The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-11
CRANDMA'S
MONEY
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press.


outskirts Of the village of Grafton
She was not poor. and she was no
without friends. she was bit eccen
trio. and she lived that way becaus
she preferred to. She was well like
by all. and her life was passing smooth
ly along when there came an adven
ture to turn things topsy turvy.
Grandma Phelps sold piece of LANE
in the west she had owned for man,
years and received 1000 for it, Their,
was bank in the village. and one
would think that the woman would have
deposited her money there She didn't
however. She would not lend 1t oil
bank 1t or turn 1t over TO a relative to
safely keep. She announced mat she
would keep II in the house. The whole
town came to know OF her decision,
and everybody predicted that some.
thing would happen. After six weeks
out into the street one morning and
cried out that she had been robbed of
her money during the night
1t was sure thing that grandma had
lost her money. but how? The sum
was u big bills and was wrapped In
cloth and carried in the bosom of her
dress. She could not lose 1t in walk
ing about. She had not been out of
her own yard for three days previous
TO missing the money. The sheriff
worked on the case week and then
made up his mind that the old woman
was little off In her head and had
not lost the money at all. but simply
wanted to create little excitement
and be talked about. There are such
people, and the officer was not s, stu
pid In thinking he had come across
one. His belief was strengthened by
the woman's words and demeanor.
After the first cutlery she took things
very calmly nd finally even laughed
over the loss and said
"Oh, well. let it all 60 No use In
keeping the whole United States upset
about little thing like this
The case was dropped. so far as any
officer working on 1t, but Of course the
talk didn't cease. 1t was surely mat
ter to wonder over. and 1t furnished
talk for three months Even the chill
dren had theories about 1t. There was
just one single person among the hum
dreds interested who went at that case
to solve it in a common sense way, and
that person was a boy fourteen years
old. His name was Tom Henderson,
and his father was the village black
smith. The boy has since become the
head Of detective agency In the west,
and it was that case that shaped his
career.
Tom Henderson believed the woman |
had neither been robbed nor sent her |
money away. The boy had known |
grandma for three years and had often
run errands for her. She had told him
that she believed In dreams and that I
II she was worried about anything her
sleep was broken. That was the point
he started from
Now you've got the key of the mys-
terry. Looks easy, doesn't 1t? And yet
a thousand people passed it by. Tom
Henderson wasn't sure he was right,
Of course, but that view Of the case
seemed to be the only one to explain
things. Grandma had been sleeping
with the money under her pillow. She L
had got Up in her sleep and put 1t else
where. Where? Ii a robber. had got +
INTO the house be would search all
about. The woman would have rea-
soned that out The safest place for
he money would be outside. There
was no cellar. but there was wood
she'd and hencoop. In the shed was
llways standing barrel Of hen food
Don't think Tom worked this out in I
,alf an hour 1t was two weeks be-
ore he got to it, and then he couldn't I
ay he had sure thing. 1t simply Is
eemed reasonable theory. When &
le started out one day to test his theo-
y he was perspirtng In his excite
nent. As he arrived at grandma's
ottage he was hailed with: /,
Say. Tommy, l hear that the mill \
) going to shut down for several n.
weeks, and l guess I'll have the hen I
eed barrel filed up" d
How much have you got left?" ask. S
d the boy in trembling voice. c
"Oh, maybe third of a barrel
Grandma, weren't you afraid OF
obbers all the time you had that mon
y In the houseW
Yes, toward the last. when every !,
ody said I'd be murdered for It."
And you didn't sleep wellT'
II should say l didn't. | didn't sleep Il
n hour at a time. Something funny
appened to me that last night. / had
ounted the money over and put 1t I'M
err my pillow when l thought heard
,me one under the bedroom window.
hat started me to worrying.
,ought some one might have been
oking in and seen where put the
oney."
did you tell the sheriff of thisy'
mo. No one got in"
"But what was the funny thingT
why. went TO bed and to sleep. \,
nd the next thing knew had fallen "
'er a chair in the middle of the floor. IL
must have walked in my sleep" ps
The boy beckoned grandma to come eN
1t into the shed with him. and when to
ey stood by the barrel of feed he VI
Id:
dig down into itr'