Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 December 1879 — THAT POT OF GOLD [ARTICLE]

THAT POT OF GOLD

• Elder Boyd, though a very good man. and looked up to with respect by ail the inhabitants of the village of Oidville, was rumored to have, in Yankee parlance, a pretty sharp lookout for the main chance, a peculiarity frofti which ekiers are not always exempt. „ ] Jn worldly matters be was decidedly well-to-do, having inherited a due form from his father, which was growing yearly more and more valuable. It might be supposed that under these qircuinstances the elder, who was ftilly able to do so, would have found a helpmate to share his house and name. But the elder was wary. Matrimony Was tohim, in some measure, a matter of money, and it was his firm resolve not to marry unless he could thereby enhance his worldly prosperity. Unhappily, the little village of Oidville HHid the towns in the immediate vicinity contained few who were qualified in t4e important particular, and of those there were probably none with whom the elder’s suit would have prospered. 80 it happened that year after year passed away, until Elder Boyd was in the prime of life—forty-four, or thereabouts —and still unmarried, and in all human probability likely to remain -ip. But in all human calculations of this kind, they reckon ill who leave widows out; Ehier 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 womau, as widows are apt to bb.

Uufortunatfel} the late Mr. Hayes had not been able to leave her sufficient to make her independent of the world. AM that she possessed was the small, nld'fashioned house in which she lived,' and a small amount of money, which Wits sufficient to support her and a litson of six, likewise'to be enumerated in tho schedule of her property, though hardly to be classed as “productive” of anything but mischief. The widow was, therefore obliged to take care o? three boarders to eke out her scanty iueome, which, of course, imposed upon her considerable labor and anxiety. it is surprising that, under these circumstances. she should now and then iiethought herself of a second marriage os'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 eytw upon her next neighbor. Elder Boyd Tlie elder, a-* we have already said, was in flourishing circumstances. He would be Able to muiutaiu a wife iu great comfort, and being one of the chief personages in the village, could Mcora 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, kiml-hearted, and would no doubt make a very good sort of a husband. Widows are, I take it (if any shaU do me the honor to read this story, I trust they will forgive the re mark), less disposed to weigh sentiment in a second alliance than a first, and so, In the widow’s point of view, Elder Boyd was a very desirable match. ' S. 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-door neighbor, would have been inclined to propose changing her name to Boyd, unless, indeed, a suitable motive was brought to hear upon him. Here was a chance ior a little managing, wherein widows are sai 1;:*3 a general thing, to be experts. One evt. :.\g, after a day of fatiguing laiior, Widow Hay. s sat at the fire In the sitting room with her feet on the fender. ? “If ever I am situated so as not to have to work 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 fare brightened She had an idea, which she resolved to put into execution at the earliest pos■sible^ 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 as you go to school, and ask him to 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 seven o’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 that you would like to Bee me,” he commenced. “Yes, Elder, I should. But lam very much afraid that you will think strange at least of what I have to say to you.” The elder very politely promised not to be surprised, though at the same time his curiosity was visibly -excited. " \

said the widow casting Sown her eyas—“mind, I was only supposing a cane-euppose a person should find a pot of goki pieces initbeir cellar, would the law have a right to touch it, or would H belong to them?” The elder picked up his ears. “A pot of gold pieces, widow? Why unquestionably the law wouldn't have anything to do with it.” * ‘‘And the one who formerly owned the house couldn’t come forward and claim it, could he, elder?” “No, madam; unquestionaby uot When the house was disposed of, everything rent with it, as a matter of course.” / . . . ' “I am glad to hear It, elder. 4 * 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 are here. I hope Jou will take dinner with us. It will e ready punctually at 12.” “Wen, no,” said the elder, rising. “I’m obliged to ye; but they’ll be expecting me home.”

