The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1907-01-04

+s.sE.ss / !. J. ! (. !. ~ !. 4 !: ss
&st.+t&E X \ \ +
Mrs Trapaud was in high good fea-
Their; her bay mare and foal had
fetched 1870 golden sovereigns between
them. Moreover she had only given
80 guineas for the mare. Who will be
astonished 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 a friend-a man also of some hui
mor-who knew, as all the world
knew, and as Mrs. Trapaud had never
pretended to hide, that the marriage
had been the reverse of happy. He
looked at her weeds with compre-
hending smile.
"Got your divorce at last?' he said.
eyes, and in the higher courts, too"
she replied.
Mrs. Trapaud was always equal to
any occasion.
When Trapaud died his widow car
ried on the work Of his life; she cen
tinued to breed his horses. Not so
much, be it understood, from any
touching sympathy with the dear de-
parted as from a sound conviction that
it was in her to make the thing pay.
And she did.
1t was strange household composed
of antiquated serving men and wom-
en-, who had been begotten and born
on the estate, and in whom the last
expiring breath Of feudalism fingered
as though dying hard. Trapaud left
no heir, and these farm and stable
hands, these domestic serving maids,
were Mrs. Trapaud's children. She
dOsed and physicked them when they
required it, she rubbed their backs
when the rheumatism got importu-
nate; she scolded, she praised, re-
warded, and blanchard they loved
her.
But as in every fold there is one
black sheep so in this patriarchal fam
lily there was one strangeling. Dan
iel-he had no other name-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
it the gossips said He came from
practically nowhere; it was so very
far away. On winter nights when the
evenings were long and dull the young
er ones-for age was a mere matter of
comparison in the Trapaud household
would coax old Mrs. Goodheart to
tell again the story of how Daniel first
came to the hall
ct were a wild, bleak night, jest
SIGH a one as this" the old house
keeper would begin.
"And the wind were bowling in the
chimbley, we knows" would inter
potato an irresponsible voice.
"WilI We never learn to hould yer
tongue then and not interrupt the
story?' a chorus of voices would pro-
test, and then, Mrs Goodheart hav-
ing duly allowed herself to be appeased
with "Ohs" and "ahs" and there
nows" that had become sanctified by
custom into a sort Of rite. But the
reader who does not know what three
hundred and sixty-five days spent on
a midland horse farm situated a good
twenty miles from anywhere on the
map can be like, would hardly appre-
ciate the art with which Daniels his
tory was told, SO we will offer brief
and more up-tO-date sketch that shall
state the plain matter in a nutshell.
One Christmas eve, a quarter of a
century ago the hOspitable glare of
fire that not only could roast an OK
but was actually doing so, attracted a
little ragged fellow, who was tramping
along the high road in search of
nights lodging. One of the keepers
found him in the fir plantation and
dragged him after him till they stood
in the glare of the freight before
Trapaud, his wife and the assembled
household. Questioned, the little fell
low said his name was Daniel; he was
a founding and had been put out to
service with drunken carpenter. from