Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1914-06-06
CHAPTER vi.
Southiook.

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 were 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 meadowland.
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 that
his property afforded, named it 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 a prodigality that came so
late in life to him that he made waste
of both in his haste to live down a
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 it's 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 bitter contempt for the
nj
in comparison.
1t was in the wooded by-ways of this
despised domain that Challis Wran-
dali and Sara, the earthly daughter of
Midas, met and loved and defed all
| things Supernal, for matches are.
made in heaven. Their marriage did
not open the gates of Nineveh- Sebas-
| tian Goochs paradise was more CON-
pletely ostracised than it was before
| the disaster. The Wrandalls spoke OF
| it as a disaster.
Clearly the old merchant was not
over-pleased with his daughters
choice, a conclusion permanently es-
! tablished by the alteration he made
| in his will year or two after the mar
riage. True, he left the vast estate To
his beloved daughter Sara, but he fast
| ened a stout string to it, and with
must have occurred to him that Chal-
lis was a profiigate in more ways than
| one, for he deliberately stipulated In
his will that Sara was not to sell q
| foot of the ground until a period of
| twenty years had elapsed. A very
polite way, it would seem. of making
| his investment safe in the face of con-
| siderable odds.
He lived long enough after the max
| ing of his will, I am happy to relate
| to find that he had made no mistake
As he preceded his son-in-law into the
| great beyond by scant three years.
| it 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 the
| grace to proclaim in the bosom OF his
| fathers family that the old gentleman
| was father-in-law to be proud Of "a
! canny old boy he had announced
with his most engaging smile. quite
| free from rancor or resentment ChaL
1 lis vas well acquainted with himself
| And so the acres were strapped to-
| gether snug1y and firmly, without so
| much as a town lot protruding-
So impressed was Challis by the far
| sightedness of his father-in-iaw that
| he forthwith sat him down and made
/ a will of his own. He would not have
| 1t said that Sara's 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. biandly
| 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 TO view as the real and ready
source of peril
GRO BE CONTINUEDl