he turned back and stumped down
into the tapreom. He was there when
] went out for stretch in the afternoon.
and he was EARNING" with some kindred
spirits; he was there when I came back
in the evening, and he was singing a
sentimental old-fashioned song with a
cracked and quavering voice; he was
there when ] went up to my room at 10
~ NACNhF uANfhNAh6 ShOUNi9. AlhOltAg hAtNl
that | heard the landladv exhorting him
to go home like good man, and his
friends encouraging him to come out in
the fresh air and pull himself together.
There was a scuffling on the sanded
floor of the bar, as if he were trying to
carry out these suggestions, then followed
a heavy fall and a shrin cry of alarm
from the landlady. | ran down stairs
My grandfather was looking vacuously
about him in the arms of those who were
trying to lift him. He tried to stand up
right; his left leg gave under his weight
it was broken-and with scream of
pain he dropped down on the floor again.
] Strengthened the leg that had doubled
under him.
Hes tainted, sir, open his collar"
said the landlady, bustling off to get
water.
| unbuttoned the collar of his gray
ahirt. Underneath l found leather
thong with little bag attached to it. He
opened his eyes and looked stupidity M
In my face for a moment; then he felt
nv fingers on his throat, for the thong
seemed 20 press upon his windpipe he
made a sudden grasp at the little bag
with look of terror in his face wholly
inexplicable to me.
You've taken it out" he cried in a
fury, feeling the leather bag and rubbing
1t between his thumb and fingers to find
If the contents we're there; you've open
ed it-you've seen it!'
NO." said l, II have not touched the
bag"
The fright had sobered him. He thrust
the bag back and buttoned his shirt over
IL. glaring at me suspiciously the while
and then he covered il with his two hands
clasping the treasure as IL his life de-
pended on it. forgetting the physical main
that had made him lose consciousness in
the terrible dread of losing his secret.