Daily picayune., 1921-01-12
The Luck of the Lanes
By ELLA s. LAROUCHE

Maft1y, MarIHy DelioWeu tho masculine summons.
 Then in cyclonc fashion open flew the kitchen door and five feet six inch es of masculine whirlwind burst into the room. Flourishing aloft the local weekly newspaper the excited little man jerkily exploded;
 ''Rich-rich my girl Now we'll have everything we want, an'-an'- I'll be Square Lane. Oh, Marthy!' and, making sudden leap, he pulled the astonshed middle-aged matron away from her bread dough and pre- sented her with two celebration smacks.
 Mate Lane! Be you crazy"
 Gee, Marthy Guess I be-almost. Look !" And again he waved the pa per-this time before her face. We're richl" he shouted. "Recollect that knickknack peddler we gave free board to for few days last winter! He said he'd pay us some time. Well. he's dead. He was really a miser, Marthy, and he's willed us"-he paus- ed for emphasis and then slowly Sdd- ed-"fifteen thousand dollars" Gone was Mrs. Mates composure. Tremblingly she retreated into the depths of the nearest rocker.
 "Set down, Nathan, set down. You'd make dead COW nervous hopping about like hungry grasshopper. Wed best decide on what to do right off and we must use-er-etficiency.
 Industrious tongues worked over- time. Their fortune expanded with each retellng, until the couple them selves hal a vague belief in the exag- gerations, and a multi-millionaire spir- 1t pervader their systems.
 The church committee paid an early visit and incidentally called their at- tention to the condition of the shingles on the meeting house.
 "Wal, Square" drawled Deacon Saunders, you'll be one of our lead ing citizens now, and we know you'll show the right spirit. A leetle con tribution just at the beginning, so to speak would naturally give the peo- ple feeling of confidence in you. No reason why you shouldn't be church treasurer now, Deacon Grimes Is so poorly now, and you'll be Se- lectman and on the school board next ye.r, of course.
 Square" Lane beamed.
 "H'm, er'-he hesitated and glanced surreptitiously at Martha, who appear ed unimpressed by the Square "Er wal, I'll give you somethin', of course. Marthy and I'll talk it over and let you know, soon."
 The next morning the couple decided 1 to go to Fitzwell and draw out their entire savings for immediate use pend ing the arrival of the fifteen thousand.
 "We1l go shopping breezily an nounced the jublant Martha. I'm going to the Ladies' Aid Wednesday after oon in the best silk dress this town ever saw. You've got to quit chewing tobacco, Nathan, and buy some cigars, and I'm going to get my fingernails shampooed.'
 That night weary, heavily laden couple returned to a cold house and were almost immediately forced to ad- init interested and envious neighbors.
 At eleven o'clock they were again alone. Martha chanced to glance to- ward Nathan just as he was in the act of biting off generous mouthful of his favorite tobacco That bite was never consummated.
 MT. Lane, tobacco chewing Is a filthy habit. I'll have no spttoons when I get my new carpets"
 "Ye don't say?' sneered the new made Croesus. If I spile a carpet l can buy Il new one. Maybe when ye git them new gewgaws on you'll be 1 casting about for another man. Mrs. Croesus retaliated with force and venom, and no peace treaty on earth would have had any influence on that domestic battle.
 In the early morning hours, exhaust tion trumphed and they retired-to separate bedrooms.
 Mr. Lane in the cold discomfort of the spare bedroom started to remove his clothes The latest edition of the city daily newspaper fell from one of his pockets.
 His mind reverted to his inheritance and with the idea of obtaining more information concerning his eccentric benefactor he glaced over the head ings. Sure enough, there 1t was.
 He sat down on the edge of the bed, and. regardless of the cold vi- stoned the glorious future. Martha was always beside him, of course He felt vaguely troubled. Why had they quarreled? Really, it was his duty to give her a chance to apologize
 His wife stood before him-in tears.
 Marthy-Marthy he stuttered in tone of deep contritiOn.
 "Confound the money anywayw he exploded. We never quarreled like that before. Let's make up. Marthy."