The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-12-31

[ on his recollectiOns, and he saw, here
and there, the figure of that stately
man, who had bsen his father be
recognized here ard there that he
must have secretly helped him from
! time to time; he remembered, too,
that be had not helped him when
/ help might have saved Mary, and his
soul s6elled with bitterness. But in
/ the hours that death waited for the
/ Governor, he had paid this tardy debt
/ to conscience. He had laid the paper
I in the old book he had sent Thomas
J Yarn TO the library, and he had left
/ the rest to chance. Miserable, vulgar
/ fraction OF conscience-moneyl Miser-
able playing with justice Governor
Hammond, like many dignified gen.
| tleman, uncovered his real character
/ in his will, and showed the poor and
mean thing which 3 fine appearance
had draped and ornamented.
Thomas Yarn went to Mary's grave
and considered. He saw from that
humble spot Gov. EammOnd's tall
Corinthian column CLEAN through
the trees. He thought of the change
il would make in the village treat
ment if he announced the fact.
The tavern window would cease to
be his post of observation be would
sit of an evening on the broad piazza
where Misses Margaret and Emily re-
ceived their guests; it would be his
own.
He would become a man of fortune,
power in the State. He looked
down at his garments. It even oe-
Cured to him that he should have
new suit of clothes but, as the airy
visions fiOated before him, he looked
again in the grass at the stone, and
read
MARY. WIFE OF TRcAAs YARN,
DIED RsE6 SffT; . g 1885,
aud he decided that he did not want
/ fortune, fame, consequences, enough
to take it away from Emily, his child
friend. She, next to Mary, was the
dearest thing to Thomas Yarn.
Often he determined to burn the
will, but he did not. He even bought
a piece ofOiI-siIk, and carefully folded
it around the paper before returning it
to his ragged pocket. Sometimes,
when he was particularly forlOrn, he
would take il out and read it and be-
come q rich man for few hours
then Emily's laugh would resOund
| through the house, or he would see
her gay and triumphant, driving off
to picnics and sleigh rides, the sue
ceSsful young heiress and belle OF
Mossbrook, and he would fold it away.
Thomas Yarn watched with q jeal-
Gus eye the men who approached En-
! ily, and he saw to his sorrow that she
began to blush and look down when
Horace Frazier came near her. It be-
gan to be village talk that there was
to be an engagement.
Now, Horace Frazier had come to
Moss6rook to study law he was not
of the town. Perhaps he brought
some foreign graces with him; he was
handsome, dressed well, and had fas-
cinating manners. But the tavern,
in this Instance, had become an i'm
portant post of observation, and
Thomas Yarn knew of nights passed
in gambling, of drunken bouts, OF the
crime aud degradation of dissOlute
life. Yet what could he say or do ?
What headway could he make against
| this young and clever man ?
| Before he had resolved on his course
of action Emily had come into the Ii
brary and had announced her engage
ment TO him.
80 Miss Emily He isn't worthy
of youl He is a gambler, a drunk
ard, and worse Don't love such
man don't marry him, l beg of you!"
burst from poor Thomas Yarns lips.
To describe Emily's indignation
would be impossible. The sun in the
heavens was not more illustriOus than
Horace Frazier in her eyes. To at
/ 20 him ond-onn fO her
She swept ont of the library after a
vigorous denunciation, and aunt Mar
garet swept in. 1t had been a part of
Horace Frazier's policy graceful
good-for-nOthing to win the older
woman first, and she had but to hear
| the dreadful news of the attack to
rush to the battlements and NOW
down Thomas Yarn with a well-di-
reoted volley.
II hear that you dare, Mr.. Yarn, to
insult my niece, and to assail the
character of her intended husband,
you, Mr.. Yarn ! who are yon WEy
nv relative, Coy. Hammond, de-
scended SO far as to mention you in
his will, I could never understand.
You, sIothfuI, dirty, poor, mean, in-
Isignificant-yOu dare to speak OF
|
man like Mr.. Frazier? ? Leave this
room, Mr.. Yarn (yOu ought to have
never been allowed to come into it, and
never let these eyes behold you again."
Miss Margaret held out thin fore
finger as she spoke. like third-rate
| Lddu Macbeth. Thomas Yarn rose
slowly and walked out; yet as hs
passed her, he fired one Parthian ar
row.
'I shall have Emily yet,H be said.
"GO, base creature ~ said Miss Mar
garet, furiously.
When Mr.. Frazier came to tea that
evening both ladies received him
with greater tenderness than ever.
His waistcoat was very perfect ; his
neck.tie and conversation delightful
he was a handsome fellow, and in
love. The did not tell him how cru
ely he had been slandered:
Thomas Yarn watched him for a
few weeks, hoping that love might
make better man of him but no, it
did not. The play went on; the
drinking-bouts continued; even Emily
began to see some signs which troub-
led her, but womanlike, she only
loved him better. That he made her
hands tremble and ache, was part of
the agitation of the period.
Then Thomas Yarn took a deter
minatiOn. He went to Judge Suth-
erlaDds' office and had a private con-
sultation with that eminent jurist I;
| and the next night as Horace Frazier
came up the tavern.steps, fresh from
Emily's sweet presence, on his way
| to the card-rOOm, Thomas Yarn stop
ped him.
"Mr. Frazier, Judge Sutherland de-
sires to see you in Number IL, il you
please.
Frazier suddenly turned toward the
room. He was a student in the
Judges Office, and expected he knew
not what in the shape of reDrimand.
He was surprised and offended when
! Yarn entered the room and locked
the door.
Judge Sutherland's dignified pres
ence, however silenced him, and he
seated himself awaiting the revela-
ton.
"Mr. Frazier, we are about to make
a confidence to you, and, as a man of
honor, ask you to give me your
promise that you will not reveal it."
Certainly, sir 1 give you my
word"
"Itdeeply concerns you, as I un-
derstand that you are to marry Miss
Hammond /; it deeply concerns me,
as am one of the trustees of her
supposed estate; it deeply concerns
Mr.. Yarn, as be is the real owner of
this estate. Here is a will, which
you shall read it is perfectly legal
document, although not registered.
One of the witnesses to the signature
is still living. OF the contents of the
will am not ignorant, having been
consulted as to its form. have also
known for many years, ss 3 profess
sional secret, that Mr.. Yarn was a
natural son of Mr.. Gov. Hammond
but 1 had supposed that my old friend
had abandoned his project of making
this will. Here it is, and in my
opinion it will stand.n
Horace Frazier read the paper with
attention. 1t was ruin to him, and
! he looked it : but he said nothing.
Once he turned and gave Thomas
Yarn a searching, cOntemptuous anc
! almost amused lCok.
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