The Monticellonian. [volume] (Monticello, Ark.) 1870-1920, 1916-06-22
AT SHERIfF'S SALE
BY CATHERINE cRANMER.

Five years after John Morton left
! Prineville he had become a successful
civil lawyer with some very big names
ON the list of clients. With profess
sional success had come also social
f recognition and establishment in eXclu-
siVe bachelor quarters All this had
kept him so occupied that scant time
had been left to keep up friendly in
+ tercourse with the Prineyille people,
and since the death Of his only Prime
vile relative, John Daniels, the law
yer with whom he had first read law.
he had not been back to visit the little
county-seat town.
Seated in his book-lined Office one
summer morning. John Morton was
going over his personal accounts, and
certain items of his living expenses
rather staggered him.
Just then the postman came in and
deposited some mail on Johns desk
There we're some letters of profess
sional import. club notice of ban
quet for distinguished visitor to
the city, legal publication or two and
the little home paper from PrineviIle,
with its four pages tightly folded and
inclosed in manila wrapper.
Many copy of the Weekly Argus
had gone into the waste basket UNI
opened. but on this particular morn
ing it was the paper that claimed
precedence over all the other mail
Over in the right-hand column of
the third page was a row OF legal no
tees, and glance over these
brought an indrawn whistle of sur
prise from John.
The cause of his agitation was this
notice: Pursuant to the order of the
county court, the undersigned, sher-
if of Cornwall county, will on Mon
day, June the twelfth, at the north
door of the courthouse, at ten o'clock
in the forenoon, sell at public sale
to the highest bidder for cash certain
property of Barbara Anderson, con-
sisting of the following" Then fol
lowed detailed description of what
John readily recognized as the old
Anderson homestead, which stood on
the outskirts of Prineville, and which
he recalled as the scene of many
lively tennis game with Barbara With
his elbows ON the desk and his head
in his hands, John sat staring at the
notice. but what he really saw was
thousand incidents of summers
gone by.
He also thought of the friendly cor
respondenco he had kept up with
Barbara when he first came to the
city, and he WINGED as he realized
that it was largely due to his nesli-
gence that the correspondence had en-
tirely died out. Other causes were
that be had been busy with his pro-
fessian and Barbara had been tied
down BY the inyaHdism OF her mother
following the shock OF her fathers
death in railroad accident.
He called the stenogfapher in and
let loose "a an avalanche OF rapid
dictation tHat she had to bend over
her notebook with flying fingers and
alert ears to catch all he said At ten
clock Monday morning, enough OF
her WhirlWind notes stiIl remained to
be transcribed to keep her busy all
day, but there was no danger of her
work being augmented for John Nor
ton was a hundred miles away and was
at that moment aAghting from his
dusty roadster in front of the old
Anderson homestead.
With the directness and determine
ton which had in five years time put
him on professional plane with men
ten years his senior, John had, in five
minutes time, told Barbara that sue
cess had brought him nothing that
took the place OF their comradeship of
five years before. and he begged her
to renew it and to let him be fire.
o. Il visitor at the old home as be-
fore.
You'd always be welcome, John"
she said cordially but sadly, but the
cid heme IS being sold this minute at
the courthouse door II it brings
enough to pay the mortgages and to
keep me in New York until can quail
ify for office work, I'll be in luck. You
see, | couldn't leave mother to earn
anything. and to give her the comfort
she needed the home was heavily
mortgaged Perhaps you didn't know
of her death"
John vas ready to begin an explana-
tion when the telephone rang.
Its The sheriff, I'm sure said Bar
bara nerYously. 4IIe is to call me up
to say when and where to come to
sign the deed; but | can't talk. Won't
you answer him ."
John held Z brief conversation over
/ the telephone, ending with an assur-
anee that they would come right down.
Barbara rose brayely and advanced
toward the door. With her hand on
the door knob, she turned to John.
who bought it-St Roses parish
or the Masonic LODGE"
Neither. he answered.
But there couldn't have been any
other buyers, We're there no bids
AZ ALL Both hope and fear were in
her surprised inquiry
Yes. Barb. there was buyer. John
spoke quietly, and he took Barbaras
hand from the door knob and held it
in his own The man who bought
was acting for another man. The price
paid was five thousand, but that other
man wants something with the home.
that is worth more than any number
of thousands The man who bought it
was acting for me. and what | want
+ above all else is you"
After a few blissful moments had
passed in silence, John added: IF