Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-02-21


tatory and general contracts mem.
ber of the firm, and bowed me into
his diminutive but neatly furnished
den.
"Ahl Tracy, heirs to Forbes,
be said, striking into the heart ol
the business ut once; "no question
about the identity, ! supposed !
mean you can establish the fact OF
Mrs. Tracy's being Ethel Forbes,
only child Of Ponltney and only
blood relative Of Triptolemus For
bes, late deceased :"
I had of course expected this,
and was armed with rescript from
the bsptismal register, certificates
of vaccination, marriage lines, and
a multitude Of personal references.
every good, Mr.. Forbes" said
Mr.. Leonidas, after examination.
81 spprehend no difficulty in put
ting you in immediate possession.
A month at farthest, will see that
consumation."
I am afraid that I cut the inter-
view impolitely short in my anxiety
to make Ethel q sharer in the ex-
tent Of my Joy, and left Make
fees d. Makefees with the appoint
ment to go to Oversee on the fol-
lowing Monday.
Mr.. Leonidas went up to Mas
sachusetts with us. At Oversee
we found one of the clerks of the
Makefees' correspondent In pos
session, an arrangement rendered
necessary by the old misers repu-
tation of burying money and the
charitable anxiety of the natives
to dig the place up, in order to re-
cover the hidden treasures for the
heirs and had 1t not been for the
terrors Of the law and the clerks
/ big dog, have no doubt but that
our Inheritance would have con-
sisted of nothing else than hole
in the ground. Everything was
undisturbed; the late owner had
died so suddenly that the servants
had no time to plunder. and before
anybody knew anything about it
the clerk was domiciled in the
homestead. He had already sear>h-
ed every seeming possible and i'm
possible place where . scrap Of pa
per might have reposed. From
the few loose shingles on the roof
tn the drain Of the cellar, he had
felt, poked and looked, and had
collected, scattered about in odd
places, about ak hundred dollars
in gold and silver coin. He did
not believe there was even another
cent to be found.
Mr.. Leonidas knew that thou
sands upon thousands of dollars in
government bonds had gone into
the house and could find no trace
Of any having gone out; the coin
discovered was the result OF cash
ing some Of the coupons and st the
end of a months overhauling OF
the house, we all agreed that the
old miser's wealth was slowed away
ont of doors, or that the rats which
infested the bouse were only gain
ers by old Forbes parsimony. Mr..
Leonidas paid us bis last visit, the
clerk returned to his perch, and
Ethel and I were left alone to con-
gratulate ourselves that, In any
view, we had considerably bettered
our situation; we bad q house and
grounds OF our own, and q very
tidy sum of money after our debts
were paid.
Nearly year rolled around, as
quiet, commonplace and happily
with us as the heart could wish
But with the setting In of winter
Ethel grew i'll. and when January
came was obliged to have some one
at her side continually. Every
other night the duty Of watching
devolved on me; spent ths hours
when she slept sitting before the
great old open fire place in tn,
common room. Ethel lying in tn,
adjoining chamber 90 that l could
see her through the open door and
hear her move. Her illness and
my own lack Of frusality bad some
What reduced our stock Of money
Al