The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-06-10
The Wife,s Dover.
BY A RETIRED ATTORNEY.

Everybody who knew John Gordon,
knew him to be one of the meanest and
most contemplate men that was ever
permitted to walk the earth. His
brother Peter was not whit better
so it would appear that meaness ran in
the blood of the family.
John was pretty well off, so far as
the worlds goods were concerned. His
property was all invested in building,
which had cost him about thirty thou
sand dollars. He did not marry until
he was forty, probably from the fear of
incurring unnecessary expense, and
when finally, he did take wife, it was
only as he would have taken house
keep or a servant.
Mrs. Gordon was poor woman and
had been obliged to work very hard for
a living. Probably she married on
purely prudential considerations, for she
could not have possibly loved such an
abortion of man as John Gordon.
She took good care of her husband and
treated him better than he deserved, and
was in every respect an obedient and
faithful wife. All she received in re-
turn was the meagre support which her
husbands house afforded her.
When they had been married some
three years, John was taken sick, and
fingered along for year, during which
his wife was an excellent and devoted
nurse. Her whole aim seemed to be to
discharge her duties to her lord with
fidelity. She had bargained with him
and she performed her part of the con-
tract with scrupulous exactness.
One day heard that John Gordon
was dead. 1t was small loss to the
community, and l could not pity his
wife, for her lot certainly would be
ameliorated by his departure. She
would be entitled to one-third of the
income of his real estate, which, for a
poor woman, as she had been, and
having no luxurious taste to crafty,
would be princely stipend.
neither thought nor heard any more
of John Gordon or his wife for two
months, when woman appeared at my
office and introduced herself as the
latter.
mine is very bad case, Mr.. Dock
et," she said, seating herself by my
side.
Indeed, Madame, / thought you
were very Comfortably provided for.
You have one-third of the income of
your husbands estate, or about thou
sand dollars year."
"It seems l am not to have this -
she replied, gloomily. ~
"Not to have it."
"Peter Gordon has taken possession
of the estate, declaring it belongs to
him. He says my husband sold it to
him few weeks before he died"
"How could that be?"
"Peter showed me the deed, and
says it has been recorded"
"Does he? SO much the better for
you madam. The law gives you one
third of his personal estate"
"But he has sold it for one dollar
interrupted Mrs. Gordon.
"He could not sell it without your
concurrence. Did you release your
right to dover on the premises ?"
"No, sir; Peter says / did, though,
and shows me my name duly witnessed
on the deed" - l
Did you sign it ?"
"No, SIR"
Then it is a forgery"
Il suppose it is" .
"You are confident you did not sign
your name to the deed ?"
am very sure / did not, and for a
very good reason"
"How's that ?"
!" cannot write; / was brought up
in the country, where girls do not get
so much schooling as now. My folks
were very poor, and never had a
chance to 60 to school," replied Mrs.
Gordon, with some confusion.
Did your husband know you could
not write %
No, never told him."
dismissed her with the request that
she would call the next day. / went to
the Registry of Deeds and found that
Mrs. Gordon had told true story. Her
miserable, contemplate husband had
given his property to his brother, in his
last days, so as to cheat his wife, who
had cared for him in health and nursed
him in sickness, of her just claim upon
bis estate.
He was william! / need not say
that ! felt deep interest in the case