Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1882 — THE POT OF GOLD. [ARTICLE]

THE POT OF GOLD.

Elder Boyd, though a very good man in the main, and looked up to with respect by all the inhabitants of the village of Oldville, was rumored to have, in Yankee parlance, a pretty sharp lookout for the main chance, a peculiarity from which elders are not always exempt. In worldly matters he was decidedly well-to-do, having inherited a line farm from his father, which was growing yearly more and more valuable. It might be supposed that under these circumstances the elder, who was fully able to do so, would have found a helpmate to share his house and name. But the elder was wary. Matrimony was to him, in some measure, a matter of money, and it was his firm resolve not to marry unless he could thereby enchance his worldly prosperity. Unhappily, the little village of Oldville and the towns in the immediate vicinity contained few who were qualified in the important particular, and of those there were probably none with whom the elder’s suit would have prospered. So it happened that year after year passed away, until Elder Boyd was in the prime of life—forty-four, or thereabouts —and sfill unmarried, and likely to remain so. But in all human calculation of this kind, they reckon'ill who leave widows out. Elder Boyd’s nearest neighbor was a widow. The Widow Hayes, who had passed through, matrimonial experience, was some four years younger than Elder Boyd. She was still a buxom, comely woman, as widows are apt to be. Unfortunately the late Mr. Hayes had not been able to leave her sufficient to make her independent of the world. All that she possessed was the small, oldfashioned house in which she lived, and a small amount of money, which was insufficient to support her and a little son of 6, likewise to be enumerated in the schedule of her property, though hardly to be. classed as “ productive ” of any thing but mischief*.

The widow was therefore obliged to take care of three boarders to eke out her scanty income, which, of course, imposed upon her considerable labor and anxiety. Is it surprising that under these circumstances she should now and then have bethought herself of a second marriage as a method of bettering her condition? Or again, need we esteem it a special wonder if, in her reflections upon this point,she should have cast her eyes upon her next neighbor, Elder Boyd ? The elder, as we have already said, was in flourishing circumstances. He would be able to maintain a wife in great comfort, and, being one of the chief personages in the village, could accord her a prominent social position He was not especially handsome, or calculated to make a profound impression upon the female heart; this was true, but he was of a good disposition, kind-hearted, and would no doubt make a very good sort of a husband. Widows are, I take it (if any shall do me the honor to read this story, I trust they will forgive the remark),less disposed to weigh sentiment in a second alliance than a first, and so, in the widow’s point ®f view, Elder Boyd was a very desirable match. Some sagacious person, however, has observed that it takes two to make a match, a fact to be seriously considered; for in the present case it was exceedingly doubtful whether the worthy elder, even if he had known the favorable opinion of his next neighbor, would have been inclined to propose changing her name to Boyd, unless, indeed, a suitable motive was brought to bear upon him. Here was a chance for a little managing, wherein widows are said, as a general thing, to be expert One evening, after a day of fatiguing labor, Widow Hayes sat at the fire in the sitting-room, with her feet resting on the fender.

*lf ever I am situated so as not to have to work so hard,” she murmured, “I shall be happy. It’s a hard life, keeping boarders. If I was only as well off as Elder Boyd.” Still the widow kept up her thinking, and by-and-by her face brightened. She had an idea which she resolved to put into execution at the earliest possible moment. What it was the reader will discover in the sequel. “ Freddie,” said she to her son the next morning, “ I want you to stop at Elder Boyd’s when you go to school and ask him if he will call on me in the course of the morning or afternoon, just as he finds it most convenient.” Elder Boyd was a little surprised at this summons. However, about 11 h’clock he called in. The widow had got on the dinner, and had leisure to sit down. She appeared a little embarrassed. “Freddie told me you would like to see me,” he commenced. “Yes. elder, I should. But I am very much afraid you will think strange at least of what I have to say to you.” The elder promised very politely not to be surprised, thsugh at the same time his curiosity was visibly excited. “Suppose,’ said the widow, casting down her eyes—“mind, I was only supposing a case—suppose a person should find a pot of gold pieces in their cellar, would the law have a right to touch it, or would it belong to them? ” The elder pricked up his ears. “ A pot of gold pieces, widow ? Why, unquestionably, the law would have nothing to do with it” - . ’’And the one "who formerly gwn«4

