The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-03

room. so VII hold All I'm entitled
i 10 take. What things q don want
lspecia1iy Ell sell as chance comes,
l living YOU the refusaI Gof% anything
Won n1ayswant The old secretary,
fer instance tth at $comessd down from
yer great-grandpapa real an-teeR,
| and, worth money. Squire Bemts
says he'll give two .hundred for It
any da y - 81 isl.
you went TO him?.s Marcia inter.
rupted, holding her temper hard.
Mrs. Lane laughed foolishIy. 81
amt got nothin' against his mon
ey.v she said. Hell send for the
SOW and stuff this mornin' put
him off about the secretary-some-
how 1t keeps me so IN mind OF yer
pappy. Many night I dropped
asleep watcilfn' him settin' in front
OF it, figgerin'. figgerin', frownin'
all the time
You know what. for-to pay
debts for which he was not even
bound in honor" Marcia interrupt
ed.
Her stepmother sighed. murmur
ing yes" then briskened to add:
AFTER I get things all fixed I'm
goin' to take in sewin'-you won't
mind, know want ter be indie
pendent, though do believe you d
clothe as well as feed me II you
| had to-
II would rather do it than have
swered swallowing a lump in her
! throat. Taking in sewing meant
! making her home the center and
I fountainhead of gossip, the more
unsavory the better She wanted to
forbid it outright, but felt that 1t
would be unwise. Better Mrs. Lane
than a strange women-she could
/. not possibly live alone-eyen set
ting the Bemis complication out OF
! account She she gave in about
everything but the secretary-that,
| she said in a voice of steel, she
| must and would have for herself
Not only because she loved fla
1 tall. fine piece of cabinetryJ wrought
from native walnut and ebon with
| age. She had somehow an impera-
| tive sense Of being hidden to keep
1t. Sitting before it the old DAYS
came back-dear days, when she
had been her fathers comrade and
! cons olation for the mistake OF his
Isecond marriage Then he had told
I her about the debt. 1t ran back to
his generous youth, when he had
gone bail for a. friend accused OF
| forgery, who had promptly run
away. never to return. His default
took all the ready money Richard
Lane had inherited, but he had not
minded the money loss SO much as
| +ha+ IF faith and truSt
! The land, cumbered and titled
as he titled it, meant comfort, even
modest wealth, until the old judge
! died. He had carried the law and
the county in his pocket for forty
/ years. Honest himself he had let
| those under him he lax until they
dared to become dishonest. In the
lupheaval Mr.. Lane was called on
1 for the forfeited bond, with inter
est. He had mislaid the receipts
| for the money, paid in two install,
ments. Squire Bemts had seen tue
4 payments, but his. memory was sc
] treacherous he refused to swear 70
! the fact. But had saved his face
1 by offering to lend half the money
at usury, upon mortgage security
4 The offer was refused with smile
! that stung like a lash. Followed
years Of driving. striving, It ias.
thriving. clouded further with a
great brief, a sad mistake and end
ing at an open grave.
It all came back like a dream
picture to Marcia rummaging in the
secretary's intricate recesses. Es
! pecially the old days, when she had
| seen the inevitable end not know
ing where to turn for help or coun'
| sci. 1t had come to her miraculo GUS
| " it seemed from the gray house
beyond the river. Yound Calder,
! it's inheritor, had come back to IL
in time to ask renewed of the Lane
| friendship for his father. He had
seen to everything. Marcia knew
| the bills were all paid and would
| never trouble her until she was
ready for them
| But that in nowise abated her
duty of diligence. She must know
how she stood to the last penny. So
she search ed-and found amazing
/ 1y. The floor Of one pigeon hole
| had sprung the least bit. From be-
meath it she drew out the lost re-
| ceipts, not only properly signed but
witnessed by Neighbor Bemls IN
his own hand. She might have faint
ed with Joy, only young Calder
i leaning over her shoulder said soft-
ly: "werl forgive him-on condi.
| ton"
what" asked Marcia hushedly.
THAT he takes zstepmamma OF
our hands, was the reply.
Copyright, 1929
/ -v-Ss------------