Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1871-03-29

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Poulton's keen sense Of humor recopcilec
him to all misfortunes that proceeded
from it. and he and Mr.. Harris were or
the best of forms.
Harris, said Tom Pou!ton, Il have
arranged anotker sell for the Family, and
want your help
. 1t is yours said Harris. sDetails?'
you are aware that all the Family
will be down on me, in six weeks time
for their twenty four pound loans! Well,
before they fall due I'm going to die
'Don't do that said Harris.
Yes my minds made up. Listen
I've found an old man of my name
Tom Poulton; advertised for hm. He
is wretchedly poor, and be lives all by
himself in Clump Cottages. Haverstock
HILL
Well?
well, hs csn't live three weeks, and
I've taken lodings in bis house.
Still | don't see
You're very dull. He can't live three
weeks-that is to say, in three weeks
he'll die and he'll be buried. The fami
ly must hear of it through you; they will
all come 70 the funeral, aud I'll turn up
among Them
But if you die. and don't repay them
their money they have subscribed to the
fund, | don't think they wW come to the
funeral
Yes, I've arranged about that. I'll
make my will, leaving everything have
to be equally divided among them. The
will must be opened by you Immediately
after my demise. I'll appoint you exec.
utor, and Ill leave you'll leave you a
hundred younds for your trouble
Thank you--thank on heartily
Spend it judIciously, Richard-when
you get IT,
'On the 9Th November, ut 8 CIump
Cottages, Haverstock Hill, Thomas Poui.
ton, Esquire, of the Inner Temple, Bar.
rister at-Law.'
The Serious Family were very angry
ut Tom Poulton's death. He had peck.
sted nearly thousand pounds of their
money, and out of this sum they had
counted on borrowing two thousand at
Christmas. But by their chairman aud
treasurers demise. not only was there no
prospect of effecling the contemplated
loan, but it became a very serious ques.
lion whether they would ever see any of
the paid-up capital again. 1t was voted
abominable on Tom Poulton's part to die
st suGbh. eFjjsIsO epad. , !efbbqay exngessed
However, Mr.. Dick Harris completely
justified Tom Poulton's dying by produ
cling his will at the next meeting; the
will left every thing that Tom Poulton
passed TO the society, to be divided equal
ly among its members; and as Tom
Poulton had three or four hundred n
year from house property, every one ex-
pressed an intention of going TO his fu-
neral.
The funeral was plain, not TO say
meagre. in it's appointments; but no
doubt Dick Harris, as executor, did not
feel justified in putting the Serious Fam
lily to any unnecessary expense. 1t WAS
voted thoughtful 10 Dick Harris, and
never did any body Of men feel more
thoroughly convinced of the vanity of
funeral pomD shan did the members of
the Serious Family as they stood round
poor Tom Poulton's grave.
But between the demise and burial of
Tom Poulton who actually did die Mr..
Dick Harris had made au important dis
covery,
The Tom Poulton who did die turned
out to be an extraordinarily wealthy old
miser. His mattress was stuffed with
bank notes, and so was his easy chair,
and under the boards of bis room was
gold to the amount of eight or nine
thousand pounds. Moreover, he appeared
to have died intestate; at all events, the
only will that was found WAS the will
made in favor of the Serious Family by
the Tom Poulton who did not die. To
the absence of any other testamentary
document applying to the property of
the Tom Poulton who did die, Mr.. Dick
Harris had no alternative but to apply to
it the testamentary document drawn up
and signed by the Tom Poulton who did
not die. / will not attempt to describe
how the grief of the Serious Family for
the loss of Tom Poulton was tempered
by the rapture with which they learned
that his estate was worth altogether
some thirty or forty thousand pounds.
The day of Tom Poulton's funeral
was bitter cold one. A drilling No.
vember mist shrouded one half of the
funeral party from the other half, and all
we're drenched to the skin. There bad
been much moralizing among the mourn
era on the good qualities of poor Tom
Pouton, on the eccentric taste that in
duced him to hoard away so much good
money and on the irreparabe-almost
irreparable-loss that his death would
cause to the Family. As they stood
round poor Tom Poulton's grave, dis
coursing in saddened whispers to this ef-
feet, they were naturally rather surprised
TO fud poor Tom Poulton standing
among them, bis eyes red with weeping,
and his general appearances carefully con-
trived to convey The idea that his grief
at his own death was unbounded. 1t
was natural enough that be should be
sorry for his own death; the only unac
countabIe feature ia the matter Was his
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