Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-05-18
MY UNCLE,s WILL.

II give and devise all the mansion house
called Iremorgsn, together with all and sim
gular my other cottages, farm, lands, tene-
ments, and hereditaments, situate and being
IN the parish OF Llandwllyn, in the county Of
Caenarvon. And all that my manor OF lord
snip OF Caermswr in the county Of Denbigh,
with the right, royalties, members, and appur-
tenances thereto belonging, and all and singu-
lar my freehold messusges, cottages, farms,
lands, and tenements, hereditaments situate
and being in the parishes Of Caermawr, Caer-
law, and Llandissen, in the county Of Denbigh
Also all, &c, &c"
As the long list rolled on, with its endless
tautology, my thoughts we're more occupied
with the scene before me than with the weary
recital
We were small but incongruous group, as
we sat in that house Of mourning to hear the
last mandates OF the dead. First, there was
the Dry, sharp-looking little lawyer, reading
In his harsh, unmoyed voice, provisions with
which he was well acquainted. Near him sat
the jolly, ruddy-faced doctor, wearing a look
OF real sorrow, but unable to Danish altogether
the expression Of anxiety with which be lis
tened for the expected legacy.
BY my side was my old maiden aunt Sarah,
so angular and upright that it made ones
bones ache to look at her. And beyond her
was my cousin Lucy, a girl of fourteen. of
whom little could be seen but her red hair as
she sobbed behind her handkerchief As for
myself could pretend to no great grief for
my almost unknown uncle, though, as the pre-
sent head of the family, / had just attended to
see him laid beneath the cold sod.
But now my attention was recalled TO the
reading, for the recital Of the property was at
an end, and the disposition of it followed
To John Jenkins, solicitor, of Caermawr,
and Howell Price, Esq, Of Penfwllyn, upon
the trusts, uses, intents, and purposes herein
after rnentioned-that is to say
But viii be more merciful to the reader
than the worthy solicitor and trustee was to
US ana oLleny explain the eccentric arrange
ment, without the chaos of words in which he
had buried the meaning They were to nav
hVe hundred year each to me and nv
COUSIN, and let the remaining FIVE or six thou
sand accumulate till / was twent, four. Then
IT had married my cousin, OF had been re-
gected by her, the property was to vest abso-
lutely In his nephew and heir law, Evan
LleWeiiyn Lloyd. IT, on the other hand I
mad not proposed, she was to have the estate:
forfeiting 1t, however, by marriage with any
other than Lloyd, when it would pass to our
cousin, Gwynne Lloyd, as would also in case
oil failure OF issue to me or Lucy, whichever
was the owner
Except the automaton reader, we we're all
surprised at these strange conditions. The girl
INDUCED IN giggle, which was quickly cut
short by the sour old maid, who exclaimed
sharply, Lucy, for shame ~ twitching away
at the same time the sheltering handkerchief
As gazed upon the charms thus fully dis-
played, L felt that sixty instead of six thoC.
sand year were at stake il could not induce
me to marry her. have mentioned the de-
lghuul hue Of her dishevelled tresses: that
she had no eyebrows or eyelashes, unless those
whitish fringes were to be dignifed by the
name; she was as freckled as a toad, her ewes
were pink, her lips puffy; and such a gaunt.
grsceless figure was surely never seen before
positively shuddered at the idea of such a
being as my wife.
The rest Of the will was quickly read. A
small outlaying farm was given to the old stew
ard, and an estate bought from his father was
returned to Gwynne Lloyd. There was an un-
conditional bequest to me of e., 900, and both
the doctor and Sarah Lloyd were gratified by
hearing their names in the list of Iegatees.
L made little if any response to the congra:-
ulations which were now offered to me, and in
less than an hour was on my way to London
At first / felt little doubtful about sticking
to my profession. This addition of about six
hundred year TO my income made it no lon
ger necessary. But in few years this would
not be the case, for / should forfeit the five
hundred year. My father, as a younger
brother, had commenced life with a mere pit
tance, and though he had acquired fame as
surgeon, dying in his prime, he had left me
only three hundred year, which, with the
interest OF my 5000 legacy, would be the
whole Of my income. Besides, l wanted some
occupation. and really liked the profession; so
/ resolved to follow it, and / worked away at
the hospital as industriOusly as if had hardly
penny to bless myself with.
/ was just twenty at the time of my uncle 8
death; so there were four years to run before I
resigned the family estates, for / had never
vavered in my resolution. Meanwhile | worked
hard at my profession, and had no reason TO be
discontented with my success. did not make
myself a slave, however, but entered freely
into society, in which / had a good footing
through my connections. was well able to
sfford the expense this entailed upon me; and
when the time drew near for me to lose the five
hundred a year, l found that my earnings
would amply supply its place.
About two months before the i'm portant day
i received a communication from Mr. jenkins
He said that, as trustee and family adviser, he
felt It his duty 10 call my attention to nv own
interests, and to point out that if | did not at
once take steps to secure the estate, might
lose the chance forever. In reply, informed
him that did not intend TO act, which told
him merely for his own information, as the fact
wJuld speak for itself.
/ hesitated whether l ought net to 20 to Tre-
morgan. 1t struck me, however, on considera-
tion, that il would be a positive insult to 90
down, as IL to inspect my cousin, and then viz
tuslly reject her.
Nur. JSuhluc, announcing 10 me
my forfeiture of the property, enclosed in the
same envelope private note. in which he re-
ferred to q report that evidently cleared me in
his eyes Of the suspicion of insanity Lady
CLARA Devereux would not only, be said, bring
me an equivalent fortune, but would also ally
me with a very influential family
To confess the truth, / had a weakness for
pretty face, and probably owed my safety to
constant succession Of enslavers effacing each
others charms. Lady Clara (who could match
me in firting) was in power at present certain
ly, but her reign was not to last much longer
I was leaning over her at the Opera one
night, when suddenly my eye fell upon a girl
In an opposite box. The effect upon me was
electrical-such loyeliness I had never seen
before. A queenly and graceful form, hand
and srm that would have driven a sculptor to
despair, skin so exquisitely fair with its con-
trast to the sweeping lsshes and glorious tresses
of dark, but richly -colored brown hair, fea-
lures perfect as a Grecian statues, but full of
life and warmth. And those eyes-they stirred
my soul, as mere stray glance fell upon me
from that distance.
Lady Clara saw my pre-occupation and its
cause She quizzed ne-she criticised her
rival numerically, Der hair was "auburn,"
her neck was so unnaturally white as neeesss-
rily TO owe it's snow 10 art, her eyes 80 dark.