The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-08-16
AN OLD WO-
MANS WILL.
BY M QUAD
Copyright 1919, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

The arrival Of a stranger In village
Of 1900 inhabitants, and that stranger
woman and a widow, is bound to
stir up things. She bought house of
Deacon Craft for 5000, and when ask
ed where she came from her prompt re-
ply was:
None o. your darned buslneSsp
She bought new furniture and moved
in, and that was the beginning Of a
rather strange life. Word went around
the town that the newcomer was
'techy," and 1t did not prove mis-
take She CARED Crouch on either
shoulder She was judged to be sixty
years old, but she was as spry as a
girl of sixteen. She paid cash for
what she bought, but whether she had
plenty or little could only be guessed
at Any queries thrown out on this
subject were met by;
you mind your business and I'll
mind mlne!"
Several ladies' called on Mrs, Craig in
q neighbOrly way. They wanted to let
her know that, although she was
stranger within their gates, she could
at once begin to lend and borrow tea,
sugar aud coffee the same as an old
resident. None Of them got into the
house. At the front door they were
asked their business and told they were
not wanted.
Elder Hazlett was her nelghbor on
the right. He kept chickens the same
as all other residents. Among them
was Shanghai rooster, who could
crow like twO-year-0ld bull. His
growing didn't seem to annoy anybody
but the widow. She jumped on the
elder with suit for damages, and she
scared him into paying her $40 and
wringing the ROSTERS neck with such
wiring that he never crowed again.
The rooster incident was the begin
ming Of u dozen lawsuits. The woman
reveled In them She brought suits
against men and women and the viii
lage. She had the money to pay her
lawyers aud the COSTS She had the
spunk to appeal when beaten. For FIVE
years she kept the town In turmoil,
and finally II was decided that she
must be crazy. and an order was pro-
cured from the court to have her sanity
inquired into. Six medical men did
the business that Is, they came out OF
1t with features dragging.
1t wns shortly after this that Mrs
Craig was found dead In her bed She
had said that she had no relatives. aud
the courts took charge A will was
found. aud when In due time II was
opened 1t knocked the breath out of
many villagers. There were l40 be-
quests, and only samples Of them can
be given here One Of her first be-
quests 10 the village was;
II hereby bequeath the sum Of $1,000
to the village of Rowland for the pur'
pose Of buying fire engine and erect
ing u house for the same
There was hum Of approval as that
paragraph was read, but 1t died sud
den death.
1 provided that" 1t continued, "old
Sauar Billings rolls the length OF the
mudhole on Main street three times a
day for ten successive days.
ITO Elder Hazlett, who called me
crank. the sum Of $1,000, provided he
will ride his old spotted COW four
times around the Methodist meeting
house on the first Sunday of each
month for year
ITO Mrs. Henry Rayburn the sum OF
$1,000 to buy herself a new nose.
never liked the one she has. 1t mas
always poked into other peoples at
fairs"
Mrs, Raybugn had helped to prepare
the old woman for burial, and at the
reading of the paragraph she was
heard to murmur that she wished the
body had been thrown into the river.
ITO the county OF Dwight the sum
Of $4,000, to erect new jail, proVid-
ed that Mr.. james, Mrs. White and
Mrs. Graham are the first three prison
ers In Il and serve not less than sixty
DAYS as cure for their gossipy
tongues"
Dwight county didn't get the money
and the jail.
ITO the village of Rowland the sum
~ S5 Ooo for the grading and paving OF
its main street and putting In sewers
nroyided Deacon Darius Black Of the
Methodist church stands on his head
in front Of the postofflce for five min
utes on Ave consecutive days"
The deacon was told he would be
considered the meanest man ever II ne
beat the town out Of that bequest, but
he got mad about II and offered to lick
any man that would step outdoors
with him.
.To Mrs. James French the sum Of
$1,000 to spend In soap and towels tC
keep her chIldren's faces clean ana the
hooks and eyes sewed on her dresses
mo provIso. but 1t was not claimed
THE sum Of $1,000 to Mrs. Gael
Jackson and Mrs. Charles Tinker. pro
vided they quit lying about their neigh
bors for the space Of one year and
LAY"
There we're numerous other bequest
lust as strange, and the wlndup wal
the strangest of all The sum OF $40
900. which was found in the house j