The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1914-05-15
CHAPTER VI.
Southlook.

Southlook.
Sara Wrdndall's house in the con,
try stood on a wooded knoll overlook
ing the sound. Ii was rather remotsl,
located, SO far as n~eighbors were con,
cerned. Her father. Sebastian Cooeh
shrewdly foresaw the day when land
in this particular section of the sun
urban world would return dollars 70,
pennies. and wisely bought THOUSAND,
Of acres: woodland, m~eadowland
~beachland and hills, inserted between
the environs OF New York city and
the rich towns up the coast. Yeau
afterward he built a commodious sum
mer home on the choicest point tina,
his property afforded, named it South
look, n transformed that particular
part of his wilderness into a million
aires paradise, where he could dawdls
and putter to his hearts content
where he could spend his time and biz
money with a prodigality that came 50
late in life to him that he made waste
OF both in his haste to live down ,
rather parsimonious past.
Two miles and a half away, in thu
heart Of a scattered colony of purse
proud New Workers. vas the county
home Of the Wrandalls, an imposing{
place and older by far than So
look. 1t had descended from y IN
worn and time-stained ancestors to
Redmond Wrandali, and, with other
OF its kind, looked with no little soon
upon the modern, mushroom strue
lures that sprouted from the seeds ol
trade. There was no friendship BEL
tween the old and the new. Each had
recourse to a bitter contempt for th(
other, though consolation was small
in comparison.
1t was in the wooded by-ways Of thl
despised domain that Challis Wraa
dali and Sara, the earthly daughter
Midas, met and loved and deied Al
things supernal, for matches an
made In heaven. Their marriage did
not open the gates Of Nineveh. Sebas
tian Gooch's paradise vas more com
pletely ostracised than it was betord1
the disaster. The Wrandalls spoke oil
II rs a disaster.
Clearly the old merchant was no,
over-pleased with his daughteTs
choice. a conclusion permanently es
tablished by the alteration he made
in his will a year OF two after the mar
rage. True. he left the vast estate to
his beloved daughter Sara, but L. fast
ened a stout string to It. and with
this string her hands were tied. II
must have occurred to him that Chal
lis was a profigate In more ways han
one, for he deliberately stipulated ia
his will that Sara was not to sell al
foot Of the ground until a period OF
twenty years had elapsed. A very
polite way, 1t 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 a scant three years
it readily may be seen that he wrought
too well by far. Seventeen unnecsS
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 a father-in-law to be praud OF. "A
canny old boy" he had announced
with his most engaging smile, quite
free from rance or resentment. Chal'
lis was well acquainted with himself
And SO the acres were strapped 10
gether snugly and firmly. without 80
much as a town lot ~protruding.
So impressed was Challis by the far
eightedness oil his fathar-in-law that
he forthwith sat him down and made
a will OF his own. He would not have
it said that Sara's father did a whit
better by her than he would do. He
left everything he possessed to MS
wife, but put no string to it. blandiy
implying that all danger would Do
past when she came into possession
There was a sort of grim humor IN
the way he managed to present him
self to view as the real and ready
source of peril.
(TO BE CONTIiyuEDJ