Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-01-22
Mary. and the grandchildren must wait

AAAAA .HAAN VIC AAASe01 Wall
for the big luck to come.
Was this scheme of Dan Fleer's the
big luck in disguise?
II 'spect dem little gran'chillun is
tired waitin' fer dere grandpap ter
come" insinuated Dan wickedly.
III do it, Dan," whispered Abe,
but" he added dcspondently, Il don't
reckon I'll ever look Marse Linkum in
de face agin!'
"Alarsc Iinkum:' jibcd Dan Flccr.
''Yore crazy, Uncle Abe! Marsc Link
UNI been dead desc thirty ycrs-shorc
you don't wantcr look no ghos' in de
face! Lordy!' Hc shuddcrcd.
Il mean what said,' retorted Abe
with dignity. Nov, Dan. when do
YOU reckon you'll discomposc dis yere
ncarfurious deed:'
''TouiS!it.'
,'""rollight? l amt got 10 time FER
refleckShu1n,' bemoaned Abe.
''De less refleckshuming you do, Abe
briggs, de nearer you'll get to dat $780,"
warned Dan as he arose to go. You
,
o'clock, when de moon sets, and de
rest is easy. My mule Vaughn IL be
back in de woods, and in half an hour
the hull thing will be did,
''All right: I'll be dere," muttercd Abe
as he went dejectedly away.
Once inside Of his homely little cabin
Abe hung his hat on its accustomed
peg and sat down in his big rocking
chair.
1t was very tidy, comfortable little
home, with rag carpet on the floor
and a battered but shining little cook
stove in one corner. There We're many
little evidences of Hannah Mary's love.
for Uncle Abe heard often from his
devoted daughter in New York. -
Over the mantelpiece hung Uncle
Abe's choicest treasure, y large en-
graved portrait OF his idol, Abraham
Lincoln, whose love Of right and JUS
tiee had struck the shackles OF. slavery
from Abe's wrists us well as those OF
thousands Of his people.
The portrait Of Abraham Lincoln
was All inspirati and companion to
Abe briggs. There were some ilf the
Baptist chapel who complained that
Abe followed, the precepts OF Lincoln
rather than those laid down in the
BIBLE, but the parson defended Abe BY
reforting that as Abraham Lincoln had
the cookbook for his guide Abe could
not he far wrong.
&Now, Abe, as usual when he was
troubled, addressed the portrait of the
defverer.
:tScuse me, Marse Linkum," he said
alphabetically; rs got ter ask You Il
question. l reckon you'd think it was
wicked if | was to transform a hun
dred of Kunnel Twiddie's hens to Dan
Fleer and take $40 ter git no' tn to Han
nah Mary, even if ! paid back: the $40
sooh's Icould git some chores''=. ;'*>
Abe stopped short.
Even in the lamplight lie could sec
the kindly face Of Abraham Lincoln
looking down at him, and the eyes
were sad-so very sad and disapprOv:
ing.
"Lordyw quavered Abe, and mount.
ing upon chair he turned the frame
toward the wall, so that the accusing
eyes could no longer follow him. "Ol.
l gotter do it," he muttnrcd us he
clambered brcathleSSly down. IF j!
don't see them little r!l;iiunS this win,
ter, laik as not never will no:oW."'
His mind quite made UP. Abe hob
bied around the room, making a pot
OF strong tea and frying some bacon
and hominy for his supper. He heated
some bricks and put them between the
sheets of his bed so that it might be
warm for his rheumatic limbs when he
crept under the covers to sleep until
midnight.
He did not sleep. :.
He shivered until his cracked old
clock wheezed out the hour of -; then
he got up and dressed and swallowed
some sca1ding coffee to infuse warmth
into his shaking limbs. = ! ! =
At O'Clock he was crouching in the
shadow of Colonel Twiddie's henhouse.
waiting for Dan Flcer.
Far away in the dark woods an; owl
heated. and later came the sharp bark
OF 8 FOX Then: echoing, came the
hollow "heebaw' OF Dan Fleer's mule.
"1ordy!s ahivered Abe thinking of
Abraham Lincoln's accusing eyes.
Whatever would Marse~ Linkum think
of dis yere bizness?'
Moments passed-.a half hour, and
stillsSs Dan :Fleer did not: come: = Abe
pictured Dan thrashing the big mule
with a stout stick. :: On critical occa
sions like the present the mule chose
to exercise his characteristic obstinacy.
The moon had set and darkness
wrapped the undulating fields. The
group Of henhouses bulked large in the
foreground. Over yonder. beyond the
group Of tall holly trees, was the Twid-
die mansion. It's windows were dark.
The colonel's family slept peacefully.
not suspecting that their humble neigh
Dor and friend, Abe briggs, was plot
ting to rob the hcnroost
Abe writhed in self contempt.
rThnn rt.s.,(vo ftM,k nnsSoSciOn If him