The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-01-07

Il,
she had done so.
She was back the same afternoon. She
had searched the house thoroughly, and
particularly the little desk where her
grandfather kept his papers. and brought
me all she could lind in his handwriting
There WAS nothing more than a single
book of accounts, three bills of goods sold
and some unimpoFtant memoranda about
his business, hastily scrawled upon slips
of paper of uneven sizes. In looking these
things over | observed that the hand
writing of the deceased was very eccen
trio in its character. The up-strokes of
almost every letter were very heavy and
the down strokes light; the writing
sometimes closely followed the line, and
again went up above or below it for sew
eral inches; its general appearance was
angular and unfinished, and the whole
struck me AT first as an oddlty in the way
of chirography.
Did he always write like tnis:"
carelessly asked the girl.
Yes, sir; always" she replied. And
then | told her to accompany ME to a
proctor's office, where | would take the
preliminary steps to secure the estate to
her. Virginia being under age could not
be appointed administrator of Jacob
Shelmire's estate; and il was my purpose
to consult with the proctor I'd procure
the appointment of some honest, trust
worthy man, who would discharge the
trust with fidelity to the girl and all
others interested. Those latter would be
few or none, as the girl had informed me
that her grandfather never contracted
any debts that she knew of, and that no
bills had been sent TO the house since his
death, some weeks before.
The office OF the proctor was ap
preached by flight of narrow stairs,
half way up which we met man de-
scending. | noticed nothing about him
except that he had a thick, black beard
and mustache, keen eye, and was
dressed in a suit of fashionable cut and
make and sported a large, glittering
watch chain He looked careleSsly at us
and passed down; and just behind him
came another, slim, elderly man, whose
face seemed familiar to me. On reach
ing the top of the stairs saw that my
companion looked after them, and |
asked her if she knew them.
:" don't know the first" she replied
THE other is Mr. Passmore, who used TO
help my grandfather sometimes in the
warehouse He has been selling off the
stock since grandfather died. But |
thought it so queer that he shouldn't
speak to me. He knows me Just as well
as anyone can; but when he saw my
face he looked qui te the other way"
The incident did not disturb me at the
time, although | did not fail to remem-
Der it afterward, and to attach deep
meaning to it. We found the proctor
alone in his office, and stated our bust
ness. The good man looked first incred-
ulous and then puzzled, and exclaimed: 4:
Well, this is strange! Did you meet
anyone on the stairs?'
"Yes," | replied; Mr.. Passmore and a
stranger"
well, sir, that stranger is called Rufus
Bledsoe. He states to me that he was a
distant relative of the late Mr.. Shell
mire's wife, and that he has the last will
and testament of Mr.. Shelmire himself
in mis- possession. He has applied for
probate upon it and have granted him
a citation returnabie on the 10Th of the
present month. There was only one per
son to be cited, and she lives in the city"
Virginia Garvin?" suggested.
e es, that is the name"
This, of course, was all the information
that the proctor had to give. Bidding
Virginia follow me, l returned to my
office.
Ny lawyers instinct had already sug-
gested suspicion of foul play in this
proceeding; and, after explaining to the
astonished girl what had learned, | in
terrOgated her about the two men we had
met. Bledsoe, she declared, she had
never seen or heard of before. She knew
that he had never been to the house of
her grandfather since she had lived
there, and she had never heard the old
man name him. AS to Passmore, she
could add little to what she had already
told me of him. In busy times she
knew that Mr.. Shelmire was in the habit
of calling in this Passmore to assist him
in his sales and accounts. Her grand
father had sometimes spoken of HIM as
a good assistant, faithful hand; but he
had never been at the house after his
employers death until he came to tell
her that he would carry on the business
as usual until the estate was settled, and
would then account to the proper person
for his sales and the balance of the
stock. She had not seen him since until
to-day.
l explained to Virginia that nothing
further was to be done in the matter
until the 10Th, when the CITATION to attend
the will was returnable. | sat in brown
study after she left the office, and then.
jumping up with sudden impulse, !
snatched my hat and went up and down
the streets of the city until ! came to the
dingy warehouse that still bore on its
weather-heat signhoard overhead the
name of Jacob Shelmire. | entered, and
before me were the two men that | had
met on the surrogates stairs. They were
whispering together over the desk as
entered, and Passmore advanced as soon
as he saw me, and curtly demanded my
business.
The bluntness of his manner, unexpect-
ed as ii was, threw me off my guard, and
l asked, without preface: " Have you any
interest, sir in opposition to that of your
late employers grand ddaughter:"
Have you any business to ask me
such questions?" he retorted rudely, if
not insultingly.
Il am her counsel, sir" ] replied,
and"
"Yes, yes" he interrupted "Well,
sir, the will is to be proved on the 18th,
and if you are present you will know all
about it,
But how is it about the will:" |
asked. " Virginia insists that there is
none, and"
"She is mistaken" he coolly rejoined
Mr.. Passmore,n ! said from the re-
lations that have existed between your
self and this young lady's grandfather
you should consider 1t your duty to ac
quaint her with anything that may hap
pen to your knowledge adverse to her
interests. | ask you now, sir, have you
nothing to communicate"
Nothing whatever, sir" he responded
with bland smile.
"Passmore, you are scoundrel, sir"
| calculated.
"Mr Williams, you are certainly any
thing but gentleman" was his tantaliz-
ing rejoinder; and with mock bow he
retired.
| went back to my office chafed and
irritated to an unwonted degree, and en-
tirely satisfied that deep plot had been
formed to cheat Virginia Garvin out of
her inheritance. | thoroughly believed
it, but | could do nothing but wait until
the day appointed for the probate of the
will had brought its revelations.
Well, it came; and attended before
the surrogate at the hour named in the
citation with my client. There were
also present Passmore, Bledsoe and a
distinguished memDer of our bar, whom
the latter had obtained to assist him
The man Bledsoe produced an instru-
meDt which purported TO be, and which
he declared was, the will and testament
of Jacob Shelmire. 1t was very brief,
giving TO Rufus Bledsoe all the property,
both real and personal, of which he
should die possessed, 1t was dated, l
observed, about year previous to the
= h. L. IL