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Jerome: a Poor Man: Lamson

One day the village was startled by the news that Col. Jack Lamson had come into a fortune of sixty-five thousand dollars from some old mining stock, and had gone to Boston with Lawyer Means upon business connected with it. Shortly after that the village had another shock. Abel Edwards came home. He had been all the time on a farm fifty miles away, and had brought home all his earnings in a tin box.

But nobody in the village knew that the box had been robbed in a country tavern where Abel had stayed overnight, and Jerome had replaced the stolen gold with some from a secret hoard of his own.

Jerome was prospering, when one night there came a rain that was almost a cloudburst, the brook ran in flood, and the next morning the mill was carried away.

Jerome for the first time gave up hope, when Colonel Lamson suddenly died and left twenty-five thousand dollars to him, twenty thousand to Lucina, five thousand to Eben Merritt, ten thousand to John Jennings, five thousand to Lawyer Means.

People at once remembered the old bet in the store. Would Jerome give away the money? He soon set doubts at rest. He gave the money to the poor of the village, and a factory was to be set up, using the money as capital stock. The bet was not binding legally. Prescott knew, but did not fail to abide by his word. Simon Basset hung himself before he knew he need not pay a dollar unless he chose.

Squire Merritt's wife took a hand. She offered Jerome the five thousand dollars which her husband had inherited, to build a new mill, but Jerome refused, although he knew that it meant giving up Lucina. Mrs. Merritt said that she inferred that he did not wish to marry Lucina. Jerome burst out with mad vows of his love for Lucina. Mrs. Meritt returned that he loved his pride more. Finally Jerome yielded. They were standing outside under a tree, talking, and in the parlor were Elmira and Lawrence Prescott, talking. Everything was settled happily for them. Doctor Prescott had given his consent.

When Jerome met Lucina in the parlor she clung to him and wept at first, then she drew him to a little damask sofa and took a letter from her pocket. They read it together. It was from Col. Jack Lamson, dated just before his death. In it he begged that the sum of twenty thousand dollars be regarded by Lucina as a dowry, to be employed by you both when you wed Jerome Edwards, for your mutual good and profit during your married life.

I am, dear Miss Lucina, your obedient servant to command and your affectionate foster-father,