The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-11-16
The Old Tin
Box

By JUSTIN WENTWooD

by JUSTIN WENTWooD s
Observation-Disclosures
Copyright, 1922. Western Newspaper union,
"Tll do a. bit of clearing up tonight,
| mother" said Marian. IF we're going
to sell the place to Mr.. Faulkner, the
! attic ought to be put straight. / guess
/ nebody's touched it since grandfather
died." " ~F H. a. H. :
We've got to sell, / s'pose," an
swered her mother, sullenly.. Its
queer, seeing that your great-grand-
! father was always accounted owner
Of the Faulkner property. It'd fetch
fifty thousand, Mr.. Bates was telling
me-"
"How did we lose it? asked Marian.
"Why, it pears your great-grand-
father, who settled there, never took
out a claim, or whatever 1t was, and
the Faulkners, well, | guess they took
1t away from my mother, | Dunno"
said Mrs. Marlowe. But it's no use
hanging on to this place, If you and
Jim get married, and two thousands
a fairish price for it-more'n we'd get
anywheres else, only the Faulkners
want to round out their property"
Marian went upstairs after supper.
She sighed a little as she stood In
the attic. 1t was hard to leave the
old house, with which she had been
associated since her earliest mem
cries.
1t was hard, too, thinking that had
her REORGANIZATION not neglected
to take out his claim, the Faulkner
place would be theirs. Marian had al
ways envied the Faulkners-the girls,
who had come home from college and
greeted her with the coolest of mods
when they passed on the village street,
or in their car.
All, we'll, it a no use signing
for the unattainable! Marian had
never been to college, and she clerked
for Higgs, the grocer; but she was as
we'll educated as the Faulkner girls.
And she had jim Harlowe!
And at the thought of him a visit
full little smile played about her lips.
She had refused him so often, and
he had always been so patient. Jim
would never amount to ANYTHING very
much. He was just a small farmer,
with his heart in the land, simple,
honest, true. He had loved her for
years, since she had been a little thing
10 pinafores.
That was what won her at last,
Jim's ur1swerving loyalty to her. He
was o educated. Marian had weighed
his love for her against all the dis
advantages, and love had won.
She began her cleaning. The place
was full Of rubbish. To add to it all,
there had been a fall of brick from
inside the chimney the floor was COW
cred with debris.
IT suppose Veil have to have that
fixed" she thought.
Something cleaning In a III Of
the chimney attracted her attention.
1t was the edge of a small tin box.
Curious, Marian drew 1t out amid a
cloud of dust.
It was fastened with q rusty nail,
but not locked. Inside was a yellOwed
parchment. Marian took it to the
light and read it. It was some time
before she could understand the gist
Of it. and it was strange that 1t was
dated 1924.
And at last she understood. It was
the title to the Faulkner property. Her
long cherished dream had come true !
She stood holding it, trying to re-
100000 ALa a. - &,o-,hJ;~~ that ho1
seized her. The Faulkner landsl Com
fort, wealth, happiness! The Faulk-
ner girls-the car-their pride hum
bIed!
A rousing tattoo on the front door
startled her. Then she smiled. It was
In, prompt to the minute. She must
60 down.
But-a thought struck her! This
title-how would 1t affect her and
Jim?
And, with prophetic vision she
seemed to see herself mistress Of the
Faulkner lands, of the big white house
with the colonial porch, the many
rooms, servants, and-Jim7
He did not fit into the picture. She
could not see Jim, uneasy in a stiff
collar, seated beside her In the a
o. in evening dress, helping her en-
terrain the elite of the neighborhood
Jim vas only possible as he had
been made; his path of life was a
single rut stretching m and on. II
was the Faulkner lands or Jim!
Slowly she went down the stairs
and at the bottom she was EMBODIED
In Jfm's arms.
Darling" he whispered, "Tm &C
happy to think the times so short
now. 1t come over me all at once
this afternoon, when I was DloWina