Smyrna times., 1874-08-05
eIIUW e OWS.
Marion'S Fortune.

George HalIowell, of Elmsborough, died at
the age of eighty, worth one hundred thousand |
pounds. People generally thought he had |
lived very long time; but they could not
deny the fact that he had improved the time
and got together 4 very respectable fortune.
Early in his young manhood he had married |
Estelle Cieaves, the daughter of poor actor
and some incongruity Of taste or temper-no-
body knew which, for Hallowell kept his own
secrets, and death had long ago sealed the lips
of his wife-had separated them after about
ten months of married life.
The wife had gone forth nobody knew with.
er, and Hallowell had lived on his sour. crusty
and monotonous life in the old home where he
was born, ard where before him were born his
father and his grandfather
| He never went into society, he received no
company, he had no friends, and it was mat
ter Of great wonder to whom he would give his
property when he was dead.
And when the announcement came that the
old man was gone, everybody pricked up his
or her ears and the wonder grew.
Three old servants-nearly as old as himself
"a man and two women, had always been
with him, and constituted the only family he
had. The old male servant was named Gilbert
and in his hands Mr.. Haowell had left his
will
The funeral was largely attended by the
whole neighbOrhood, and at its close Gilbert
requested all those interested to remain and
hear the will read. Of course in matter like
this everybody was interested, and old Gilbert
had good audience.
Lawyer Secors read the will 1t seemed he
had drawn it up year before for the testator.
DiveSted of its formalities, it bequethed hand.
some life annultieS to each of the three SCI.
wants, two thousand pounds to each of the
churches in the village, two hundred pounds
: for the support of Jim, large striped cat
which the old man held in high regard, and all
the rest of the property-house, land, stocks,
and mOney-was bequethed, without reserve,
to Marion Estery, the village school mis-,
tress.
The people were all stricken dumb with as.
tonishment, and Miss Esterly was perhaps
e more surprised than any of them.
1 A few words in pencil, in old Hallowels 5
own handwriting, on the margin of the will ex-
n planned his reason for this disposition of the
d property.
D " l have been friends with nobody'-so ran
the marginal reference" and people have
/ looked upon me as being destitute of the at
n tributes of humanity, and it was my own fault
: | make no complaint. Only one of all nv
t, towns people have seen deep enough beneath
the surface to surmi<e that old Hallowe migh
/ have feelings of his own, and she has never
d passed by me without a kind good day. AnC
n once when passed by her little garden sht
gave me bunch of pansies, and [ think o
IS her always when see them. And so, as Mar
y ion Esterly has treated me as if had soul,
r. bequcth to her the property which it has ia
ID ken me lifetime to gather, aud may Heavel
bless her in its possession.
All the villagers were jealous of Miss Esterl
20 and all thought she had been very well repait
for few kind words and a bunch of pansies
e, But none could dispute old Hallowel right t
ne do as be chose with his own and so the poo
a1e schoolmistress passed peaceahly into posses
ne sion.
re Miss Esterly was an orphan, twenty thre
to years of age, tall and fine looking and wit
more character than is generally given to on
individual. Now that she had the power sh
nd asserted herself grandly.
The HallOwell home place was put under
sss series OF valuable improvements, which 500
Of changed its entire aspect. Decaying trees wer
W cut down. fresh young ones were planted,
&c spacious hower-Rarden with extensive graz
re- cries and green houses, h0urished where ba
only been a stretch Of dismal heath the stoc
in the stables was Overhauled, and great char
ges made; and Haliowell House was rebuil
Il. Il. and remodeled until it the finest residenc
l.; Is; in all the whole country round.
al. Miss Esterly kept the old servants, VIII
shortly learned to adore her, but she adde
lst new ones to the naendge, and entertained th
ol visitors who hastened to honor her in gracioU
he and liberal style.
nj nj AS matter of course the mistress of Hall,
=. we'll House was not long wanting in lovers
he they came thick and fast-sOme few, perhap
6d of attracted by her beauty and grace, but most
hI. them keen on the scent after old Hallowell
IIe gold.
or But Marion Esterly had sense as wellas Roc
es. looks, and she was not deceived by their DR.
my tentiOns.
de- She remem' cred the time when the DO,
BOT schOolmistress might have sat evening aft
11 ST evening at parties and social gatherings unn
his ticed and neglected by all those Obseauous iii
the gentlemen who now protessed to be so deep
leh sedh1 in love with her. and so she treated them
r. with a coolness which drove them to the ver
,hs 1,s of distraction.
BY She had been Just year mistress of Hall
,e% we'll when one day old Gilbert came to b
Fer with troubled face and asked an audieuC
cir; She bade him sit down and speak without
pa. aan serve, but the old man made laundering wo
.cts of it. Marion had TO question and encoura
part him continually, but at last his story was to
Lao isc In effect il was this:
o. When Estelle Hallowell had died, years al
years before, in an obscure Scottish villas
she had left a son-George Hallowell's child
-. born three months after her separation fro
sTri. him: This son hated his father for the wron
uAr' he felt he had inflicted upon Estelle, and h
lives never made himself known to him, and n
That That Hallowel had lived and died unconscious
the the fact that he was father.
lsSy .ssn This son had died two months previo
and leaving one son behind him-George Hal
ss sa.d Of wells grandson and heir at law.
Iana. Oieme"I AAa"o"e" was ING you
ntrol mans name-was now clerk IN q bank
Ct %ds1 in London, on salary of one hundred and
nary pounds year, and all unconscious of the
/. the that by right OF kin, he was the heir to
'0m' hundred thousand pounds.
These facts old Gilbert had just learI
through friend of Estelle San old man v
re. in had strolled to the village. picking up a liv
.tives C. IA Iii. T. IJLJ A. y - ; ~
That ieW olu Ddilhus- ne nau Deen q player tu &C
Tss pany with Esteles father, and had always
/ and to speak, kept on the track of the family.
state Some women would have doubted the
stroler's story; but Miss Esterly did not.