The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-06-20
THE
OPTIMIST
By MARY PARKER DEANE

al Opliulisl- hdug Neie lhe diSu
ments they had over something Mrs
Plum averred would happen some day
or other to lift them out Of poverty, ell
able them to live more comfortably.
clothe the children better and make
them generally happy.
"In the first place. Maria" Mr.. Plum
would say, nothing ever comes from
rainbow chasing. In the second place.
if a hundred thousand dollars were
suddenly dumped upon us we wouldn't
be any happier than we are now"
Wouldn't WEI I'd just like to try it
oncer'
You can bet your bottom dollar that
unless | work hard and you run us
cheaply we won't even keep up to what
we're doing now, let alone putting ON
airs"
do you mean to tell me there's moth
ing in luckT
Mighty little. At any rate. no great
piece Of luck like an unexpected wind
fall will ever happen to more than one
person in million"
But haven't we got just as good
chance to be that one person as all the
restp
Dan Plum shrugged his shoulders,
but did not reply to this argument. He
went to his work every day, as usual,
and his wife pinched and saved. One
day when he came home In the even
ing he found her in a wild state of OPP
timism.
"Oh, Dan," she cried, did you ever
have a grandmother by the name of
Prendegast|
mot to my knowledge" was the So
Der sided reply. "Why do you ask"
Because there was a man here this
morning who asked me If you had"
"What did you tell him%
'"That didn't know"
Ibid he say why he wished to
know?"
"No, but I'm sure your grandmother
is dead and has left us lot of money"
"Oh, Maria. you make me tired!
couldn't have a grandmother much less
than hundred years old. and women
Of that age don't often have fortunes.
If they have their descendants are
spread out like fan and none of 'em
gifts more than a few dollars"
don't care. l believe we are on
he verge Of some great blessing"
'I'll tell you what I'll do. Marie. I'll
make a bargain with you. Whatever
this blessing is, I'll turn it all over to
you on condition that you never say
the word 'windfalr to me again"
"Done."
Remember give you all that comes
In this case, and If nothing comes you
are still bound by your side Of the
agreement"
That's right"
They had scarcely struck this bar
gain when there wss ring at the
bell. Mrs. Blum went to the door and
ushered a man into the sitting room.
"This is the gentleman who called
this morning." said Mrs. Blum
"Your wife," said the visitor.
couldn't answer the questions I asked
her, so concluded to come back when
you were at home. Did you have a
grandmother named Prendegast"
mot that l know of. And I didn't
have a grandmother by the name Of
Foote or Stedman or Williams or Hun
kins either"
did you ever hear Of any Of your
progenitors named McDermotT
"McDermot? Why, yes! My grand
mother on my fathers side was named
McDermot"
"Her name was Sarah. She mar
ried Enoch IPrendegast They had
one daughter who married Thomas
Follansbee, and they had a daughter
who married Daniel Spooner Plum"
Mr.. Plum's eyes were growing large.
ave got this by searching the rec
ords Of some property owned by a
Mrs. Prendegast, who had recently
died In the John Brown hospital, aged
ninety-two years. l figure it that she
was your grandmother"
! "If I've had a grandmother living
didn't know it."
"Nor she. She came to the hospital
before you were born to be treated fol
some disease. When she got well her
memory had left her. She didn't know
who she was or where she came from
She was allowed to stay there and
lived more than fifty years there and
in that condition. Just before she died
her memory came back to her. She
said she was Sarah McDermot Prem
degast. Deeds to property were found
where she had kept them In trunk
The hospital put them into the hands
Of q lawyer. who says they came dowr
to Daniel Plum through Ellen Fol
hnsbee and Julia Plum"
How much is it" gasped Mrs
Plum.
ITS house and lot that fifty years
ago was on the outskirts of the town
1t Is now on the biggest shopping
street and Is worth a mill
"You. Dan," cried Mrs Plum-"yot
make deed Of that property to me!'
And within six months he did Blu
be says they must have dreamed 1t all
Thus far the optimist has the bette
of the argument. A hundred Thousand
dollars was dumped down upon tn
couple, but it remained to be seen hov
much happiness was to be added T.
kho piuu, family