Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1914-05-22
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, 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 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 a
rather parsimonious past.
Two miles and half away, in the
heart of a 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 a bitter contempt for the
other, though consolation was small
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 defied all
things supernal, for matches are
made In heaven. Their marriage did
not open the gates Of Nineveh. Sebas-
tian Gooch's 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
riage. True, he left the vast estate to
his beloved daughter Sara, but he fast
ened stout string to 1t, and with
this string her hands were tied. IL
must have occurred to him that Chal-
lis was prof1igate in more ways than
one, for he deliberately stipulated In
his will that Sara was not to sell a
foot OF the ground until 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, | 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 unnecess
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 tina
grace to proclaim in the bosom of hia
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-
lis was well acquainted with himself.
And SO the acres were strapped to-
| gether snugly and firmly, without So
much as a town lot protruding.
So impressed was Challis by the far
eightedness OF his father-in-law that
he forthwith sat him down and made
a will of his own. He would not have
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 hira-
| self to view an the real and ready
source OF peril
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