Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-05-07
CHAPTER VI.

Southiook.
Sara Wrandall's house in the coun-
try stood on a wooded knoll overlook
ing the sound. 1t was rather remotely
located, so far as neighbors we're con-
cerned. Her father. Sebastian Gooch,
shrewdly foresaw the day when land
In this particular section Of the sub
urban world would return dollars for
pennies, and wisely bought thousands
of acres: woodland, meadowlands
beachland and hills, inserted between
the environs of New York city and
the rich towns Up the coast Years
afterward he built commodious sum-
mer home on the choicest point THAI
his property afforded, named 1t South
look. and transformed that particular
part of his wilderness into a million
aires paradise, where he could dawdle
and putter to his hearts content.
where he could spend his time and his
money with prodigality that came SO
late in life to him that he made waste
Of both in his haste to live down
rather parsimonious past
Two miles and half away, in the
heart of scattered colony of purse
proud New Workers, was the country
home Of the Wrandalls, an imposing
place and older by far than South
look 1t had descended from we'll
worn and time-stained ancestors to
Redmond Wrandall, and, with others
OF its kind, looked with no little scorn
upon the modern, mushroom struc-
lures that sprouted from the seeds OF
trade. There was no friendship be-
tween the old and the new. Each had
recourse to a bitter contempt for the
other, though consolation was small
in comparison.
It was In the wooded by-ways OF this
despised domain that Chaliis Wran-
dali and Sara, the earthly daughter ct
Midas, met and loved and defied all
things supernal, for matches are
made in heaven. Their marriage did
not open the gates of Nineveh. Sebas-
tian Goochs paradise was more COM
pletely ostracised than It was before
the disaster. The Wrandalls spoke Of
1t as a disaster.
Clearly the old merchant was not
over-pleased with his daughters
choice, conclusion permanently es-
tablished by the alteration he made
in his will year or two after the mar
rage True, he left the vast estate to
his beloved daughter Sara, but he fast
ened a stout string to It, and with
this string her hands were tied. 1t
must have occurred to him that Chal-
lis was a profiigate In more ways than
one. for he deliberately stipulated 20
his will that Sara was not to SELF b
foot of the ground until a period OF
twenty years had elapsed. A ven
polite way. 1T would seem, of making
his investment safe in the 2aoo Of COO
siderable odds.
He lived long enough after the nah.
ing of his will, am happy to relate,
to find that he had made no mistake.
AS he preceded his son-in-law into tho
great beyond by a scant three years,
1t readily may be seen that he wrought
too well by far. Seventeen unneces-
sary years Of prescription remained
and he had not intended them for
Sara alone. He was not afraid Of
Sara, but for her.
When the will was read and the CON
dition revealed, Challis Wrandall took
it in perfect good humor. He had TIL.
grace to proclaim in the bosom of his.
fathers family that the old gentleman
was father-inlaw to be proud OF. "a
canny old boy" he had announced
with his most engaging smile, quite
free from rancor or resentment. Chal.
lis was we'll acquainted with himself
And so the acres were strapped to-
gether ,snugly and firmly. without =
much as town lot protruding.
So impressed was Challis by the far.
sightedness Of his father-in-law that
ne forthwith sat him down and made
will of his own. He would not haw
It said that Saras father did a whit
better by her than he would do. He
left everything he possessed to his
wife, but put no string to it, blandly
implying that all danger would be
past when she came into possession
There was sort OF grim humor in
the way he managed to present him
self 10 view as the real and ready
source of peril
GRO HE coprrusuHDa