St Nicholas [serial] . With the papers was a deed from TheTexas Land Improvement and Realty Company,the reassuringly official appearance of which wasincreased by the half-dozen revenue-stamps onits outer fold. Ellen opened the document and began to read. 492 IN THE LITTLE OLD LEATHER TRUNK 493 The law-book wording in which it was writtenwas, though somewhat impressive, rather monot-onous reading. But Ellen studied it out fromstart to finish with quickening pulse. Supposethis land really were valuable ! She had heard ofsuch things happening before —of swindlers whohad sold better than they knew
St Nicholas [serial] . With the papers was a deed from TheTexas Land Improvement and Realty Company,the reassuringly official appearance of which wasincreased by the half-dozen revenue-stamps onits outer fold. Ellen opened the document and began to read. 492 IN THE LITTLE OLD LEATHER TRUNK 493 The law-book wording in which it was writtenwas, though somewhat impressive, rather monot-onous reading. But Ellen studied it out fromstart to finish with quickening pulse. Supposethis land really were valuable ! She had heard ofsuch things happening before —of swindlers whohad sold better than they knew. Ellens eyesburned hopefully as she laid the deed on the chair out In the uncertain light Ellen did not recog-nize what they were, but when she picked themup and neld them nearer the candle she saw thatthey .vere old postage-stamps. And what queer-looking old things they were, too! Ellen laid them carefully on top of the deedand began to untie the worsted that bound thebooks. Perhaps there were more of them inside,. SHE LIFTED OUT THE TRAY AND BEGAN TO EXPLORE THE RECESSES OF THE ANTIQUE TRUNK. beside the candle and began to wrap the otherpapers up once more in the sampler. She wouldtake the deed to a good real-estate lawyer up inLancaster in the morning and find out definitelywhether there was any trace of a foundationunder her^ air-castle As she put the packet backin its proper corner, her glance fell casually uponthe two old account-books bound together withthe worsted string. A sudden impulse promptedher to have a look at them. So she lifted thebooks to her knee. But while they were in mid-air, the leaves of the under one spread apart atrifle, and several bits of colored paper fluttered equally interesting. With this thought in hermind, the girl began to examine the contents ofthe book from which the fugitive stamps hadfallen. It proved to be a small day-ledger of about ahundred pages in thickness. Each page was ruledoff into little squares, and within many of theseposta
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidstnicholasserial371dodg
