The citizen., 1910-04-08
MISS ABBIE'S
LEGACY.
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law firm in one corner.
Il guess you got legacy, Miss Abb
bie," he said genially. "You amt
never had no letters from way out
West before"
Some of the Cracker cabinet" sit
ting about the stove in the general
store section of the postofice guf-
fawed at the suggestion, but they
watched her respectfully as she hur-
ried past them with the precious let
ter hugged to her breast. It was the
first letter from a stranger Miss Abb
bic had ever received in her life, and
she could scarcely wait until she
reached home to open it.
By nightfall the news was all over
the village, and the Clarion made al
lusion to a fortunate townswoman
who would presently become a Croe-
sus and probably would present the
town with the library Mr.. Carnegie
had neglected to give.
Miss Abbie disclaimed the fortune,
explaining to Hendry that it was Just
something about the Rossdale family
that the lawyer wished to know, but
the letters grew more frequent. There
were long blue envelopes of color
that prevented even speculation as to
their contents, and the belief gained
ground that Abbie Blair was a sharp
one and that her disclaimers were
merely for the purpose of throwing
the tax collector off the scent.
And now second wonder came
into her hitherto uneventful life, for
Dave Grayling stepped up to her after
church on Sunday night and drew her
arm through his.
We're going the same way, Miss
Abbie," he said awkwardly, "let's be
going together"
Grayling's courtship was brief and
masterful. He would listen to no
denial and one afternoon Miss Abbie
stood up before their few friends and
the gray-haired minister spoke the
few words that made her Mrs. Gray
ling. That night they left on the
honeymoon trip to town, and a week
later Grayling was back in his fields
and Miss Abbie was moving about the
Grayling home with a flushed and
happy face, making it over from its
bachelor disorder to the spick-span-
ness of her own ideals.
She went to the door as the wagon
drove into the yard, and Dave climbed
down from the seat and numbered up
to the porch to hand her a letter.
From that lawyer friend O.
yours" he explained with kiss. 81
s'pose I ought to be jealous; my wife
gettin' letters from a strange man;
but amt"
He followed the horses to the barn
while Abbie went into the house to
read her letter. 1t was the first time
she and Dave had directly spoken OF
the lawyer correspondent. and more
than once she had asked herself if it
was not possible that his belief in the
report might not have been respon-
sible for his proposal.
When Dave came in presently he
found his wife sitting in the rocking
chair and clutching slip of blue pa
per in her nervous hands.
Got check from your legacy?"
he demanded with rough good humor
II wish had legacy like yours"
ITS not a legacy, Dave" she said
wistfully. 'It's a wedding present
Did you really believe that had come
into some money? Was that why
why"
Il don't suppose that you want me
to believe that you've been CORE
spending with a lawyer chap all those
months about anything else," he
asked, still in good humor. Lets
hear all about it, Abbie. haven't
bothered you before, but-well, car
get Cobb's twenty acres very cheap II
buy right away"
The tears sprang unbidden to Alb
bie's eyes, but they did not flow.
II told everybody the truth" she
said simply. "Mr. Benson is the his
torian of the Rossdale family. Some
how he found out that l had Grand
mother Rossdale's family tree ant
wrote me about it. He used to sent
me reports of the other branches ant
I'd look them up for him. When
was married wrote him, so he could
get that down in the book, and he''
sent me a check for s25 for a wed
ding present. That's ALL"
''And those big punches of papers
were only about the dead Rossdales?'
asked Dave, with an uneasy laugh
II guess dead Rossdales won't buy nj
twenty-acre lots"
He rose and stumped heavily out o
the room to hide his disappointment
leaving Abbie staring dry-eyed before
her. The tragedy she had feared hat
come.
Abbie was oddly quiet at suppe
time. She eyed him wistfully as sh'
set out her best preserves ant
watched the plate Of biscuit to se
that there were always warm ones a
hand. She flushed with pleasure a
Dave pushed back his chair and de
clared the meal to have been suppe
well worth the eating
Dave" Abbie's voice was low an
panied and she fingered the tableclotl
nervously. 1--WE been thinking abou
this afternoon"
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