Show mi IN 1 N HIS WILL by JOHN ST CLAIR eells ills there la Is our home said dorothy milford with conviction pointing painting to tho the old colonial building at tho the end cod of tile ho village street it seemed indeed to bo be just tho the homo home for which both find been peeking pecking ever since their return from tho the honey honeymoon threw three months montha before ilvo five hundred feet fact away from tho the house nearest it it seemed to dominate tho the anthur homes of tho the community tho the street ended in its driveway which wan mia bordered by two lawns lawna of gr greenest cen grass there were two vino arbors bors and an old apple orchard and tho the ivy had crept up to tho the roof long ago on oil every sido 1 I wonder how much it would cost coat us ellis whispered dorothy clinging to me hla arm ellla bills Al lIford was a hard war working king clerk in ono one of tho the big insurance of flees and their homo home had been only a four room flat fat in tile tho dusty city but every sunday they had gono gone forth from tho the metropolis di dreaming caming of just such a place as tills this only on less grand a scale rind and hero here was tile their r dream in brick and turf and th tho 0 truan schedule was excellent ellla ellis could go into town without tho the need of any extravagantly early rising returning in time to enjoy tho garden in summer time at least before befaro his supper aupper there Is no agents sign lie he said after a close inspection of tile tho prem loco perhaps somo some of tho the neighbors would know hla his wife suggested inquiries la in tho vicinity however failed ailed to disclose the bouso had been untenanted for mony many years end it was rumored that tho the owner resided in england no there had never been any effort to rent it it would be hard bard to to do so anyway be nobody wanted an fashioned old house when you could got get a brand now new on ono a built on tho the installment plan at which information dorothys heart beat high with serret secret joy you ace ellis it Is my english blood sho she explained you know grandfather was an englishman and 1 I wonder i much it would cost if though I 1 rit saw him I 1 know I 1 havo have inherited his taste for just such an old fashioned homo home dorothys grandfather had been a crabbed old skinflint who had settled in america and calmly disinherited hla son soa dorothys father tor for some fancied lack of filial duty leaving his prop orty to nobody who knew him still dorothy always attributed all tho the eng lish traits in her disposition to this semi mythical person but it became becaro evident that no further information was waa to be obtained about the house nothing could be learned of any owner or agent dorothy exclaimed her husband lets go inside and have a look around 1 saw one of the window was nearly oft off its hinge and I 1 bellove believe tho the window behind it Is broken it was broken ellis eells climbed through and standing inside swung dorothy into tho the room then hand in hand like children they wandered from room tp to room it was true that the interior was in poor condition tho the paper was peeling from the walls and there were vere various leaky spots in uie the ceilings dut but still tho the house was habitable and a little money invested judiciously would turn it into a very comfortable abode and the greatest find of all in the attic there was a of old furniture all sorts of odds and ends which would go far toward the furnishing of the less showy rooms at least ellis said dorothy in a tono which even three months of married married life had bad taught him to attend to we must have this house you aint going to live alvo there aro are yet ye inquired a villager who watched them emerge through tho the front gate with til III concealed interest aes wes wo we have rented this from ithe first of next month dorothy answered well I 1 swan exclaimed the yokel Dorothy I raid ellis reproachfully rup reach fully when they were out of ills hla hearing he arine 11 aut ellis I 1 meant it declared dorothy almost crying my dear we I 1 aref QIU to have the rooms papered and the windows mended and move in ID on the first and when tho the landlord calls to make trouble for us well have th the D rent ready for him do Dorothy r othas 8 words proved prophetic to for r a on a the first day of tho the month following a motor van stopped in front of tho the old house and dorothy super intended the dis gorging of three rooms ful of furniture with as much belt Belf pos possession session as though she were the owner of a sufficient quantity to fill a mansion turn us out said ellis bills when they were settled bottled at their fireside gazing admiringly upon the now new ly papered walls not it if wo we have the rent my dear said bald dorothy summer bummer came on and coon can the garden was waa ablaze with flowers ellis could hardly watt wait for the clock to strike to leave afa office kad aid as tile tho months rolled by and the neigh bors bora took their occupancy of the house as a matter of course their fears gradually dwindled until until that sunday morning when tile tho strange man mail came walking up tile tho middle of the drive it was impossible to mistake him for anything but an englishman in the first place ho he carried a cane and secondly lie ho walked us as though he bo al ready owned the house which no Anfe american rican would have done unless ila ho did did ho he dorothy and ellla ellis looked glumly at cadi cacti other and their thel rhear bearta ts bank into their shoes as tho the boll bell jangled the newcomer was an englishman but ho he appeared much loss angry than dorothy and her husband had anticipated in fact his first words were decidedly apologetic im sorry to trouble you hoseid ho said I 1 and I 1 dont know of course what your title will show but tile the fact Is there Is reason to believe that this property Is part of an estate which I 1 have come over from london to ban aloon aloon behalf of at tile the heirs heiro it seems to have been forgotten as the owner did not enumerate it in hla his will you have your title deeds no ellis bills had no title deeds la in fact ho he was so equally embarrassed that lie he blurted out the history of the acquisition most moat extraordinary most din aryl said the visitor what a tribute to the er masterful habits of your great nation your action Is now in my country nobody would ever dream of taking a h house bouso ho he fancied perhaps your countrymen aren arent teo so quick with the rent said bald dorothy you see wo we have tour four months all ready for whoever the landlord is IB my dear yoking lady I 1 thought I 1 explained to you that ho he was dead replied the other lie was an eccentric character old mr air samuel loft what said dorothy rising and bt staring aring hard bard at the visitor chos hla his granddaughter quick answer met ali ah there you have me answered the englishman it we knew that we could trace back the ownership dont worry answered dorothy here she bho Is 0 Ellis this was grandfathers fathers ia house after all and its mine I 1 feel its mine and ellis weve 9 got at f tour au r months rent money in the bank and all for ourselves to spend I 1 copyright 1914 by W 0 chapman |