Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-01-06

cancers. Then he built FIRE OF
brambles. cooked his fish and cocoa
thereon, and. having eaten them.
stretched himself once more under his
fayorite tree to yawn away the time
till his mothers return.
Rachel arrived in high spirits. hav-
ing sold her provisions to such good
advantage that the wedding gown had
been purchased without breaking In
on her golden store. That evening
when Methuselah came to pay his
usual visit. she displayed to his ad-
miring eyes a piece of white silk gaily
lowered, explaining that the ten
pounds was still intact. and would now
serve to pay for an addition to her
house. In which they would live after
marriage, it being already a good deal
larger than her fiance's bachelor resi-
dence.
AN / been t'inkin', Methuselah,"
said she. dat de bes' ting to do wild
dat money, meanwhile, is to put 1t in
de bank. Wat you say to dat?
t'ink will jis' get 1t down now vile
you is here to hold de ladder for me-
Glancing at the two children, who
were sound asleep in corner of the
room, and without waiting for Methu-
selah's expression of opinion, she went
out to get the ladder. AS before. he
held It in place while she mounted
and searched among the thatch. her
face expressing more and more be-
| wilderment when her treasure was
not forthcoming. When the truth
dawned upon her. she slid down the
| ladder, and seized the little shrunken
body at the foot of 1t in her strong
arms.
What followed Methuselah could
never rightly recall until he found
himself mounted on his mule. and
riding for dear life out of the yard.
At the gate something whizzed past
his head and startled his mule. which
broke into a wild gallop, landing Me-
| thuselah on the top of his head in a
| roadside drain. Here he lay for a
while stunned by the fall, and II was
| midnight before he lifted the latch OF
| his little cottage door, and threw him.
self, all battered and faint, upon his
bed The mule had found his way
ping the short grass around the 'hut.
without one qualm of conscience to
! disturb his repast.
Not long after this an uncle Of Me-
thuselah's died, leaving him what, In
| the eyes of his black friends, seemed
large fortune, and then Rachel be-
gan to repent of her hasty judgment.
Even II him did teck de money 1t
wouldn' matter, for him got more dan
dat now himself, an him so weak I
| could have manage him all right" she
| reflected. "Francella," said she. to
| the little girl, "get de hoe; goin' dig
| up dat roses bush; it grow too big.
| an goin' to dead anyway"
Francella obeyed, and Rachel was
soon working away at the root of the
| despised rose bush, turning up great
clods of earth at every blow, which It
was Francella's delight to break open
| in the hopes of finding therein some
| wriggling insect. Soon she gave a
scream of delight, and Rachel turned,
to sec her lost money box in the little
girls hand
Were you fin dat?" she asked
sharply.
"In the hole you diggin', ma. II
SCUM like money in 1t, too" Francella
exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and
down.
Rachel threw down her hoe and
| with a pair of scissors she had about
her person took off the lid of the box
| There lay her ten golden soyereigns.
bright and safe.
| That afternoon she donned her Sun
day dress, and went to "meetin'." Me-
1 thuselah had taken more violently
than ever to religion since his unhap-
DIV love affair, and had become lead
er in the revivalist movement, and II
| was to the little meeting house who're
he preached that she now went, TAX
ing both children with her. AS she
reached the door 1t was thrown vio-
lently open, and wedding psrty
| streamed out. At its head walked Me-
thuselah with Becky, clad In bridal
| array. leaning on his arm, and Rachel
knew she had come too late. As The
couple passed Son-son called out. "fii!
Becky. you mus be forgot dat Dig
tamarin' tree grows at him door
mouth, an dem dat got de spirit is
| tip-top pom de switch"
Becky tossed her head. and the cFm-
pany giggled. but Methuselah turred
upon the mother and son a look of
burning hate.
Scarlet woman of Babylon" ae
said aloud, "sit no longer by the way
| side, but go home, and mete out to the
young viper. thy son. his just puniah-
/ meIt"