Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-04-18
care that Patty should do her share Of

farmer, stamping his boots TO settle
his feet In them to as great degree
of comfort as was possible.
II found yum papers IN the cup
board" said Patty. There be writing
on them but 1 CANT read. 1 do only
know my letters"
"A good job, too. Radeing be an idle
practice for maids" remarked her
master, sententiously.
Patty ran out of the room, to return,
breathless, a minute later with the dis
covered packet, now somewhat unbur-
thened Of dust, and with writing In
faded ink now legible to a practiced
eye upon it.
This one do begin 4, ], o, b, H."
said Patty, eagerly; "but the letters
be as curly and twisty as a cows tail,
and l CANT make out no more Of
them"
"'Tis naught of consequence, 1 war
rant" said Farmer Spotswood, turning
the paper over In his hand incuriously,
and tossing 1t on the broad shelf above
the mantel. II be busy now; tina must
Walt I'LL ia I1OIe llIHS
With no other word OF comment he
stumped off ponderously to the bark
en-" leaving Patty to repeat her story,
with much irrelevant and some mag
mary detail, to Mistress Spotswood
over the turning of the sage cheese In
the dairy.
That evening the farmer, with a
mug of home-brewed at his elbow, and
church-warden in his hand to aid
him, spelled aloud slowly to his wife
the quaint and curly words of the
strangely discovered paper from the
cupboard in the wall They neither of
them understood the half of 1t; but
their very genuine shrewdness enabled
them, nevertheless, to arrive at a pref
ty clear idea of it's general purport-
The document was undoubtedly a will
the last testament Of the former own
err of the house and farm, old John
Phippen. In 1t he bequeathed every
thing to his son, or, In case OF his
death, to his sons lawful daughter,
Patty, and to other of his lawful chill
dren, should there be any.
This be terrible bad" said Farmer
Spotswood to his wife, as he balanced
the paper on his knee. st be an IN
common queer thing, too"
''Well, and what's the meanin' Of
it?"
The farmer was a cautious man, and
he cogitated we'll and long before he
made reply: Pears that we shall
have to hand over the farm to Patty
old Phippen's grandfather. 'Cordin
to this the whole place belongs to her,
and us shall have to turn out and let
her have it,"
"I'll do naught aw the kind so long
as l ha' breath, an you'll be fool If
you do" said Mistress Spotswood, en-
phatically.
"Us must do zummat about It,"
ave ha' lived here sebenteen yer
come Michaelmas, and l beant a-goin'
to turn out for no servin' wench at my
time o. life."
"'Twere main unlucky the maid
found un," said the farmer. He turn
ed the document over and over, and
unsuccessfully sought to find a fresh
and less disturbant wording by trying
it upside down.
This comes of gallivantin' off to
junkets," said his wife,, virtuously
Twill be long while afore the Lord
ketches 1 at fairs agen, leavin' the
maids a-routin' thes house out to find
what the Lord meant to be preserved
in secret"
very true, very true" said Farmer
Spotswood, greatly impressed. "'Twere
evidently meant by Providence that
this here paper should be lost-'twere
meant to be done away WI, in sort
of manner of speakin'."
mo doubt OF, Lijah. No doubt at
all o. that"
The farmer folded up the paper with
great elaboration. 81 for one beant
goin' agen it." he said. 1.-THE maid
werdna' meant to ha' her gramfer's
money, that's sartain, and faint fit
that we should seek to alter it." He
paused in thought, ''Heave up thic end
| of the log, Keziah."
The roaring of the bough, the snap
ping of myriad sparks, drowned the
cracking of the paper as the farmer
thrust the will into the heart of the
| fire with the toe of his boot. 1t burst
into vivid life; the flame danced and
leapcd as though trying to escape and
run; it licked the crumbling white
bark as If In wild endeavor to lift the
written secret away from destruction
on its flying flame-tips. He watched
the flames devOur it, refectingly.
"'Tis wonderful to think why Provi-
dence should ha' seen fit to deal so
hardly WI the maid" he said.
Patty be a good 'wench, too" said
his wife, with a tremor of compunc-
| ton.
"Ay, she be that" echoed Farmer
Spotswood. "'Tis a sort Of pity that
the Lord should ha' seen fit to chasten