Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1910-09-22
Grandpa $ Money
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright, 1910 ny American Press
Association.
BY NJ QUAD

and lived alone. He had four children.
two sisters and half dozen more dis
tant relatives living around him. but
no one had offered him a home. 1t
was seldom that any Of them came
near him He was referred to as 'the
old man" and the few acres of his
stony old farm were not coveted by
any one
When It became known through a
lawyer tnat old Jacob had struck II
rich there was hustllng. His oldest
son. Henry. was the first to reach his
house. He brought his wife and three
children along. and he galloped his
horses for the last mile. 1t had been
two years since they had been in TIE
old mans house. Now they shook
hands with him. The son patted him
OH the back and called him a glorious
old father He must give up his farm
and 20 home and live with them. For
the rest Of his days he could sit in q
rocking chair and have custard pie
three times day
On the way to Henry's home James
and his family were met as they came
driving. james was the second son.
He had often been heard TO wonder
why the old man mar didn't tun up
HIS toes and get out Of the world, but
be wasn't a bad son-that is, he had
never thought OF killing his father
with club. James leaped from his
wagon TO embrace his father and offer
him home for the next hundred
years. He should have fried chicken
and milk toast every day, and the best
bed in the house should be his at
night No ono should rout him out in
The morning aud fresh tea should
await him when he deigued TO arise.
Henry and James were squabbling
when Hannah and Mary. the TWO
daughters. drove up with their hus-
bands. They had come for father.
They had heard that he was III and
were going to take him home and
nurse him more tenderly than a baby
with measles.
There was a row on the highway be
tween those devoted children that was
heard a mile away. but Henry gained
the victory and bore the father away.
That night his house was surrounded
by the two sisters and other relatives.
and they had TO be menaced by shot
gun
~ the beginning Of the row there
was only one lawyer in Glendale the
nearest village. Within a year there
were three 1t required at least three
to keep track Of the suits aud motions
TINT came up.
one stipulation that old Jacob made
was that he should be privileged to see
his lawyer as often as he wanted TO.
That was respected by all. but from
purely selfish motives Il came to be
believed that every time he saw his
lawyer he changed his will, 1t turned
out that this belief was well founded
When death came at last IT was found
that he had made forty-two wills in
ALL They had bobbed from Henry To-
James. from James 70 Betsey and from
Betsey to Hannah and back to james.
They had taken in the two sisters and
cast them out They had enriched
nephews and uieces aud impoverished
them again -Four times in one year
the father was kidnapped by relatives.
once he was chloroformed In his bed
at midnight and lowered from win
dow. Once he was kidnapped and hid.
den away in an old barn for week
That neighborhood became the live
lest in the state, There was a Fourth
OF July going on all the time Even
a circus could not draw against H. No
old imam ever lived who was coddled
and cared for more \ hundred times
n day. no matter who he was with, he
was asked II anything more could be
done Tor him I'm summer child, was
appointed To fan him. and In winter
they bought stoves with looking
glasses set into the top that he might
see himself us me- toasted has Toes. The
doctor said that he would have lived
three years longer II left % care FOR
himself ou his farm
Queerly enough be- did not die in the
house Of relative but was stricken In
the office ~ his lawyer Just after max
ina his forty Srrond will The gang
camr uu Dhr wings uf love as soon as
the news went ont They squabhlcd
as 10 where The funeral should be held.
as TO where he should be buried. as TO
who should pay Tor the coffin. as TO
k., ,.R,.rII ,,s..t Ella. most
The will was not road ut the house
OF any relative They wouldn't have
It so. They assembled In the village
hall and there were scores Of outsid-
ers There were quarrels for front
seats At last the reading began, and
II took two constableS 20 protect Che
lawyer from heug massacred on the
spot
AS an my relatives from my oldest
son down 10 my youngest niece have
been equally Kind 10 me, read the
paper 81 hereby will snd beuueath 10
each and every Que the sum Of ST.
Aud the balance OF that $4,000 went
TO the county OF Hope TO improve its
highways There were six or seven
suits to break the viii bur Il couldn't
be done Jacob Brown had read hu-
man nature right and had made the
best disposition possible Of his for
a E4. 4