Rockingham post-dispatch., 1922-04-20
The Old Tin
Box
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By JUSTIN WENTWooD

| Copyright, 1SZz' western Newspaper Chon-
"TH 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. l guess
nobodys touched it since grandfather
died."
"Wete got to sell, l 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 it was, and
the Faulkners, well, guess they took
! it away from my mother, l Dunno"
said Mrs. Marlowe. But it's no use
hanging on to this place, if you and
Jim get married, and two thousands
| Il 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 little as she stood in
the attic. 1t was hard 10 leave the
old house, with which she had been
associated since her earliest men,
cries.
1t was hard too, thinking that had
her great grandfather not neglected
to take out his claim, the Faulkner
place would be theirs. Marian had al
ways enyied the Faulkners-the g'rlE
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 was 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 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 small farmer,
with his heart in the land, simple,
honest, true. He had loved her for
years, since she had been little thing
in pinafOres.
That was what won her at last,
Jim's answering loyalty to her. He
was not 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 1t all,
there had been a fall of brick from
inside the chimney; the floor was COW
cred with debris.
Il suppose We'll have to have that
fixed" she thought.
Something cleaning in a corner of
! the chimney attracted her attention.
/ 1t was. the edge Of small tin box.
| Curious, Marian drew II out amid Il
cloud of dust.
| It was fastened with Il rusty nail,
| hut not locked. Inside was yeuoWed
| parchment. Marian took it to the
! light and read it. 1t was some time
before she could understand the gist
| of it. and it was strange that it was
| dated 1924.
And at last she understood. 1t was
the title to the Faulkner property. Her
! long. cherished dream had come true!
She stood holding it, trying to re-
! press the fit of trembling that had
seized her. The Faulkner lands Com
fort wealth, happiness The Faulk-
ner girls-the car-their pride hum
| bled!
A rousing tattoo on the front door
startled her. Then she smiled. 1t was
| Jim--dear old Jim, who always looked
! in, prompt to the minute. She must
| go down.
But-a thought struck her! This
| title-how would it affect her and
| Jim?
And, with prophetic vision she
seemed to see herself mistress of tbs
| Faulkner lands, of the big white house
with the colonial porch, the many
| rooms, servants, and-Jim?
He did not fit into the picture. She
could not see Jim, uneasy in stiff
| collar, seated beside her in the car ;
nor in evening dress, helping her en-
tertain the elite of the neighborhoOd.
Jim was only possible as he had
been made; his path of life was a
single rut stretching on and on. 1t
was the Faulkner lands or jim!
| Slowly she went down the stairs,
and at the bottom she was enfolded
in Jim's arms.
Darling" he whispered, I'm SO
happy to think the times so short
now. 1t come over me all at once
this afternoon, when was plowing
up the old patch by the pigstyes."
| He looked at her in sudden fear. ut
! ITS all right, amt 1t, honey7" he
asked anxiously: J.
why, Of Course" she answered
"Of Course, dear old JIM"
"What's that you're burning Mar
LAM" asked her mother minute later
"Only some old rubbish that found
| T. .ho o4t;o >, IFo Ninn nnnwprnd r.