“At any rate, elder,” said the widow taking a piece of steaming mince pie 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 pies.” The warm pin 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, 4t 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 on 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? Hhedkl not sav so, to be sure, but why should she have shown so much ‘Anxiety to know as to tne proprietorship of the treasure thus found, if she had not happened upon some? To be sure, so far as his knowledge extended, there was no one who would be likely to lay np such an amount of gold; but the house was 160 years old, at the very least, and hadhad many occupants of which be knew nothing. It might be, after all. 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 institutiou situated in the next town, and accordingly used to ride over there once or twice a month to attend raeetr inge of the board.

On the next occasion of the 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 Bet down at the bank buildh‘B- - ha!” thought the elder, “that means something.” He said nothing, however, but determined to come back and find out, as he could readily fom the cashier, what business she had with the bank. The widow tripped into the office, pretending to look very nonchalant. “Can you give me small bills for a $lO 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 reply. “You receive deposits, do you not?*.’ “Yes, madam; we are receiving them every day.” “Do you receive as high as—as $10,000.” ” ’

“No," said the cashier, With some surprise; “or, rather, we do not allow interest on,so large a sum; SI,OOO is our limit. Did you knoW of auv one who—” “It is of no consequence,” said, the widow, hurriedly; “1 ouly asked for curiosity. By. ttie way, did you say how much interest you allowed on such deposits as came within your limit?” "Five ner 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. “Aboui 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 tfiat I know of,” said the elder, pricking up his ean*. “Why did she deposit any?” “No; but she inquired whether we received deposit* as high as SIO,OOO. “Indeed!” exdlaimca the elder. “Is that all she came for?*’ he inquired a moment afterward. if “No; she exchanged a gold pieoe for bills.”

“Ha!” pondered the elder reflectively “Did she give any reason for her inquiries?*’ “No; she said that she only asked for curiosity.” The elder left the bank in deep thought. He came to the conclusion that this curiosity only veiled a deep motive. He now no longer entertained a doubt that the widow had found a pot of gokl’in her cellar, and appearances seemed to iudicate that its probable value was at least equal to SIO,OOO. The gold piece which she had exchanged at the bank seemed to confirm this theory. “I rather think,” said the elder, complacently, “I can see into a millstone about as for as most people." A statement, the literal truth of whioh 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 now and then thrust themselves upon my mind.' The next Bunday the widow appe&rd 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.” “Hew a woman that has kept boarders for a living can afford to dash out

n 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, whose attempts to catch a husband had hitherto proved utterly unavailing. “I suppose,” continued the strae young lady, “she is trying to catch a husband with her finery Before I’d condescend to such means I’d—l’d drown myself.” In this last speech the young lady unwittingly hit npon the I rue motive. The widow was intent upon catching Elder Boyd, and she Indulged in a costly’ bonnet, not because she thought 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 serewdly, \nd 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 polite 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. “Yeu’ll take another piece, I know,” said she persuasively. “Really, lam ashamed,” said the elder;but he passed his plate.“ The fact is,” he said ainfiogetically, “your pies are bo 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 as good luck as usual.” “I shouldn’t want any better,” said the elder, emphatically. “Then, I hope, if you like them, you will drop into lea often. We ought to be more neighborly, Elder Boyd.” Elder Boyd aissented, and he meant what he said. The fact is the elder began to think that the widow was a very charming womau. (She was very oomely, and then she was such an excellent cook. Besides, he had no doubt in bis mind that she was worth a considerable sum of money. What objection could there be to becoming Mrs, Boyd? He brought this question before her one evening. The widow blushed, professed to be greatly surprised. In foot, 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 mistress of the elder’s large noqse, somewhat to the suiprise of the village people, who could not conceive how she had brought him over. Some weeks after the elder ventured to inquire about the potof 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.” “O lor’, elder, I only asked for Curiosity.” , “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 sat for half an hour in silent meditation. At the end of that time he ejaculatel as a closing consideration: “After all, she makes a good mince pie.” x It gives me pleasure to state that the union between the elder and the widow proved a very happy one, although to the eud of bis life he could never make up his mind about that “Pot of Gold.”