Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-11-05
Aunt Hannah and
Jack
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1918. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M. QUAD

the house to lose ii at the hands Of
robbers. but you have never read Of
Aunt Hannah Day. though she was
just that sort of person. She was u
widow and had passed the middle age
and had little farm near village
where she lived and hired man to
work it.
Aunt Hannah wasn't a miser. though
she was known to be stingy and to be
suspicious Of every one that came
along. Her first thought toward a
stranger was to ask herself If he was
after the money. for she kept money
in the house. While her husband was
still alive bank had failed on them,
and they had lost $1,000. From that
date on the woman had looked upon
every banker as robber
In one way and another Aunt Han
nah had got together $4,000 in gold.
She had buried it down in the cellar
in a fruit Jar. but she didn't believe
she would ever receive visit from
robbers. When people warned her that
she was running great risk she re-
piled:
"Oh. la. la. II robbers ever should
come I'll make 'em cup Of ginger tea
and ask them to please go along aud
not bother an old woman. Robbers
have mothers as well as other folks,
and when they see my gray hair and
wrinkled face they'll think Of their
own mothers and not harm me-"
One day there came tOiling up the
long hill on whose crest stood Aunt
Hannah's rather gloomy house boy
about fourteen years old. He was rag
ged and hungry. He was city wait
who had left the city behind and was
tramping. He saw Aunt Hannah in
her cucumber patch and opened the
gate
well. bub?" she queried in her brisk
way.
Il want to live with you for awhile"
was the reply.
But you have a lazy look about
you"
Gimme something to do and see
now III make the ulTt ny
After few more questions and an
swers he was given slice OF bread
and butter and set to work.
Aunt Hannah had always figured
that il robbers came it would be at
midnight and that there would be
three Of them and each wearing q
black mask. She had written down
and then committed to memory the
very first words she was going to
speak when she found them bending
over her bed and flashing the light
from dark lantern in her eyes.
Jack had bed in the garnet. which
was not bad sort of place. while
Aunt Hannah had bedroom on the
first floor. The tired boy was always
In bed at 8 o'clock. but the woman
waited an hour longer before winding
the clock and retiring. One evening
at half past s, as she sat sewing. the
door opened and two men entered.
No masks. No dark lantern. They
didn't look a bit like robbers.
Madam" said one. and he smiled
when he said 1t. I'VE have come for
that money"
Aunt Hannah's robbers had come at
last; but. alas for her. her program
had been all knocked out. She was
so frightened that she was tongue
tied for the next three minutes. She
just sat and stared at them and Won
dered If she had grown deaf and mis-
understood their words.
Twill you hand over the money!
mo. I'll he summed If | will.' she
exclaimed as she suddenly found her
voice and at the same time began to
struggle.
In fifteen seconds she had gag In
her mouth and one of the men was
saying:
TOO bad. isn't it? We thought the
old lady would see things In the right
light Guess we'll have to hurt her
after ALL"
Five minutes after Jack had gone to
bed he was asleep. That sleep lasted
about twenty minutes. and then touch
of collie woke him up. He had been eat
ing green apples all the afternoon to
make him grow The hired man had
told him it was a sure thing. He didn't
get out of bed at the first twinge. but
at about the tenth. He would go down
stairs and TESS up to Aunt Hannah
and get remedy. He got so far on his
way as to know that there were stran.
gers in the sitting room and that one
Of them was saying to the widow:
1--WE should hate to burn the soles of
her feet with lighted matches. but we
must have that money"
Jack scuttled back upstairs and from
a back window dropped to the roof of
the kitchen and thence 7" the ground.
Half mile away - a farmer who
was cutting his meadows and had five
or six harvest hands at the house. The
distance was covered in short order.
and the labOrers turned out with guns
and pitchforks.
She had just got one blister when the
harvest hands arrived. There was a
hot fight for Ave minutes. and then one
OF the robbers was captured and the
other made his escape. Jack came in
after the affair was over. and Aunt
Hannah tried to embrace him and tell
him what nice things she was going to
do for him. but his reply was:
Uvf,S mo For tho rood AGAIN came