Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-08-22

you must make Iuo gas COMPANY HAIL
show his badge when he comes to look
at the meter, and l know how to put
up ounce jam and window curtains"
Bully. You're all right, Cele! Yes,
l believe we can pull it off on eight
Gen.
AS he was jumping into the wagon
the second parlor maid braved discov-
cry by running swiftly to the gate.
And oh, Tommy, 1 forgot she
called softly Il believe I could make
your neckties."
Forget it"' said Thomas decisively
And another thing" she continued
"Sliced cucumbers at night will drive
away cOckroaches."
And sleep, too, you bet said Mr.
| Mcleod. Yes, 1 believe if l have a
delivery to make on the west side this
afternoon I'll look in at furniture
store | know over there
1t was just as the wagon dashed
away that old Jacob Spraggins struck
the sideboard with his fist and made
| the mysterious remark about $4,000
that you perhaps remember. Which
! justif1es the reflection that some stories,
as we'll as life and puppies thrown into
wells, move around in circles Pain
fully but briefly we must shed light on
Jacobs words.
The foundation of his fortune was
made when he was twenty A poor
coal digger lever hear of rich one {?
|
had saved a dollar or two and bought
| a small tract of land on a hillside on
which he tried to raise corn. Not a
nubbin. Jacob, whose nose was a di-
vining rod, told him there was a vein
of coal beneath. He bought the land
! from the miner for 1925 and sold it a
month afterward for $4,000. Luckily
the miner had enough left of his sale
money to drink himself into a black
coat opening in the back as soon as he
heard the news.
And so, forty years afterWard we
find Jacob Illuminated with the sudden
thought that if he could make resttu-
| ton of this sum of money to the heirs
or assigns of the unlucky miner, re-
spite and nepenthe might be his.
And now must come swift action, for
we have here some 1000 words and
not tear shed and never pistol joke,
nor bottle cracked.
Old Jacob hired dozen private de-
tectives to find the heirs, if any exist
ed, of the old miner, Hugh Mcleod.
Get the point? OF course l know as
we'll as you do that Thomas is going
to be the heir. ] might have conceal
ed the name. but why always hold
back your mystery till the end?
After the detectives had trailed false
clews about three thousand dollars-I
mean mileS-they cornered Thomas at
the grocery and got his confession
that Hugh Mcleod had been his grand
father and that there were no other
| heirs. They arranged a meeting for
| him. and old Jacob one morning in one
of their offices.
| Jacob liked the young man very
much. He liked the way he looked
| straight at him when he talked. and
the way he threw his bicycle cap over
| the top Of a rose colored vase on the
center table.
| There was a slight flaw in Jacobs
| system of restitution. He did not con-
slider that the act. to be perfect. should
| include confession. SO he represented
himself to be the agent Of the pur-
| chaser of the land who had sent him
to refund the sale price for the ease
of his conscience.
well, SIR said Thomas, this
sounds to me like an illustrated post
card from South Boston with We're
having a good time here written on
it, I don't know the game. Is this
$4,000 money. or do I have to save
so many coupons to get it,"
Old Jacob counted out to him TWEEN
ty-five hundred-dollar bills.
That was better he thought, than a
check. Thomas put them thoughtful
ly into his pocket.
"Grandfathers best thanks" he said
''tO the party who sends it,
Jacob talked on, asking him about
his work, how he spent his leisure
time and what his ambitions were
The more he saw and heard of Thorn
as the better he liked him He had
not met many young men in Bagdad
so frank and wholesome.
81 would like to have you visit my
house." he said Il might help you
in investing or laying out your money
| am a very wealthy man. | have a
daughter about grown. and | would
like for you to know her. There are
not many young men l would care tc
have call on her..
I'm obliged said Thomas I'm
not much at making calls. It's gener-
ally the side entrance for mine. And
besides I'm engaged to girl that has
the Delaware peach crop killed in the
blossom She's Il parlOr maid in d
house where | deliver goods. She
won't be working there much longer
though. Say, don't forget to give your
friend my grandfather's best regards
You'll excuse me now. My wagons
outside with a lot of green stuff that's
got to be delivered. See you again