the house couldn’t come forward and claim it, could he, elder? ” “No, madam; unquestionably not. When the house was disposed of, everything went with it, as a matter of course.” “I am glad to hear it, elder. You won’t think strange of the question, but it happened to occur in my mind, and I thought I would like to have it satisfied. ” “Certainly, widow, certainly,” said the elder abstractedly. “And, elder, as you’re here, I hope you will stop to dinner with us. It will be ready punctually at twelve.” “ Well, no,” said the elder, rising, “ I’m obliged to ye; but they’ll be expecting me at home.” “ At any rate, elder,” said the widow, taking a piece of mince pie fresh from the oven, “you won’t object to taking a piece of mince pie. You must know that I rather pride myself on my mince Pl The warm pie sent forth such a delicious odor that the elder was sorely tempted, and, after saying, “Well, really,” with the intention of refusing, he finished by saying, “On the whole, I guess I will, as it looks so nice.” The widow was really a good cook, and the elder ate with much gusto the generous piece which the widow cut for him, and after a little chatting upon unimportant subjects, withdrew in some mental perplexity. Was it possible, thought he, the widow could really have found a pot of gold in her cellar ? She did not say so, to be sure, but why should she have shown so much anxiety to know as to the proprietorship of the treasure thus found, if she had not happened upon some ? Td be sure, so far as his knowledge extended, there was no one who would be likely to lay up such an amount of gold; but the house was 150 years old, at the very least, and had had many occupants of which he knew nothing. It might be after alt The widow’s earnest desire to have him think it was only curiosity, likewise gave additional probability to the supposition. “I will wait and watch,” thought the elder. It so happened that Elder Boyd was one of the Directors in a savings institution situated in the next town, and accordingly used to ride over there once or twice a month to attend meetings of the board. On the next occasion of this kind the Widow Hayes sent over to know if he would carry her with him, as she had a little business to attend to there. The request was readily accorded. Arriving at the village, Mrs. Hayes desired to be set down at the bank building. “Ha, ha!” thought the elder, “that means something. ” He said nothing, however, but determined to come back and find out, as he could readily from the cashier, what business she bad with the bank. The widow tripped into the office pretending to look very nonchalant. “ Can you give me small bills for a ten-dollar gold piece ?” she inquired. “ With pleasure,” was the reply. “By the way,” she said, “the bank is in a very flourishing condition, is it not?” “ None in the State on a better footing,” was the prompt response. “You receive deposits, do you not ?” “Yes, madam; we receive them every day.” “Do you receive as high as—as ten thousand dollars ? ” “No,” said the cashier, with some surprise, “or, rather, we do not allow interest on so large a sum. One thousand dollars is our limit. Did you know of any one who—” “It is of no consequence,” said the widow, hurriedly; “I only asked for curiosity. By the way, did you say how much interest you allowed on such. deposits as come within your limit ? ” “Fiveper cent., madam.” “ Thank you. I only asked for curiosity. What a beautiful morning it is,” and the widow tripped lightly out. Shortly after the elder entered. “How’s business, Mr. Cashier?” he inquired. “ About as usual.” “ Had many deposits lately ? ” “None of any magnitude.” “ I brought over a woman this morning who seemed to have business with you.” “The Widow Hayes?” “Yes.”

