The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-06-11

located, SO far as neiehbors waro non
cerned. Her father. Sebastian coo,h
shrewdly foresaw the dav when lon,
- ILLS t~-rtlcuiar section of the sub
uroan world would return dollars TO
pennles' and wisely bought thousand,
VI acres: woodland, meadowland
ueacnland and hills, inserted betwe>-
me env1rons Of New York citv an;
| Tue rlcn towns UP the coast. YaaS
| aiterWard he built commodious So.
iner nome on the choicest point ths
MS property afforded, named it Souti
look. and transformed that narticu,I
part or MS wilderness into a millioi
are paradise. where he could dawdi
anu putter to his hearts conters
"here ne could spend his time and III
money with prodigality that came =
iate IN life to him that he made .sas{
OF both in his haste to live dow,
ratner parsimonious past.
Two miles and a half awav =, IN
heart or scattered colony of nurst
proud New Workers, was the COMMIT
nolne OF the Wrandalls, an imposin
pace and older by far than Souti
lux IL mad descended from wei
worn and time-stained ancestors
hedmond Wrandall, and with othef
VI us Kind, looked with no little scoH ,
upon the modern, mushroom strut ,
lures that sprOuted from the seeds :
traoe. There was no friendship he-
tween the old and the new. Each had
recourse to bitter contempt for ,h.
other, though consolation was snail
in comparison
II was IN the wooded by-ways of u,is
oesplsed domain that Challis Wn,n.
dali and Sara. the earthly daughte. Of
Midas. met and loved and defied all
thlngs supernal, for matches .re
mace In heaven. Their marriage &id
not open the gates of Nineveh. Sebos-
uan Gooch's paradise was more c.u-
pletely ostracised than it was bercre
ene disaster. The Wrandalls spok,E VI
1t as a disaster.
Clearly the old merchant was rot
oVer-pleased with his daughtwr's
choice, a conclusion permanently ,,s.
tabllshed by the alteration he mada
IN MS Will year or two after the mar
rage. True, he left the vast estate to
MS beloved daughter Sara, but he fast
ened a stout string to it, and with
tn1s string her hands we're tied. II
aust nave occurred to him that ChAl.
lis was a profiigate in more ways tim
one, for he deliberately stipulated, In
his will that Sara was not to sci, a
root OF the ground until a period 81
twenty years had elapsed. A verS
polite way, 1t would seem, of makins
lis investment safe in the face of con-
siderable odds.
He lived long enough after the mak,
ng OF his will. l am happy to relate.
o md that he had made no mistake,
As he preceded his son-in-law into the
'reat beyond by a scant three years
readily may be seen that he wrought |
90 well by far. Seventeen unneces.
airy years of prescription remained.
nd he had not intended them for
ara alone. He was not afraid q
ara, but for her.
When the will was read and the COZ,
lt1on revealed, Challis Wrandau too,
IN perfect good humor. He had th4
race to proclaim in the bosom of his
lthers family that the old gentleman
as father-in-law to be proud Of "a
amy old boy" he had announced
18th his most engaging smile, ouita
zee from rancor Or resentment Chal
3 was we'll acquainted with himself
And SO the acres were strapped ter
ether snugly and firmly, without %
UGH as town lot prctruding.
So impressed was Challis by the far
ghtedness of his father-in-law that
: forthwith sat him down and md, .
will of his own He would not hx%A
said that Saras father did a VIM
'tter by her than he would do. He
1T everything he possessed to his
fe, but put no sitting to it, blandly
lplying that all sanger would be
st when she came into possession.
lere was a sort OF grim humor in
way he managed to present him.
II to view as the real and ready r
urce Of peril
(TO BE CONTINUED