The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-06-15
rBet your says i. I'n keep FL


the Old Home House kept about TIL.
same. Mabel was In mighty good spin
its for her. and she got prettier ever,
day. had considerable fun nit
Cap'n Jonadab over ILL., not landins
a rich husband for The Seabury
Looked lille Che millionaire rrn
going II TIKI Il failure that sulnms !,
But one morning he comes to ME, *
cited Al i mouse NE . cat show, an6
says IL: "A
"Ah, la! What did tell you? rye
got one!''
Il see you have" says /. 'WaL4
me to send for the doctor?"
s'Stop your POLISHING" he says. "I
mean I've got a millionaire. Hes
coming tonight too"
I managed to find out that the new.
boarder was big banker from Newt
York. name Of Van Wedderburn, withS
barrel of cash and hogshead of
dyspepsy. T.
"And I've fixed it that he's to stopa
at your house, Barzilla," crows Jona-
dab "And when he sees Mabel-weI, L
you know what she's done to the other
men folks" he says
"Humphr' says / Maybe he's got
dyspepsy Of the heart along with the
other kind. What makes you so coo N
sartin?'
"'Cause he's a widower," he says
"Theni's the softest kind"
"Well, you ought to know" l told
him. "Bet you rs cents to a quarter
it don't work"
He wouldn't take me, having scru-
pies against betting, except when he
had the answer in his pocket. But he
went away cackling joyful, and that
night Van Wedderburn arrived.
Van was substantial looking old
relic, built on the lines of the Boston
statehouse, broad in the beam and
with shiny dome on top. l lodged
the meals at our table would be as
agreeable as dog fight.
However, twas up to me, and
towed him in and made him acquaint-
ed with Mabel She want enthusiast
tic until / mentioned his name Then
she gave little gasp-like When Van
had gone up to his rooms, putting like
donkey engine and growing cause
there want no elevators, she took me
by the arm and says she:
what did you say his name was,
Mr.. Wingate?"
'Van Wedderburn," says /.
mot of Van Wedderburn s. Hamil-
ton, the bankers?" she asks, eager. q
That's him." says /. "Why? D~@
you know him?"
tOh, no." she says, 81 don't know
him. but ! know of him-everybody
does.'
Well, everybody did, that's a fact,
and the way Marin Bounderby and
Maize" was logged out at the supper
table was sin and shame.
But what surprised me was Mabel
Seabury. She was dressed up, too
not in the Bounderbys' style-collar-
bones and diamonds-but in plain
white, with lace fuzz. If she want
peaches and cream then all you need
Is lettuce to make me a lobster salad.
And she was as nice to Van as if he
was old Deuteronomy out of the BIZ
BILE. He set down to that meal with q
face on him like pair of nutcrackers,
and afore twas over he was laughing
and eating apple pie and telling funny
yarns about robbing his friends" in
the street. | judged he'd be sorry for
it afore morning, but ! didn't care for
that. | was kind of worried myself:
didn't understand it.
And | understood it less and less as
the days went by. Mabel cooked little
special dishes for his dyspepsy to
play with and set with him on the pi-
azza evenings and laughed at his
jokes and the land knows what. In
side of a fortni't he was a gone goose.
which want surprising, every other
man being in the same fix, but twas
surprising to see her helping the gone
ness along. The Bounderbys packed
up and lit out In ten days, and none
of the other women would speak to
Mabel
And Jonadab! He want fit to live
with The third forenoon after Van
Wedderburn got there he come around
and took the quarter bet. And the
way he crowed over me made my
hands itch. for ropes end. That
night dropped a line to poor Jonesy
at Providence telling him that If he
could get day Off maybe he'd better
come down to Wellmouth and see to
his fences.
The next day was Labor day, and
what was left Of the boarders was
going for final picnic over to Bakers
grove at Ostable. We went, three cat
boats full of us, and Van and Mabel
Seabury was In the same boat We
made the grove all right, and me and
Jonadab had our hands full, baking
clans and chasing spiders out Of the
milk and doing all the chores that
makes picnic SO joyfully miserable.
When the dinner dishes was washed
! went Off by myself to a quiet bunch
OF bayberry bushes half a mile from
the grove and laid down to rest, be-