Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1919-06-19
Lucia S Legacy

By VERNON LEE

Wallace Puryin. and his personal prop
erty TO his orphan niece, Lucia Vale.
II was the day after the funeral that
these legatees were so advised by his
lawyer In the living room of the dilapi-
dated old house,
"Al his realty. eh?" sneered Purvin.
There's lot of it. isn't there y and
he sourly viewed the scrubby lot with
broken fence and dilapidated out
buildings. "And what may ask,
comprises the opulent personal hold
ings of my illustrious relativeT
Lucia was crying but she looked up
and spoke brokenly: "Ilow can YOU
act so disrespectfully TO Uncle Adam !
He thought enough of both of MS TO
mention us in his WILL and he helped
YOU get into business and he paid for
what education have received
Il had a right TO better expecta-
tons. The old spendthrift! There
is no doubt that he had quite a for
tune five years ago, for he Dragged
10 me about it then. What's become
of thigh living?'
Hardly" half smiled the young
lawyer. 81 happen to know that Mr..
Iysle lost very heavily in a specula-
ton. also chance to be aware OF
the fact that he lived on the most
meager fare during the past year.
Lucia knew IT likewise, only too
well! Many a time she had come over
10 the old home to bring life-sustain-
ing food and nurse the lonely old man
when he was ailing and i'll. Even
now she could recall his words:
'You are a good girl, Lucia. You are
the only one of all my friends and
relatives who cares for or thinks OF
me"
"Wel. YOU can sell this old rattle
trap for what II will bring" said l'ur-
vim GROSSLY. And Lucia gets the per
sonal property? Fortunate legatee!
The young heireSs What will YOU
ever do with such rich possessions?
BAH and the disappointed Purvin
swung from room and house with
new snort of irritability. Lucia looked
IN to read in the face of the young
lawyer the profound contempt he felt.
"There isn't much to count on, Miss
Vale" he said respectfully, hut such
MS II IS becomes subject to your or
der. The furniture is old, but it will
bring something. There is the COW
and the horse and wagon and buggy
and the parrot
Poor Ceasarw murmured Lucia,
going over to the cage of the only
house pet Mr.. Lysle had ever cher
Ilshed. Il have tried to feed it but it
refuses to eat and sits all day silent
and Respondent looking ! really be
Ilieve it misses its master and is
mourning over his death. I viii take
/ Caesar home with me. As to the rest
Of the personal property, if you will
kindly take charge of it and sell it
FOR what It win bring shall be CRATE
ful to YOU"
II was with emotions Of profound
esteem for the simple-hearted Lucia
that Granville Rowley went his way,
and to her his thoughtfulness and CO.
Operation We're as CLEANS Of sunshine
In a dreary routine Of labor. Lucia
was an orphan and lived with an in
valid aunt, acting in the capacity Of
nurse and housekeeper For this
service she was awarded food and
! lodging, but had to do some outside
sewing to keep up her own modest
/ wardrobe.
Granville called upon her the fol-
lowing week to report as TO the dis
posal of the personal property. The
sale had brought two hundred dollars,
| he told Lucia. She at once handed
him half of that sum and asked him
! to see that an appropriate headstone
was placed at the grave of her bene-
| factor 4 few days later Lucia
! learned that Granville had purchased
the house and lot from Purvin for o
merely nominal sum.
"Purvin made such q ridiculous
sacrifice Of the property" Granville
explained to her next time they met,
that | was tempted to invest my all.
/ It isn't the worst house in the world.
a little repairing would improve it
wonderfully, and maybe-and maybe,
| If | could find a wife who would he
content TO start life in modest way
why, we would have our first home
stead ready at hand"
Granville laughed as he said this,
but regarded Lucia with a half-quiz-
zical, balf-earnest glance and she
hlushed and futtered. His visits be-
gan 10 become regular and at the end
of three months he and Lucia became
engaged.
She met him near her home one
evening hustered and excited, and
told him that Caesar had escaped
from his cage and asked him to help
her find him. At the end OF an hour
they traced the truant to his old
home perched on a porch rafter and
making MP for lost time by shouting
out his whole vocabulary. "Weu hide
L IN the cellar" Caesar kept repeat
ing over and over again. as If some
familiar saying Of his dead master
mad wildly required to him. Gran
vile was attracted by the words He
started an investigation.
Lucia" he announced the next day.