Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1858-06-10
The Wifes Dover

: : -l-. ~
| Everybody who. knew John Cor
don, knew him to be. one. of th'
meanest and most contemplate men
that ever was permitted to walk th,
earth. His brother Peter was not ;
whit better. So that it would appea
that meanness ran in the blood oil th,
family. s,.T ,.sss,ts i, -.
John was pretty we'll of, SO far a
this worlds goods we're concerned
His property vas all invested in !
building, which had cost him abou
thirty thousand dollars. He lid no
marry till he was forty, probably from
the lear of incurring unnecessary ex
pense; and when, finally, he did take
a wife. it was only as he would have
taken him a housekeeper-a servant
Mrs. Gordon was a poor woman
and had been obliged to work very
hard for a living. Probably she mar.
ried on purely prudential considera.
tions, for she could not possibly have
loved such an abortion of man as
John Gordon. She took care of her
husband, treated hun better than he
deserved, and was In every respee,
an obedient and faithful wife. AL
she received in return, Was, tie me.
agrs support her husbands house af'
forded h,r. sss
When they had been married about
three years, John was taken sick
and fingered along for year, during
which time his wife was an excellen
and devoted wife. Her whole ain
seemed to be to discharge her duty
to her lord with fidelity. She ha(
made bargain with him and she per
formed her part Of the contract witt
scrupulous exactness. w
/ One day | heard that John Gordol
was dead. 1t was a small loss to th'
community, and could not think Q
plying his wife, for her lot ; would b
ameliorated by his departure. Sh'
would be entitled to one-third Of th'
Income of his real estate, which: for
poor woman, as she had been, ant
having no luxurious tastes. to crafty
would be a princely stipend.
/ neither thought nor heard any
more of John Gordon or his wife fol
two months, when a woman appeare'
at my office and introduced hersel
as the latter.
Mine is very bad case, Mr. Dock
let,' said she, seating herself by m.
side. ea. ,-... -
Indeed, madam, thought yo'
were very comfortably provided fol
] You have one-third Of the income Q
your husbands estate. or about
thousand dollars year. ,
1T seems / am not to have this
she replied gloomily. ~
Not to have it?'
'Peter Gordon has taken possessio
4of the estate, declaring it belongs t
: him. He says my husband sold
to him few weeks before he died
'Howjcould that be?' ~ -
+ sPeter showed me The deed, an
! says ii has been recorded s
"Does he? So much the bette
, for you, madam. The law gives 20
one half of his personal estate
But he sold it for one dollar, il
!, terrupted Mrs. Gordon.
sHe could not sell it without yo'
, concurrence. Did you release yo'
right to dover in the premisesr
Ne, sir; Peter says | did thong
6 and shows ME my name, duly WI
messed on the deed
Did you sign.it?'
: No, sir. tt
you are confident YOU did n
! sign your name to the deed! 80
. 4 am very sure / did not, and
j a very good reason 80
III How S that?
Il cannot write; Inever even wro
!. my name. Twas brought up IN t
! country, where girls did not get
|. much schooling as now. My fol
5 were very poor, and ! never had nd
chance to go to school, replied N
Gordon with some confusion. (
d Did your husband know you eou
o not write?' x a.n
9 No, I never told him.
5 dismissed her with the requt
that she would call the next day.
lwent at once to the Registry
deeds, and found that Mrs. Gord'
: had told a straight story. Her m
) erable contemplate husband bad g
en- his property to bis brother In
last days. so as to cheat his wife. "