The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-04-13
MISS ABBIE'S
LEGACY.
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3 law hrm In n corner.
81 guess you got a legacy, Miss Abb
bic, 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 GUT
fawed at the suggestion, but they
watched her respectfully as she hur-
ried past them with the precious let
ter Rugged to her breast. 1t was the
first letter from a stranger Miss Alb
bic had eve 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
fusion 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 mor frequent. There
were long blue envelopes of a color
that prevented ven speculation as to
their contents, and the belief gained
ground that Abbie Blair was a sharp
n and that her disclaimers were
merely for the purpose Of throwing
the tax collector off the scent.
:. And now a second wonder came
into her hitherto u%neventful life, for
Dave Grayling stepped up to her after
church on Sunday night and drew her
arm through his.
- Were going the same way, Miss
Abbie," he said awkwardly, "let's be
? going together"
Cravings 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 Crawling was back in his fields
and Miss Abbie was moving about the
Grayiing 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 a kiss. 81
s'pose I ought to be jealous; my wife
sgettin' letters from a strange man;
but I 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 a slip of blue pa
per in her nervous hands.
Got a check from your legacy"
he demanded with rough good humor.
II wish I had a legacy like yours"
cts not a legacy, Dave" she said
wistfully. Its a wedding present.
Did you really believe that 1 had come
into some money? Was that why
why"
Il don't suppose that you want me
to believe that you've been corre-
spending with a lawyer chap all those
months about anything else," Re
asked, still in good humor. Lets
hear ell about it, Abbie. 1 haven't
bothered you before, but-well, I can
get Cobb's twenty acres very cheap if
I buy right away"
The tears sprang unbidden to Alb
bie's eyes, but they did not flow.
Il 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 and
wrote me about it. He used to send
me reports of the other branches and
I'd look them up for him. When l
was married I wrote him, SO he could
get that down in the book, and he's
sent me a check for s25 for a we'd
ding present. That's ALL"
"And those big punches of papers
were only about the dead R~ossdales?"
asked Dave, with an uneasy laugh.
81 guess dead R~ossdales won't buy no
twenty-acre lots"
He rose and stumped heavily out of
the room to hide his disappointment,
leaving Abbie staring dry-eyed before
her. The tragedy she had feared had
come.
Abbie was oddly quiet at supper
time. She eyed him wistfully as she
set out her best preserves and
watched the plate Of biscuit to see
that there were always warm ones at
hand. She flushed with pleasure as
Dave pushed back his chair and de.
clared the meal to have been a supper
well worth the eating .
Dave" Abbie's voice was low and
panied and she fingered the tablecloth
n%ervously. I've been thinking about
this afternoon"