The Washington times., 1913-11-11
THE DAILY SERIAL
THE HERITAGE OF CAIN
GREAT BIG THRILLING STORY
- -. =-z BY ISABEL OSTRANDER
BY ISABEL OSTRANDER

Bout twenty houses. m three stores;
m tn postoffice, n tn hotel-'n' tn
who's the most likely person in
Jackson to know everybody and every.
body's business for years and years
back, and likely to talk about them!
Somebody who'd know eve everybody @
who'd ever lived in Jackson and wnere
they'd moved to?"
WAL, eff you amt described, Of ia
bez Tuttle to a T." chuckled the
driver. "Or Jabe' remembers fifty
years back, an. he loves ter ter remn,sos IN sxsr
see. Why" he added sharply turning
to gaze curiously at the stranger. Try
in ter find somebody"
| Yes" smiled Yorke. SOMEBODY
who moved away thirty years ago.
"Wal. cal-late can't help ye none.
Only moved to these parts myself from
Brattleboro way seventeen years ago.
But IL anybody can tell ye. Of Jabe
a;Bout q quarter of mile from the
moor farrn-he was overseer Of it for
forty-odd year. He lives with his mar.
ried daughter now. Mis- Fuller. sh'h
I take ye there%
Yorke asquiesced, and the converse.
ton tagged until he was deposited at
the Fullers' gate.
| rose-cheeked country woman ad-
mitted him, and, on making his errand
known to her, she led him at once TO
the roomy, cheerful kitchen, with its
kettle singing on the stove, and crisp
odor of baking bread.
4 The scarlet cotton cloth on the table
/ and the crimson of the geraniums on
/ the window ledge made bright touches
of color. and in great rocker, aramd d
| Quilt spread carefully over his knees,
= sat very old man.
His horn spectacles were pushed up
on his forehead, and above them was a
superb mass of snow-white hair. His
shrunken. palsied hands were folded in
| contentnrent on the pages of an open
Bible, which lay across the quilt. he
| appeared to be asleep, but at their ap-
proach he opened surprisingly bright
alert eyes upon them: ,, .,-;,,od in
the high-pitched voice Of one accus-
toned to speech with the deaf Here
| a Young man come all the way from
New York to talk to We! He wants ter
/ find some people that moved away iFoia
here s.Wsis SeaTs noWs sfS' said the old man. e1-
ltending one shaking hand and speak
ling in auavering but powerful tones.
I'm mighty glad ter see ye. Set
IT drove over from Lookoff:" replied
Yorke, relinQuishing the old mans
hand and seating himself.
"Then I'll lay ye amt had no dinner.
Marthy! Give M Mr.Mrw, mi ao,.c+,r.
| "Giye Mr.. Yorke a bite of dinner.
I'll lay he's half starved
| In spite of his protestations. the
warmed-oyer remains Of substantial
meal were put before MIN: In. and ana as sass ne
ate gratefully, he Piled MS aged most
.T want to find out about a child
who was adopted by a stranger,
lady, about Twenty-Five years ago
L to 4ln nT Tcyh
Do you remember hearing OF \such a
1 case, Mr.. Tuttle?
J The old man shook his head.
Seven children, as / can recall, hev
been 'dopted round these parts IN tn
farm, an one from 81 Hooker, tn viii
lage drunk, an two others, but they
wuz all taken by folks livin' round
here, an they're all here stili-them
az amt dead from overwork, he
that's kinder far back.
| He sat buried in thought, while
Yorke felt a deadening sensation OF
defeat. Luck had been so unfailingly
with him in the last day or two that
he had hoped much from this chance
adventure. He had felt himself to be
so hot upon the trail that the thought
Of losing the scent now was intoler-
able to him.
He maintained silence, but watched
the old man with eager eyes.
Old Jabez Tuttle pondered. nodding.
He seemed to be dropping or to sleep,
when suddenly he threw his head up.
| hic eyes glistened, and cried in a voice
breaking with excitement.
'"Twenty-nine year ago! 1t wuz just
twenty-nine year ago my three wuz
adopted.
1.-The three orphans I had charge of
up to the poor farm. I wuz overseer
! there for more'n forty year. an at the
| time I'm a tellin' ye Of I had three Or
phans on my hands-two sisters an a
brother"
WHO took them-do you remember"
| Yorke almost shouted.
The boy wuz.th' oldest-he wuz about
six or seven. an ez ,ornery little cuss
comb or Hallam, or some sch name
| 'dopted him-folks that Lived in TIL
State of New Jersey. an read bout
EN- all in tn papers.
| Then Sarah, she wuZ about three or
| four. an delicate an kinder spindlin
Miss Jervis, over to Lookoff. took her,
but she died Of pneurnony In a year or
two. Tn baby-an' bright little critter
she Ruz, too. bout three months old, or
mebbe a little more-a lady from Moo
! YORK took her"
| What was her name?''
"Th' ladys? Wal. now, I Just can't
recall IT, but it's all in tn record In tn
office up in tn poor farm yonder. an a
copy in tn county clerks office TIL
baby's name wuz 'Viry-Elviry, fer her
poor man.
WAS the lady's name, by any chance
i-Bigelow?" Yorke asked hesitatingly.
| No but seems ter me twas some
thin like that kinder think it began
1 with a b." the old man returned
| Funny how them strangers should hev
read bout them children. an come an
| taken them. Lucky they did, or they'd
| been on our hands fer years ter come,
/ guess.