The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-04-02

He has been selling off the stock sine,
grandfather died But thought it so quee
that he shouldn't speak to me. He knows
me just as well as any one can but wher
he saw my face he looked quite the othe
way"
The incident did not disturb me at the
time, although did not fail to remember il
afterwards, and to attach deep meaning to it
We found the proctor alone in his office
and / stated our business The good mar
looked first incredulsus and then puzzled
and exclaimed, "Well, this is strangel Did
you meet any one on the stairs ?"
YES" 1 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.. Shelmire's
wife, and that he has the last will and testa-
ment of Mr.. Shelmire himself in his pos
session. He has applied for probate upon it,
and have granted him a citation returnable
on the 10Th of the present month. There
was only one person to be cited, and she
lives in the city,"
"Virginia Garvin?" suggested
| eyes, that is the name"
| This, of course, was all the information
the proctor had to give. Bidding Virginia
follow ME, returned to my Office.
My lawyers instinct had already suggested
a suspicion of foul play in this proceeding
and after explaining to the astonished girl
what had learned, interrogated her about
the two men we had met Bledsoe she de-
clared 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.
Shelmre was in the habit of calling in this
Passmore to assist him in his sales and ac-
counts. Her grandfather had sometimes
spoken of him as good assistant, faithful
hand but he had never been at the house
until after his employers death, when 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. I sat in brown study
after she left the Office; and then, jumping
| I, Nth O,llar -, ,pp1,a 7 l,ol
hat and went up and down the streets of the
city until came to the dingy warehouse
that still bore on its weather beaten sign
board overhead the name Of Jacob Shell
mire l entered, and before me were the
two men that had met on the Surrogate's
stairs. They were whispering together over
the desk as I entered, and Passmore advanc-
ed as soon as he saw me, and curtly de-
manded my business
| The bluntness of his manner, unexpected
as it was, threw me off my guard, and |
asked, without preface, "Have you any in
terest, sir, in opposition to that of your late
employers granddaughter"
"Have you any business to ask me such a
question:" he retorted, rudely, if not insult
ingly.
II am her counsel, sir" l replied, "and-"
"Yes, yes" he interrupted. "W ell, sir,
the will is to be proved on the nineteenth,
and if you are present you will know all
about it,"
"But how is it about the wil?' l asked
"Nirginia insists that there is none, and
'Shc is mistaken" he coolly rejoined
Mr. Passmore," said, "irom the rela.
tions that have existed between yourself and
this young lady's grandfather, you should
consider it your duty to acquaint her with
anything that may happen to your knowl'
edge, adverse to her interests | ask you
now, sir, have you nothing to commune
cate?"
Nothing whatever, sir" he responded
with a bland smile.
"Mr. Passmore, you are a scoundrel, sir,
calculated.
"Mr. Williams, you are certainly any
thing but a gentleman" WAS his tantalzing
rciondcr; and, with meek bow, he retired
went back to my office, chaied and irr
tatcd to an unwonted degree, and entirel,
satisfied that a deep plot had been formed t
cheat Virginia Garyn out of her inherit
mce. | thoroughly believed it, but l coult
do nothing but wait until the day appointel
for the probate of the will had brought it
revelations.
Well, it came; and attended before thu
Surrogate at the hour named in the citation
with my client. There were also presen
Passmore, Blcd3oe, and distinguishe
= member OF our bar, whom the latter ha
obtained 10 assist him. The man Bledso
: produced an instrument which purported t
e be, and which ne declared was, the will an
testament of Jacob Shelmire. 1t was yer
a briei, giving to Rufus Bledsoe all the prop
Q erty, both real and personal, of which h
q should die possessed. 1t was dated, ot
+ served, about year previous to the tim
. that Virginia had come to live with he
f name, Jacob Shelmre, written apparently i
the same hand with the body of the instr
: ment land the handwriting ras marvelousl
like that of Jacob himself, and it was wi
n messed, or purported to be, by Thom
= Drake and Peter Larned, both merchants
y the city, As he read their names, ha
, pened to know that both of them had bee
!. dead several years
d The will was proved by Bledsoe and Pas
9. more, both of them testifying to the gen
,e ineness of the signatures of both the testat
s. and witnesses. And Bledsoe, in additio
ID swOre that he had received the will fro
% Jacob Shelmire personally, upon the d
,e after its date
~ The story which this man told was su
I'd stantially AS follows: He was a nephew
le the late Mrs Shelmire, and was quite
when his aunt was married. His new un,
I'd saw him on that occasion, and took quit
IL, 4 4. l.