Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1877-01-06

them prodigiously. "He never was
better in his life All his beard has
grown since last March, and his
leg"-rapping my knuckles on a
knee of abnormal hardness is
artificial, but a marvelously good
imitation of the genuine article.
"And now," doctor, exclaimed
his wife, "Mr. and Mrs. Clinton
Hamlin Sylvester expect you to come
home and dine with them, and after
dinner all your doubts shall be re-
solved"
OF course I went, and I found q
house and dinner ft for o mer-
chant prince. Over our cigars, at
the close, Mr.. Sylvester said:
"The day before I called on you,
last March, doctor, I had pistol in
my pocket, with which I fully ex-
pected to end my life. In five years
I had run through fortune of half
a million, squandered mostly in
fashionable entertainments, especi-
ally balls, for I had always an ex-
travagant passion for dancing, which
in the end literally proved my ruin.
I had not a relative in the world,
except rich, rigid and eccentric
old uncle, who, in my distress, OBJ
stinately refused to aid me, saying
to my wife when she appealed to
him:
elf he has danced himself to the
poor-house, it may save him from
dancing himself into hellr'
When I drew from the bank the
last hundred dollars, derived from
the sale of our household effects, I
bou1 hit a pistol to use when that
was spent, for I had never earned q
dollar, and I preferred death to
beggary or theft. The same day I
received this letter."
So saying, Mr.. Sylvester handed
me q sheet on which read:
ALBANY, March 10, 1885,.
Mn. C. II. SYLvEsrER- Dear Sir: You arc
doubtless aware that your honored uncle.
Hiram Sylvester, departed this life OH the
Sd instant. 1t is my duty to inform you
that his will contains the following provi-
sion, after providing for some minor lega-
cies:
"And do hereby give and bequeath
the entire remainder Of my property, real
and personal, to my nephew, Clinton
Hsmlin Sylvester, provided he shall claim
it ut any time within one year from the
date OF my deceage, and further provided
that he shall have but one leg at the time
of SO claiming H." You are doubtless
aware of his motive for the somewhat sin
gular condition specified in the last clause.
The "entire remainder" bove mentioned,
is worth fully amillion dollars 81 ,000, ,000.)
Please inform me, as soon ~ convenient.
Of your intentions, as, in case you do not
claim the property, 1t is to he divided
among large number Of charities.
Yours very respectfully,
A. d. SATTERLEE, Executor.
"Ihaye no idea." said Mr.. Sylves-
ter, as I handed back the letter, that
my eccentric old uncle imagined I
would comply with any such rigor-
GUS condition, but, Of course to me,
who was facing suicide itself, the
loss of leg was comparative trifs.
Agnes was horri6ed at first, but I
soon reconciled her to it, and how
the job was done no one knows bet
ter than yourself. I did not explain
all this to you, then, because when
we fell into poverty, we passed as
Mr.. and Mrs. Hamlin, and I could
not solve the mystery to your salts
faction without showing this letter
and thus revealing our identity,
which I was not willing to do till we
were established in the world
again."
"And 1 am sure, DOCTOR" cried
Mrs. Sylvester, you do not think
US crazy, now that you know the
real reason why he had his leg cut
off,"
E An Amazon on skates can oul
a prettier figure than ans. A grouE
Of lasses were skating merrily on the
river near Omro, (Wis. on December
18th, when = noisy, graceless scamp
appeared upon the ice, and began K
annoy them in many ways. So per
sistent were his prosecutions. that th'
girls were resolving to take of theil