The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-05-24
LUKE AND HIS LEGACY
BY MERTON LEE DANFoRTH.

Vera" spoke her lover gravely, eff
you measure love and happiness with
dollars, / am afraid you will never
find much in life. My uncle left me
five hundred dollars. There was
poor consumptive cousin who had
come to the reading of the will expect
ing a legacy. He was left nothing. |
His doctor had told him that only a
change to another climate would save |
his life. Vera, if you'd seen the tears |
run down his cheeks at his disappoint- |
ment, you'd feel sorry, as l did,
Vera tossed her head angrily.
Anyhow, l got talking with him. |
He was an honest, truthful man. 1t |
seems that he had been for years liv-
ing on small ten-acre place in a |
town called Benham. 1t had a pretty |
good cottage on it, but he said that
his i'll health and lack of capital had
prevented him from working the place.
He eked out mere existence working
as a f1agman for a railroad. He told
me frankly that the place was scarcely
salable at any price, as it was located
near an old abandoned colliery. Well,
I bought it. That's all"
"And | suppose" flared up Vera,
''you expect me to go and live in that
outlandish placer"
cor rent it," replied Luke quietly.
He left the house of his sweetheart
that night pretty well disillusioned as
to the amiable qualities of Miss Vera
Moore. She had treated him coolly.
He doubted if she had ever really
loved him. The next time he called,
her sister Norma informed him that
Vera was not at home. She made it
pleasant for him the brief time he
stayed Luke could not but notice
that she was trying to apologize for
her high-tempered sister and cheer
him up at the same time.
She was older than Vera but for the
| first time he observed her gentle, sym
pathetic face. She talked to- him about
the little home he had bought, and
said wistfully:
Il do hope Vera will come around
! to finding love in a cottage a real hap
| piness,'' but Luke doubted that
He heard later that Vera had been
out promenading with two young men
of the town. She was insolently neg
| lectful of him at times. Then came
bad news. The little cottage at Ben
ham had burned down. No insurance.
Two days later Luke received a, brief
note. 1t was from Vera, and it ran
II ask to be released from our en-
gagement."
/ Luke Maydwen read the note with
satisfaction and was ashamed Of Him
self-further, with sense of relief
and was surprised He made a gen
tlemanly reply to the note in harmony
with the wishes of his .imperious lady
love of the past. He called upon Vera
and in frank manly fashion tried to
make her feel that he did not blame
her
I'm pretty poor, that's fact" he
told her, but I would have worked
for you my hardest"
A young man called just then tc
take Vera out driving. She put on hel
things and left Luke with a heartless
nod
Norma will entertain you, Luke,
she said, and. turning to the sister in
question, Luke saw shining in hel
81 am ashamed of her, Luke" she
spoke quite Indignantly. you are TOT
good for her"
It was wonderful how we'll they go
on. A natural sequence resulted
Within month Luke Maydwell wa
the happiest man in the world. H,
! had found real love at last. Vera hat
, become engaged to a new fame. ST,
months later Luke and Norma wer
arranging for their wedding.
She had induced him to go down I
Benham and arrange to build a ney
: cottage.
t Norma met him at the door whel
he returned from his visit to Benham
t His honest heart warmed as he cor
: trasted the glad welcome she CAV
. him with that past, forgotten and fol
d given reception awarded him by he
sister on a previous occasion.
q We'll, dear?" she chirped happily
o 1.-The cottage?"
Q Cant be built" reported Luke
d shaking his head positively.
q "Oh, how you disappoint mel" mul
INJURED Norma. 81 had so set my hear
e on day by day working to make on
small beginning a task of pleasan
q duty and ambition.
L Il am thinking of buying the hous
left vacant by Judge Sherman n
3 marked Luke.
T, Vera, who was listening to the col
versation, gave Luke a sarcasti
n smile, for he had named one of tn
v show places of the town.
q Certainly" she sneered ill-nature'
g ly. "As a millionaire, undoubtedl
you can afford it,"
o 'fI'm not quite a millionaire" r
u piled Luke in blunt, practical wa.
q ''but l can afford to buy the Judge
house, and another like it, if wis
The fact is. Norma" he added, "v
can't build the cottage we planne
for | have sold the land at Benham