The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-04-13
A Wild Goose
Chase
By F. A. mitchell

This Is a copy Of the willao O. Edward
Spangler, who died leaving a daughter
who was engaged to Thomas Ormsby.
a young man of whom the ~testator ap-
proved. MI. Spangler was considered
a very singular parsonage, and his will
bears out the opinion.
Believing that between husband
and wife the one showing the greater
thought, resource, ingenuity indeed.
those faculties which 80 to make up
smartness-should rule, l beQueath my
fortune either to my beloved daugh-
ter, Imogene Spangler, or to the man
she shall marry, the inheritance to be
decided in the following manner:
my property, consisting Of twenty
bonds Of $1,000 each. is buried in the
state of Florida. They will be found
either on the right bank Of the St.
Johns river, at its junction with the
ocean, or at Glencove Springs. TWEEN
ty miles northeast of st. Augustine.
The finder of the bonds-either my
daughter, 1mogene Spangler. or her
husband-shall be their possessor."
Surely. Tom," said Imogene after
reading the will, father must have
been delirious when he signed his will.
You'd better go to Florida and visit
the two places named in the will.
Quite likely you'll find a pointer in the
one where the bonds are buried"
Il think you had better go with me
We can make it a bridal trip"
Every good. Name the day."
Imogene and Tom were duly mar
ried and preparations made for the
wedding journey. The evening before
their start 1mogene went into her late
fathers library, where the old gentle
man had kept many atlases-for he
was much interested in geography
with a view to locating the points
where they We're to hunt for the bonds.
Mr.. Spangler had set great store by a
revolving plaster globe four feet in
diameter. Imogene found St Angus
tine on this globe, but not Glenceve
Springs, SO she got down an atlas con-
tanning a sufficiently detailed map and
located the points exactly.
The couple left the next morning for
the Flowery State. passing gradually
from winter into summer. When they
reached st. Augustine Tom proposed
that they put up at a third rate hotel
or a cheap boarding house. He did not
approve of spending money freely until
they had found the money to spend.
But 1mogene said that, being ON her
wedding journey, she proposed to live
like a bride. Tom was o%verruled, and
they went to the most expensive hotel.
After a few days rest from their
journey Tom proposed that they should
proceed to look up their fortune. limo
gene seemed to be In no hurry.
"Pm comfortable here she said.
Suppose you go to both points,"
"But in case I find the bonds I shall
be the owner of them"
Suppose you are? That won't make
any difference to me. l think the hus-
band should have the money anyway.
Papa was like most men; he thought
that power in the family is lodged in
the mi possessing the funds. He
should have known that women don't
work that way. Their power lies be-
yond dollars and cents. You 60 ahead
and find the bonds" f..
Tom was puzzled. For him to 70 of
to hunt for a fortune on such meager
Information al he possessed seemed
ridiculous. He showed a disposition to
give up the matter.
"Oh, 60 on" said his wife. you'll
get mighty tired sitting around with
me long before the honeymoon is over
Quite likely you'll find a clew. Father
wasn't such a fool as to hide a fortune
where no one could find it."
She kissed him and patted him on
the back and sent him away. He went
first to the Springs, where he spent a
day looking for a sign. Finding none,
he proceeded to Jacksonville and
thence to the coast But never q sign
did he see. As for digging anywhere
without a sign, he was not so stupid
as that. So after three or four days
absence he returned to st. Augustine.
BE expected to find his wife disap-
pointed at his failure, but she met him
with a smile.
"You don't seem to be much de-
pressed at the loss Of q fortune he
remarked. .....
Isn't it a wife's duty to cheer her
husband in times Of a~dversityr" she
replied.
II hope you'll be able to keep It up
when the bills begin to come in"
BRUSH your hair and get that disap-
pointed look OF your face. Things are
not so bad as they appear. I have
something to tell you. The night be
fore we left for this place l went into
fathers library to look upon his globes
and maps where these places you have
been are. Something in the words
Glencove Springs sounded suggestive,
Springs, springs l kept saying. Why
l did It I don't know, but / pressed
my thumb on the globe at the point
where Glencove is and broke through
the surface. Taking a knife, 1 began
to dig and found the bonds. Here
they are."