The Republican journal., 1911-04-13
Miss Abbie's Legacy.


Cy Hendry passed out the solid looking
envelope with the imprint of law firm
in one corner.
1guess you got legacy, Miss Abbie, -
he said, genially. ''You amt never had
no lett rs from way out West before. !"
Some of the Cracker cabinet" sitting
about the stove in a general store section
of the postoffice gutfawed at the sugges-
ton, but they watched her respectfully
as she hurried past them with the precious
letter Rugged to her breast. 1t was the
first letter from a stranger Miss Abbie
had ever received in her life, and she
could scarcely wait until she reached
home to read it.
BY nightfall the news was all over the
village, and the Clarion made allusion to
a fortunate townswoman who would
presently become Croesus and probably
would present the town with the library
Mr.. Carnegie had neglected to give.
Miss Abbie disclaimed the fortune, eX-
planning to Hendry that it was just some
thing 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 sharp one and that her disclaimers
were merely for the purpose to throw the
tax collector off the scent
And now second wonder came into
her hithSrto uneventful life, for Dave
Grayling stepped up to her after church
one Sunday night and drew her arm
through his.
We're going the same way, Miss
Abbie, he said awkwardly," lets 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. Grayling. That night
they left on the honeymoon trip to town,
and week later Grayling was back in his
fields and Miss Abbie was moving about
the Grayling home with flushed and
happy face, making it over from the
bachelor disorder to the spick-spanness
of her own ideas.
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 letter.
From that lawyer friend O. yours, !"
ne explained with kiss. II s'pose |
ought to be jealous; my wife gettin' let
tiers from strange men; but l 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 mi ht not
have been responsible for his proposal
When Dave came in presently he found
his wife sitting in the rocking chair and
clutching slip of blue paper in her
nervous hands.
Got check from your legacy?' he
demanded with rough good humor Il
wish | had legacy like yours"
Its not legacy, Dave she said,
wistfully. It's 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 We been corresponding
with lawyer chap all these months
about anything else?" he asked, still in
good humor. Lets hear all about it,
Abbie. l haven't bothered you before,
but-well can get Cobb twenty acres
very cheap if buy right away"
The tears sprang unbidden to Abbie's
eyes, but they did not flow
II told everybody the truth" she said
simply Mr. Benson is the historian of
the Rossdale family. Somehow he found
out that | had Grandmother 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 | was married wrote him so he
could get that down in the book, and he's
sent me check for S25 for wedding
present. That's all.
'And those big punches of papers
were only about the dead Rossdales?"
asked Dave, with an uneasy laugh. Il
guess dead Rossdales won't buy no twen-
tyacre lots"
He rose and stamped 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 declared the meal to have been
supper we'll worth the eating.
Dave" Abbie's voice was low and
panied, and she fingered the tablecloth
nervously, give been thinking about it
this afternoon.
"I've been trying to forget it" he
said with a laugh that was not mirthful.
Sometimes they put people in Jail
who get money under false pretenses,
she went on bravely. 81 was thinking
that if we were to see lawyer perhaps
we could get divorce. It's worse get
ting husband under false pretenses."
Her face famed scarlet as she made
the suggestion. She did not look up, but
Dave knew that the kindly brown eyes
must be moist and troubled.
The hair was still softly brown and the
thin cheeks were unwrinkled. Miss Abbie
had been deemed an old maid at thirty
five.
His glance travelled from the bowed
head to the well-set table and the tidy
room, and then roughly he pushed back
his chair and went around the table.
'Abbie," he said, as he knelt beside
her and drew her within the circle of his
strong arms, II did marry you because
| wanted that twenty-acre lot, and l
thought could get it with your legacy.
But | don't care about the legacy now: