Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1853-04-27

defect in the title Of his property. Little dream.
ed he, as with death hooking at his door, he found
consolation in the thought that his family, even
/ If he were taken from them, would not be left
without home, that at the very time, there was
movement on foot to deprive them Of their little
patrimony. And well for him was. it that the
veil of ignorance was before his eyes; for, had he
known Of the threatening danger, the knowledge
would surely have cost him his life.
| On the day following gentleman called at
the house of M. Lee, to notify him that proceed
ngs were about being instituted for the purpose Of
the validity Of hs titlei but learning thatt he was
dangerously III he went away without leaving
any word as to the the purpert Of his business,
In the mean time, Elder, who had not heard
| of Mr.. Lees Illness, wasawaiting with some In
terest, to see the ultimate effect Of the blow he
had struck. There were times when, In meas.
ure be Fepeated Of what he had done, But the
repentanee-was not deepi and his III will towards
Mr.. Lee, soon ebllterated all traces thereof.
On the third day Elder received brief note
from Mr., Earl, desiring him to call ct his office,
as he wished to see him on particular business.
There was something In this note that affected
Mr.. Elder unpleasantly, What 1t was, however,
he could not discover, although he read 1t over
and over again, ct least half dozen times.
81 wonder what he wants with mel" he said,
uneasly, as he started off promptly to obey the
summens.
"Ah, Mr.. Elder! I'm glad to see you." Mr..
Earl smiled, and offered his hand. But there was
something wrong IN the smile,and no heart what
ever In the pressure of his hand. @zsss..-
GIVE been investigating that matter you
brought to my notice." said Mr.. Earl, and his
| countenanoe assume grave aspect.
"Ah! Have you! Well. sir, did you not find it
as sad!'
"There 10 flaw, certainly, and very serious
one." s-.s..zs,-s..- l..
II was sure oft, from what Larkin said-He's
never at fault in matters of this kind"
"You aimed heavy blow at Mr.. Lee, my
friend" said Mr.. Earl. There was quick
change in bis manner, followed by puse. Then
he added.
"But 1t passed him unharmed, and struck anoth-
err" -s..
"Whol" eagerly inquired Elder.
"YourselfP was the startling response.
aMe I do not understand you, Mr. Earl"
The countenance of Jason Elder had become
sundenly overspread with alarm.
aMr, Lees title Is perfectly good"
ut s.n
"Impossible" exclaimed Elder, turning pale.
"Not at all. Mr.. Larkin is rarely at fault in
matters of this kind. He knew there was flaw
somewhere in the property that once belonged to
my uncle's estate, but erred in this instance Mr..
Lee is safe, but your title is not worth copper.
am much oblighd to you for hunting up this wind
fall for mel should hardly come across it myself;
and in consideration thereof, will deal with you as
leniently es possible. Of course, do not expect
you to take my word in regard to the flaw. Its
existence, however, will be soon demonstrated.
You had better see your lawyer and ask him to
call on me. In the meantime, will say that for
various reasons, am ready to compromise.
don't wish to encounter the vexations, delays and
expense of legal proceedings; and therefore, if
you are disposed to meet me ancably, I will not
be too exacting. In word, then, have in my
own mind the sum for which will execute a quit
claim to the property. That sum is five hundred
dollars.
Jason Elder groaneQ aloud,
"If my claim to the property is good-and
know 1t to be-" resumed Mr.. Earl, II can recover
three times that sum. Ifyou compromise. will
act in spirit of great moderation But if you
compel me to resort to law, will take all the
law awards"
Poor Jason Elder! The blow was heavy one
and it staggered him. A careful examination by
his lawyer only proved the assertion Of Mr. Earl.
His title to the property was not worth a dollar.
Glad enough was he to accept the profered COM
PROMISE though at the clear loss of over five hun
dred dollars!
Well was it for Mr.. Lee that the blow aimed
with such bitter malignity did not execute the will
Of him by whom it was given. The consequence
would to all human foresight have been fatal. Not
until he was sufficiently recovered from his dan
gerous Illness to be out again. did he learn of the
evil that had been meditated and now it had reco-
ed upon the head Of his enemy.
His pointed answer was:
"He dgged pit for another, and himself fell
into it's
The declaration of Elder, made to more than
one, that he had struck Mr.. Lee heavy blow,
was remembered in connection with his serious
loss from defect in his title: and for long time
afterwards, he was spoken of, familiarly, among
those who knew him, as ssthe man who struck him
SELF
broad illustration this, of what is taking place
daily, in hundreds ofinstances around u.s. The evil
that is maliciousy meditated against others, usu-
I ally comes back in some form upon those who
seek to do their neighbors a wrong. In this
matter thcre is law of compensation which acts
with unerring certainty. The blow that is struck