Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1869-02-03
A STRANGE INHERITANCE,
A ROMANTIC FRENCH STORY.

brown coat and short breeches
"And her will ?"
"Is going to be opened here immediatel.
by her solicitor"
''Shall we inherit anything" ?"
1T must be supposed so; we have ;
claim"
"Who is the miserable dressed personagt
who intrudes herself there ?"
| "Oh, she," said the little man, sneering
ly, 'she won't have much in the will. She
is sister to the deceased"
"What, that Annie, who welded q man
| of nothing, an officer"
Precisely So"
'She must have no small amount of i'm
p1dence to present herself here before a re-
spectacle family"
"The more SO, as sister Egerie, of noble
birth, has never forgiven her that messalli-
ance"
Annie moved at this time across the
room in which the family of the deceased
were assembled. She was pale her fine
black eyes We're filled with precocious
wrinkles
"What do you come herefor ?" said with
great haughtiness, Madame de Villeboys,
the lady who, moment before, had been
interrogating the little man who hadinher-
tied with her.
Madame" the poor lady replied, with
humanity, II do not come here to claim a
part of what does not belong to me; am
come solely to see NJ. Dubois, my sisters
solicitor, to inquire if she spoke of me in
her last hours"
"What do you think people busy them
selves about you ?" arrogantly observed
Madame de Villeboys 1.-The disgrace of a
great house-you welded man of moth
ing, soldier of Bonaparte's
Madame, my husband, though a child
of the people, was brave man, and what
is better, an honest man," observed An
ME.
At this moment venerable looking per-
sonage, the notary Dubois, made his ap-
pearance.
Cease, said he, ''to approach Annie
with union which her sister hts long for
given her. Annie loved brave, generous
and good man, who had no other crime to
reproach himself with than poverty, and
the obscurity of his name. Nevertheless,
had he lived, if his family had known him
as well as / knew him-I, his old friend
Annie would be at this time happy and re-
spected."
"But why is this woman here.
Because it is her place to be here, re-
piled the notary gravely, Il myself re-
quested her to attend"
NJ. Dubois then proceeded to open the
will
Il, being sound in mind and heart, Ege-
rie de Damening, retired as boarder in
the Convent of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
dictate the following wishes as the express
sion of my formal desire and principal
clause of my testament
"After my decease there will be found
two hundred thousand francs in money at
my notary's, besides jewelry, clothes and
furniture, and also chateau worth two
hundred thousand francs.
"In the convent, where have been re-
siding, there will only be found my book,
HEURs DE LA VERGE, a holy volume, which
remains as it was when took it with me
at the time of the emigration.
81 desire that these objects be divided
into three lots.
'The first lot, the two hundred thousand
francs.
"The second lot, the chateau, furniture
and jewels.
'The third lot, my book, HEURs DE LA
VERGE.
"I have pardoned my sister Annie the
grief she has caused us, andI would have
comforted her in her sorrows if l had but
known sooner of her return to France. I
compensate her in my will.
Madame de Villeboys. my beloved cous-
in, shall have the first choice.
IN. Vatry, my brother-in-law, shall
have the second choice.
"Annie will take the remaining lot"
'.Ah ah! said Vatry, ''sister Egerie
was a good one that was rather clever on
her part"
'Annie will only have the prayer book, y
exclaimed Madame deVilleboys, laughing.
The notary interrupted her jocularly.
Madame" said he, ''what lot do you
choose? ?"
'The t%o hundred thousand francs in
money"
"Have You fully made up your mind ?"
Perfectly so.'
The man of law addressing himself to
the good feelings of the lady, said: 'Ma-
dam you are rich, and Annie has nothing.
Couldn't you leave this lot and take the book
of prayers, which the eccentricity of the
deceased has placed on par with the other
lots ?"
''You must be joking, NJ. Dubois, ex-
claimed Madame de Villeboys "you must
be very dull not to see the intention of Sis
ter Egerie in all this. Our honored cousin
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