The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-01-18
THE MISER'S CLOCK.

IL
He will bind de broken heart.
~>V<
THE MISER'S CLOCK.
Nominally we were the heirs, Ethel
and l, of her miserly, vicious uncle,
TriptOlemus Forbes, who lived and
died in Oversee, and was buried with
out tear, the only good word said of
him was in commemoration of his exit,
in consequence of which we took DOS.
session of the gloomy old homestead
that stood midway between the town
hall and the court house in the pretty
little village crowning the head Of one
of tho most romantic of the many
bays that dent the coast of Massachu-
setts. With all my good fortune, I
am inclined to quarrel with even the
mite of credit afforded Tript0lemus
Forbes, in the supposition that we
enjoy a competency acquired from
him I hold that we are really and &C.
tually heirs Of an old Dutch clock, with
a dingy dial, and grimy cracked case,
on the top of which ali automaton
shoemaker treats pink and blue wife
with stroke for every unit of the
hours that adorn the face. Ethel's
uncle might have accumulated twenty
millions instead of the modest hundred
Thousand he left. but we, probably,
would not have been where the lawyers
letter found us had it not been for the
clock.
We were very poor, reduced
straits so terrible that only crime
seemed to stand between us and starv-
alton, when one morning, the infre-
quent postman called on us with a
portentious looking missive, addressed
to James Mountfort Tracy, ESQ.,, No.
220 NARROW street, City. With the
address was the handsomely litho.
graphed card of a legal firm on Broad
way land was too perfectly impressed
with the idea that it was a citation
into court to answer the demands of
some irate creditor, to break the en-
velop; Ethel, however, weak woman
though she was, had the nerve lack
ed, and, taking the letter, tore it open
and ran her eyes over the contents.
noticed her growing paler and paler
as she proceeded, and presently she
dropped the written page and sank
back into her chair without word.
Picking it up my despondency rapid
ly changed into civilizations, as I now
read Makefeess & Makefeess, attorneys,
etc., had pleasure in sorrowfully in
forming Mr.. Tracy that his wife's
uncle, Triptolemus Forbes, ESQ.,, of
Oversee, was lately deceased, and no
will appearing or being in probable
existence they congratulated Mr.. Tracy
that his wife was heir to the Oversee
estate, real and personal, which was
supposed to be in existence, though of
what nature Makefeess & Makefeess
were unable to state, as their CORES.
pondents at Boston had not been ex-
plicit in their advices on the 8th of
October and subsequent dates. They
have been making strenuous efforts
for over three months to find the
heirs, and were delighted that they
had succeeded, and if Mr.. Tracy called
at their Office at his earliest corveni-
ence they would be, sir, his most obe-
dent servants.
At the lawyers office was received
by Mr.. Leonidas Makefees, who an
nounced himself as testatOry and gen.
eral contract member Of the firm, and
bowed me into his diminutive but
neatly furnished den.
''Ah? Tracy, heirs to Forbes,'' he
said, striking into the heart of business
at once; "no question about the iden.
tity, I suppose? mean you can estab-
lish the fact of Mrs. Tracy's being Eth
el Forbes, and only child of Poultney,
and only blood relative of Triptolemus
Forbes, late deceased?"
/ had. of course, expected this, and
was armed with rescript from the bap
tismal register, certificate of vaccina-
tlOn, marriage lines. and a multitude
Of personal references.
''Very good, Mr.. Forbes,'' said Mr..
Lconidas, after examination. II an.
prehend no difficulty in putting you in
immediate possession. A month, at
the farthest, will see that consumma-
ti0n.''
lam afraid that cut the interview
impolitely short in my anxiety to make
Ethel sharer in the extent Of my joy.
Mr.. Leonidas knew that thousands
upon thousands of dollars in govern
ment bonds had gone into the house,
and could find no trace of any having
gone out; the coin discovered was the
result of cashing some of the coupons,
and at the end of whole months
overhauling of the house, we all agreed
that the old mlser's wealth was slowed
away out Of doors, or that the myriads
of rats which infested the premises
were the only gamers Of cid Forbes
darsimony.
Mr.. Leonids paid US his last visit,
the clerk returned to his perch, and
Ethel and I were left alone to cor
gratulate ourselves that, in any view.
we had considerably bettered our sit
uation for we had house and grounds
Of our own, and. very tidy sum of
money in hand after all our debts were
paid.
Nearly year rolled round as quiet,