The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1909-11-23

But speaking about the coat, we
didn't find any money In It. 1t
wasn't anyways likely that George
owen would have let Il go out of his
hands without looking IL over pretty
carefully TO make sure that a quarter
or a five-cent piece hadn't got lodged
I'm IT,
"To come back to my story, when
started home that night 1t was sort
of chilly, and 1 thought 1 might as
we'll put on the coat.
"As / said before, was about the
cap'n's build, and my chin whiskers
were a good deal like his, and
thought it myself. as / drove along,
that If anybody was to meet me they
would most think Il was the cap'n
come back to life again. When 1 got
as far as the Widow Pages, 1 remem-
bered that 1 had promised my wife to
call and see how the widow was get
ting along. She had had terrible
sick spell, the widow had, but she'd
got up about the house. SO 1 pulled
up, and got out and hitched, and
walked up to the front door.
Il saw the widow peeking out the
window as / got near, and 1 thought
l heard her give a little screech, and
when she came to the door she
seemed to be all OF tremble.
why, it's Mr.. 'Bitah Neal, isn't
it?' says she. L thought for min
ute, as much as could be, that it was
Cap'n Sam owen, and l says to my
self, Hes come for that envelope. Z"
1 must be lo"' Xz@ n &-XZ "a n
1 guess 1 must be losing my facul-
ties, says she, and she sat down, kind
OF laughing and tanning herself.
What envelope were you speak
ing OFF, said l.
Why, an envelope that the cap'n
left here last March, says she, the
very night before l was taken down
sick And then she went on and told
me all about 1t.
1T appeared, according to what
the widow said, that the cap'n had q
package of papers with him that he'd
been keeping in the town safe. He
had been town treasurer for a good
many years, but he'd got through
that spring, and he was taking his
own papers home. And among them
he'd found an old receipt that he
said he ought to have given to Mr..
Page before he died, but had over
looked it, and so he had called to
leave it.
after he'd gone the widow picked
up an envelope that he'd dropped on
on the floor, and put it away, think
ing that he'd miss it and come back
for it; or, if not, she'd hail him and
give 1t to him the next time she saw
him passing by.
But that was the last time she
ever set eyes on the capn. She came
down sick the very next day, and had
double pneumonia, and before she got
round again the cap'n had died. And
she said, That envelope never en-
tered my head again till looked out
the window just now and saw you
coming up the yard, looking Just as
the cap'n did that night
Jan you find it now?' 1 asked,
not thinking yet what it might be.
And after thinking a minute she
wect to her bookshelyes in the old
mahogany desk and took down an old
volume of agricultural reports, and
there was a long yellow envelope
tucked between the leaves.
"The minute l saw 1t, it came over
me what there was inside, and sure
enough, come to look into It, It con-
tanned a paper that said on the back,
Last VIII and Testament OF Samuel
Owen.
Folks had been surprised that
there hadn't any will been found, be-
cause 1t seemed reasonable that the
cap'n would have made some provis-
ion for Lucy, as she was almost like
daughter to him. But they sup
posed that he had put it off, and put
it off, as so many do, until It was too
late. But here was the will, and
come to examine It, it gave all the
property to Lucy, except one wood
lot that the cap'n left to his nephew
George.
1T made quite stir when the
news got round, and George took 1t
kind of hard. 1 guess he'd have
fought the will II there had been any
chance, but it wasn't any use. Squire
Dow, that had drawn it up for the
cap'n five years before, was dead, and
his hired man and hired girl. that
witnessed It, had probably never Civ
en- It second thought. But It was
all there in black and white. and it
went through probate court all right.
But the Widow Page always stuck
to it that It might have stayed fin that
book till doomsday. for all she'd ever
thought Of It. If IL hadn't been for
seeing me that night I'm the cap'n's
buffalo coat
So my bidding on that old coat
that 1 didn't anyways want was a
pretty lucky thing for Lucy"
Yes, it would seem so, " remarked
he of the red tie, "but. after all. I
don't see why you should call it any
great bargain for yourself
81 was coming to that" resumed
Uncle 'Bijah. patiently "You see.
after Lucy came into tho property
she wanted to buy the coat. and she
insisted on paying me SIS for Il.
But that wasn't all When Christ
mas came we had a tree up TO our
church, and what does Lucy do but
hang me that coat could never
seem to figure just how / came out.
but at the least calculation L guess I
did fun as well as the generality of
bidders at an auction sale. Youth =
Companion.