The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-08-09

/ LOuaeu could restore enough order on
Of the chaos ia his mind 10 stop him
Thus Mrs LOuden's long wait at tbs
window was tragIcaIly rewarded, and
she became an unhappy actor in Ca
mans drama ~ that day. Other ladies
/ attended at other windows or near
their front GO3rs throughout the after
nOon-the families OF the three patri
! archs awaiting their return as the time
drew on With something akin to fren-
w. Mrs. Flitcroft, lady OF temper
whose rheumatism confined her TO u
chair. hal her grandson wheel her out
| upon the porch. and as the dusk fell
and she tiually saw her husband com
ing at laggsrd pace. leaning upon
his cane. his chin sunk on his breast.
she frankly told Norbert that although
she had lived it'll that nan fifty-seven
years she would never BE- able to I'M
derstand him. She repeated this with
genuine symptoms Of hysteria when
she discovered that the colonel had
not come straight from the Tabor
house. but had stopped two hours at
Peter Bradbury's to talk II over
One item Of his recital, while suffi-
GENTLY startling to his wife. had a re-
markable effect upon his grandson.
This was the information that Ariel
Tabor's fortune no longer existed
whats thatT' cried Norbert, start
ing to his feet. what are you talk,
ing aboutT'
Its true" said the colonel deliber-
ately. ''She told me so herself Eskew
had dropped of into sort of dOze-
more like stupOr perhaps-and we
all went into Rogers old studio, ex-
cept Louden and the doctor, and while
we were there talkin' one of Pixies
clerks came with basket full of tin
boxes and packages of papers and
talked to Miss Tabor at the door and
went away. Then old Peter Numbered
out and asked her point blank what II
was, and she said it was her estate
almost everything she had, except the
house. Buckalew, tryin' to make
joke, said he'd be willin' to swap his
house and lot for the basket, and she
laughed and told him she thought he'd
be sorry; that all there was, to speak
of. was pile of distulery stock"
'fWhatY repeated Norbert incredu-
lously.
Yes. 1t was the TRUTH said the
colonel soIemnly. Il saw it myself. |
Blocks and blocks of stock in that dis
tillery trust that went up higher n
kite last year. Roger had put all of |
Jonas good money
mot into that!' shouted Norbert, un.
excited.
Eyes, he did. l tell you I saw itv'
II tell you he didn't He owned |
Granger gas, worth more today than
t ever was! Pike was Rogers at
torney in fact and bought it for him
before the old man died. The check
went through my hands. You don't
.hink I'd forget as big a check as
hat, do you, even il 1t was more than
| year ago? Or how it was signed and
Who made oct to? 1t was Martin Pike
hat got caught with distillery stock.
lie speculated once too ofteny'
NO, you're wrong" persisted the
Olonel. II tell you saw it myself"
Then you're blind" returned his
randsOn disrespectfully; you're blind
# else-Or else He paused, open
nouthed, look of wonder struggling
Is way to expression upon him, grad
ally conquering every knobby out
ost of his countenance He struck his
at hands together. Where's Joe Lou
enT' he asked sharply. Il want to
ee him. Did you leave him at Miss
'aborsF
He's goin' to sit up with Eskew.
What do you want of himY'
II should say you better ask thatv !.
Irs. FlitcrOft egan shrilly. It's :,
nough, | guess, for one of this fam.
y to go runnin' after him and shakin :
ands with him and heaven knows
hat not! Norbert Flitcroftr'
But Norbert jumped from the porch. !
crossed his grandmother's :
Uranium bed and, making off at as
larp a pace as his architecture per- =.
tilted, within ten minutes opened ;.
riel's gate. -
Sam Warden came forward to meet :,
m.
Don't ring, please, suh," said Sam r
)ey sot me out heah to tell inquirin' y
lens dat po' ole Mist Arp mighty -
w." -
Il want to see Mr.. Louden," return \,
Norbert. II want to see him i'm :,
ediately." a.
Il don reckon he kin come out yit," =,
m said in low tone. But l kin =,
In an asst inn g.
He stepped softly within, leaving 60
'rbert waiting. and went to the door
the sickroom. The door was open, 81
? room brightly lighted, as Eskew ca
d commanded when, little earlier, M
awoke. hi
oe and Ariel were alone with him, sb
ming toward him with such white
xiety that the colored man needed nm
warning TO make him remain silent on
the hallway. The veteran was rr