Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1912-09-05
Who S Who In
Grafton
Copyright, 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M QUAD

1t up for three hours his mother put her
fingers into his mouth and found
loose tooth and wrcnched 1t out. The
same day other things happened.
johnny cut his heel on an old tin can.
n playmate Of his fell from tree and
broke his arm.
Johnny Shaw's father was carpen-
ter and did not even own the house he
lived in. He intended that the boy
should learn the same trade, but at the
age Of eighteen Johnny ran away and
was not he, dsof for years. As he was
always talking about the sea, it was
supposed that he became a sailor. He
had been gone a year and no news had
come from him, when an uncle died
and left him a legacy Of 5000. 5he
money was invested until he should
turn up Three years after that the
father died. When eight years had
elgpsed without news from the missing
son the mother was advised TO have
him legally declared dead and 70 benc-
III by his legacy, but she decided to|
whit awhile longer. She did wait until
eleven long years had passed away.
Then. one summers day as she sat
sewing, the long lost boy walked into
the house and took her in his arms.
Until the news that Johnny Shaw had
got home circulated around the village
no one but the mother had identified
the stranger. although he had walked
about for two days. Then there was a
division Of opinion right away. It would
seem that II a mother were satisfied as
to the identity outsiders ought to be.
II was so I'm this case with only about
half the residents OF the town
When the matter OF the legacy was
finally taken mp there was only one
person in Grafton who stin doubted
II was Elder Frsbic of the Methodist
church When Johnny Shaw was four
teen years old he ana another lad had
stolen tomatoes from the garden of the
elder and quite "a fuss had been made
about it, The elder had insisted that
Mr. Shaw tan his sons jacket, and this
has been done
The new John Shaw in talking over
old "reminiscences could not remember
the above incident Elder Frisbie had
never forgotten the least detail, and he
argued that no boy Of fourteen could
drop a laundering big licking out Of
his memory in eleven years. He him
self could remember lickings he had
received forty years before. Right on
4 Ntl l.
that resulted in a keen legal iuvestiga-
ton. John Shaw must prove his iden
tity beyond doubt You will say that
with his mother behind him this ought
10 have been a very easy matter, but il
didn't turn out to be. There were
sharp lawyers engaged ON either side.
When the boy, John Shaw, left home
it was at Z o'clock at night, aud his
mother had run ia TO q neighbours 20
borrow something When The man.
john shaw, was asked to state how b."
left home uud the hour, he claimed thar
he lowered himae,. from his window
midnight This was the frs, break Dee
made The family had dos when ae
left The name Was Billy SIaw gave
the name aud l.uyd all right, uut uanu
asked the color me- could not give lt
There WAS q hg pear tree in the back
yard and De hua eaten of fits fruit aud
climbed lts trunk many times. Two
years at.rr he went away the Tree
blew down When asked about the
tree the man denied that there had
a,af. IRru. nrs flprp