“Do you know,” asked the cashier, “whether she had any money left her lately ? ” “ None that I know of,” said the elder, pricking up his ears. “ Why, did she deposit any ?” “ No; but she inquired whether we received deposits as high as $10,000.” “Indeed !” ejaculated the elder. “Is that all she came for ?” he inquired, a moment afterward. ‘ No, she exchanged a gold piece for bills.” “Ha !” pondered the elder, reflectively. “ Did she give any reason for her inquiries ?” “No, she said she only asked for curiosity.” The elder left the bank in deep thought He came to the conclusion that this curiosity only veiled a deeper motive. He now no longer entertained a doubt that the widow had found a pot of gold in her cellar, and appearances seemed to indicate that its probable value was at least equal to SIO,OOO. The gold piece which she had exchanged at the bank appeared to confirm this theory. “I rather think,” said the elder to hijnself, complacently, “I can see into a millstone about as far as most people.” A statement, the literal truth of which I defy any one to question, though as to the prime fact of people being able to see into a millstone at all doubts have how and then thrust themselves upon my mind.

The next Sunday the Widow Hayes appeared at church in a new and stylish bonnet, which led to some such remarks as these: ‘ ‘ How much vanity some people have, to be sure 1” “ How a woman that has to keep boarders for a living can afford to dash out in such a bonnet is more than I can tell. I should think she was old enough to know better.” This last remark was made by a young lady just six months younger than the widow, and whose attempts to catch a second husband had hitherto proved utterly unavailing. “I suppose,” continued the same young lady, “she is trying to catch a first husband with her finery. Before I’d condescend to such means, I’d—l’d drown myself.” In this last amiable speech the young lady had unwittingly hit upon the true motive. The widow was intent upon catching Elder Boyd, and she indulged in a costly bonnet, not because she supposed the elder would be caught with finery, but because this would strengthen in his mind the idea that she had stumbled upon hidden wealth. The widow calculated shrewdly, and the display had the effect she anticipated. Monday afternoon, the elder found an errand that called him over to the widow’s. It chanced to be just about tea-time. He was importuned to stay to tea, and, somewhat to his own surprise, actually did. The politic widow, who knew the elder’s weak point, brought one of her best mince pies, a piece of which her guest partook of with zest. " You’ll take another piece, I know,” said she persuasively. “ Really, I am ashamed,” said the elder ; but he passed his plate. “ The fact is, he said apologetically, “your pies are so nice I don’t know when to stop.” “Do you call those nice?” said the widow, modestly, “I call them common. I can make good mince pies when I set out to, but this time I didn’t have M good luck as usual

“I shouldn’t want any better,” said the elder, emphatically. “ Then I hope, if you like them, you will drop in to tea often. We ought to be more neighborly, Elder Boyd.” Elder Boyd assented, and he meant what he said. The fact is, the elder began to think that the widow was a very charming woman. She was very comely, and then she was such an excellent cook. Besides, he had no doubt in his own mind that she was worth a considerable sum of mowey. What objection could there be to her becoming Mrs. Boyd?" He brought this question before her one evening. The widow blushed, professing to be greatly surprised. In fact, she had never thought of such a thing in her life, but, on the whole, she had always thought highly of the elder, and, to cut the matter short, she accepted him. A month afterward she was installed as mistress of the elder's large house, somewhat to the surprise of the village people, who could not conceive how she had brought him over. Some weeks after the ceremony, the elder ventured to inquire about the pot of gold which she had found in the cellar. “ Pot of gold !” she exclaimed, in surprise; “I know of none.” “But,” said the elder, disconcerted, “you asked me about whether the law could claim it” “Oh, Lor’, elder, I only asked for cariosity.” ‘ ‘ And was that'the reason you made inquiries at the bank?” “ Certainly ! What else could it be ?” The elder went out to the barn, and for half an hour sat in silent meditation. At the end of that time he ejaculated, as a closing consideration : “After a.l, she makes good mince pies.” It gives me pleasure to state that the union between the elder and the widow proved a very happy one, although to the end of his life he could never make up his mind about the “ Pot of Gold.”