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Show 'HIS ONE GRIEVANCE i Rich Treasure Found When Young Husband Chopped Down Old Apple Tree. By CECILLE LANQDON. "Ill get even with him If It takes twenty yearn I'll havo It out with Mark Dawson!" The owner of Hlllsldo Farm spoke the words vengefully. Ills fist wns clenched, his face distorted, and joutti, prosperity and the possession of broad fruitful acres seemed to havo no force to subdue his angry mood. "If I may make a suggestion " observed ob-served Mb Insinuating companion. Lawyer Dole, "I don't think I'd make my life miserable over a trifle Why, what more do you want than what you've got. Tom LaceyT Tho favored I heir of old Peter Dabson married to the handsomest girl In the district" "Hah!" shouted tho other ragefully i "What Is she or tho money to me against the only girl I over loved? I tell you, Dole, I was robbed of Leila Dallas. When that handsome wife of mine, as you call her, gets In her tantrums, tan-trums, and I realize what I've lost. It ' about sets me wild. Here Dawson has settled down right under my nose, fairly flaunting his success In winning Leila." "I reckon It was the only placo he . had to settle down In, Lacey. Tho girl liked him best and naturally married him. They're poor as church mice. Tr-nt ought to be some satisfaction to you. It was a fair deal, the love end of It. As to the business end, you got the bulk ot what your uncle left. Da i happy over It and smothor your spite " 1 "I'll drlvo the Dawsons out of the 1 "!ghborhood before I do!" muttered ' i.acey darkly. For a young man with fairly grow- jlng prospects In life, Tom Lacey was In an unthankful and dangerous mood Me had nursed his ono grievance till 1 r Mark's Fese Ohovved Anxiety. It began to tinge everything ho did with corebro and tragic gloom. Ho (.Ml ' arl: were cousins They had both courted pretty Leila Dallas. Cer-tnlnly Cer-tnlnly the little lady had given Tom no cause to suppose she favored him. When she married tho man of her Vice, however, Tom felt blttorly vun-rd lie refused to even notice the heppy pair. Then In a bit of plquo ho went off and married a flashy, Ignorant, Ig-norant, but really liandsoino woman, Pxuntcd her flno clothes nnd benuty to tho view of the villagers, and when his unclo died put on great stylo as '-.o fcrtunate heir Old Peter left Tom tho big homo farm nnd somo comfortable Investments Invest-ments To tho surprise of evurybody, I nil that Mark was awarded was "the illlver lot," "with all thereon," tho will read. "All thereon" was little Indeed i a broken down cottage, a few farm 1 Implements and a great gnarled apple ticc past all bearing and dead at tho top. People wondered at the unjust discrimination of tho old uncle. Somo, low over, knew that ho had nlwnys favored tho sister who had died, tho ( mother of Tom. and had Inherited ! como means through hor, and probably felt It n dutv 'o mnko her son his principal heir. Tom I.ncoy had uttered no ldlo passing pass-ing threat to Lawyer Dole. It was early Bprlng- when ho mndo It. Ho i had men In his employ moan and un-j un-j scrupulous as himself. Thoy became I willing tools In his schomo of low ro-vengo. ro-vengo. Us result was mndo very pat-' pat-' ont to bravo, patlint Mark and his I loving helpmate,, Leila, nt harvest 1 tlmo. It wii8 ovenlng tldo, and husband and wtfo sat on u bench under the old ' apple tree. Mark's faco showed anxiety, anx-iety, almost discouragement. Thorn , j wcro tears In Leila's lovely oyes, but she struggled courageously to hldo I thorn. "It's pretty bad, Mark. I must con-1 con-1 j fess," sho was saving. "Tho wholo i work of a seaBon gono! Don't fret I about It, dear Wo will begin all onco i ' again." . I "Whnt with?" questioned Mnrk, gloomily. , I "Your good clear head nnd strong i hands and my loving help, of course," , cried Leila bilghtly I For all Leila's encouraging words, tho prospect wns n dubious ono. In j a word, tho four crops of Illver Farm wciro mined Enrly In tho spring at , becdlng tlmo somo ono had tampered IUi the -v.i tilled fletdB. Sotnu one ind put In mustard seed nnd that of l tagly weed, that had choked out tho hcat, oats, buckwheat nnd ryo. "Tho wholo lot Isn't good even for bedding," said Mark. "Of courso this !s tho work cit Tom Lacey, I can hard-y hard-y keep my hands off from him." ' "Wo don't surely know that," ro-j ro-j onstrntcd Leila. "What! nfter his threats nnd boastings boast-ings ' Well. I'll try nnd forget." declared de-clared Mark quickly, as he noticed tho tears In his dear one's eyes. "I've got i chatico to chop wood In tho forest h:lf tho winter. That will keep tho elf from tho door till springtime, myhow." "Yes, dear," said Leila soothingly, :'d I can holp out with somo sewing. Sreaklng of chopping, It might not bo a bad Idea to get tho old apple tree sut of the way," "I suppose It will topple over some stormy night and hit tho house, if vve don't," replied Mark. "The tree Is almost al-most as old ob Unclo Peter was. Do vou remember how he UBed to 'give It' Iron,' as he called It, to mako It bear ftult? Look," and with a reminiscent smllo Mark pointed to great holes In tho tree, where hlB eccentric relative had doposlted old files, horse shoes and broken bits of Iron. Mark tried not to think hard of dead Uncle Peter. Still, he had reason to expect a better Bharo In tho estate than he had received. More than once that relative had shown him a small tin box filled with n great heap of stored up banknotes, with his own name scratched upon the box. "I'm thinking of you, lad," the old man had said. "My first duty Is to Tom, according to a promise given, but I shan't neglect you." Then, too, when the wilt was opened it contained a slip of paper, reading: "Olvo this letter to Mark Dawson," but no letter had been found. "Tho enow Is too deep to work In tho woods today," said Mark to Leila cne bleak wintry morning. "I believe I'll tackle tho old apple tree." "Yes, the fuel supply Is somewhat low," answered Leila. She sang and smiled amid the real comfort of the little homo kitchen, keeping time to tho strong echoing Btroke ot the axe In tho hands of her husband outside Finally there was a c:ash Then a shout such n shout! Almost Al-most In alarm, fearing that something dreadful had happened, Leila rushed to tho door Just ns .Mark camo tearing tear-ing Into the room. "Oh, Leila"" ho gasped. "See! The box tho tin box, My name scratched on the cover. Exactly the ono Unclo Peter showed me so ninny times!" In suspense nnd wonder Leila stared as the box '"'.s placed on the tablo. Inside was a letter telling nil nbout It nnd banknotes! banknotes! banknotes! bank-notes! Uncle Poter had selected a queer hiding place for tho llttlo fortune ho had put by In ready cash for his y'lunger nephew The enclosed letter settled nil question ns to legal ownership. owner-ship. ' "Why, we nro rich!" breathed Leila, marvellngly. "I always was rich with such a treasure ns ycu; nnd now," said Mnrk tenderly, "with tho money to give you luxury ns well ns comfort, I wouldn't trndo with a multl-mllllonnlre " (CopyrlKht, 1013, by AV C). Chapman.) |