The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-05-02
THE
OPTIMIST
Bv MARY PARKER DEANE

Plum averred would happen some day
or other to lift them out Of poverty, en-
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 we? I'd just like to try 1t
oncer'
"You can bet your bottom dollar that
unless l 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 luckY
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
rest?"
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 op-
timism.
ooh, Dan," she cried, "did you ever
have a grandmother by the name of
Prendegast"
"Not 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
"Did he say why he wished to
known
''No, but Pm sure your grandmother
is dead and has left us lot Of money"
"Oh, Maria, you make me tired! l
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 a fan and none of 'em
gifts more than few dollars"
81 don't care. l believe we are on
the verge of some great blessing"
"I'll tell you what I'll do. Marie I'll
make bargain with you. Whatever
this blessing is, I'll turn it all over to
you on condition that you never say
the word 'windfall' 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 was a ring at the
bell Mrs Blum went to the door and
ushered 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 l concluded to come back when
you were at home. Did you have
grandmother named Prendegast?"
''Not that l know of. And l didn't
have grandmother by the name of
Foote or Stedman or Williams or Hun
kins either"
Did you ever hear of any of your
progenitors named McDermotY
"McDermot? Why, yes Ny grand
mother on my fathers side was named
McDermot''
'Her name was Sarah. She mar
ried Enoch Prendegast. 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.
"I've got this by searching the rec
ords of some property owned by
Mrs. Prendegast, who had recently
died in the John Brown hospital, aged
ninety-two years. l figure it that she
was your grandmother"
eff I've had a grandmother living l
didn't know it."
"Nor she. She came to the hospital
before you were born to be treated for
some disease. When she got we'll 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 a lawyer, who says they came down
to Daniel Plum through Ellen Fol-
lansbee 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 nip
You. Dan." cried Mrs. Plum-"you
make a deed of that property to mev'
And within six months he did But
he says they must have dreamed it ALL
Thus far the optimist has the better
of the argument. A hundred thousand
dollars was dumped down upon the
cOI11Ie hut If remained to ha Senn how,