Amador ledger., 1907-03-29

wistful The squire glared at her, his
eyes full Of fury. $50! This is your no
ton of duty" he said thickly. Every
well. Go your gait! I'm old and help
less, but there are a few things can
do"
"Yes, you can ring for Sally and
scare her out Of her wits" Edith said,
trying to laugh as she walked away.
At the doorstep she was tempted to
go back, but the thought Of Orestes
waiting so patiently at the roadside
was too much for her.
The squire lay for ten minutes tense
ly brooding, his face drawn and lined.
Then he sat up and began recklessly 10
hitch himself out of bed. Within react
were the crutches which ne was to es-
say tomorrow. Once he put out his
hand to the bell, but drew it back, mut=
tering: ''No! By the Lord, Ill do it all
myself! I'll show them they can't run
over me-not quite" Then, still NUT
tering and mumbling, he wrapped him.
self in his dressing gown, reached for
the crutches and swayed and staggered
across to the door.
The squire sat down heavily upon the
second step of the broad stairway and
began craftiiy going up backward. He
lifted himself from tread to tread, then
drew the crutches after him. By some
whim he had kept his desk and all his
papers in the big south chamber that
had been his wife's. He was going there
now. If he lived to come back from ii.
he would leave behind new will, one
that would come near to disinheriting
his rebellious child. 1t would do more
than that. 1t would set forth her re-
bellion, her neglect of him, in such
fashion as to shame her, here where
honor to parents was so vital part of
decency.
Painfully, with set teeth and agoniz-
ed twinges, he won to his goal and sat
in front of the opened desk. He found
the will readily and tore it through an
grily, then wrote upon the biggest frag-
ment, "This is the work of neglected
father"
was falling rapidly.
He snatched up fresh sheet and
began to write, but the racing dark
ness was too quick for him. Before he
was half through he stopped and look
ed about him, full of thwarted, impo-
tent rage. He flung out his hand and
struck 1t against taper which had
lain there so long he had forgotten it.
By its feeble light he finished the new
will and signed his name with q heavy,
scrawling flourish.
Slowly, heavily, he got up and tried
to steady himself while he put the
crutches in place, but a sharp twinge
made him stagger. He lost balance
and fell prone, overturning the lighted
taper and bringing it in contact with
the contents of an open drawer. They
blazed up merrily. In a wink the
whole room was ablaZe. AS he lay
helpless he saw the flames lick at the
carvings on top of the desk. Then in
deed the squire groaned aloud and
dragged himself to the open window.
A wall Of fire was behind him, be-
fore him a fall of almost twenty feetl
To swing out and drop down below
meant certain death even if he had
strength for it. He shouted. but moth
ing came Of it. Sally was really fast
asleep in the cool back yard. He shut
his eyes and thought of Edith's moth
er. In the great extremity there came
a flash of comfort-when he was dead
both wills would be burned, and Edith,
his only child, would have everything.
He ought to have been angry, but
somehow he could not be- The mount
ing flames made his own wrath look
poor and tame. He had given up and
was waiting for the end when straight
through the wall of fire there burst n
slim figure, sheeted and blackened, but
moving like the light itself. In wink
1t had torn off the wet blankets pro-
tecting it, swathed the squire in them
and was bearing him out to safety re-
gardless of the flames that leaped at
its own head. Once through the door
other arms laid hold on him and helped
to bear him down tile stairs. When he
came to himself fully he was stretched
on the grass at safe distance, while
neighbors and farm folk fought the fire
to q finish
The squire lay very still, but kept his
eyes on one slim scorched figure that
led all the rest When the danger was
past he raised himself on his elbow
and said, pointing to the slim leader:
Daughter, l take back everything.
You've chosen q man"