The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-01-12

of you will be the bearer yourself, Ear
walker" said Mr.. Lewcraft, with grim po-
likeness, you will be welcome visitor
my trst-to Fountain Violet"
Mad or a miser ?" pondered the LAWYER.
bowling his thanks with a troubled smile.
"One last surprise for you, Earwaker,"
| said my uncle Z" have made nv will"
MOT, l trust, without professional aid,
my dear sir? Take heed. You know the
proverb"
I could not consult you, for reason"
replied Mr.. Lewcraft, apologetically. Prov
idence has, you know, left me singularly bare
Of those not unmixed blessings, blood rela-
tions There remains but one, my nephew,
Adolphus Sweetlove, between whom and
| myself little correspondence has been
wasted, and no love lost at all. That young
| gentleman, possessing nothing himself, has
ately married young lady of equal fort,
une. He wrote, not seeking my approval
but coolly advising me of his intended mar
riage. My acknowledgment was brief, al
most epigrammatic, )" said my uncle, with a
hoarse chuckle. 1.-THE parties married, and
are, I conclude, subsisting on the hope that
relationless old uncle, in despair OF better
| channels for his posthumous wealth, might
bequeath portion to them. 1t was natural.
l could not bring myself wholly to disap-
point these anticipatons. Now, this nephew
| of mine is a fine gentleman-is what is now
| recognized, | am informed, in courtly circles
as a swell. Well sir, | have a yacht, fine
vessel that has cost me-" continued Mr.
Lewcraft, with wry face, much, and is,
from the secret of construction she carries
with her, more valuable than anything of
her tonnage ailoat. | left Adolphus my
yacht, bequeathing all else that possess to
| TO-"
My uncle paused and slowly extended his
hand. AS the other took it his heart seemed
to stand still. There was no installing Mr.
Lewcraft's tone.
Yes" resumed the latter pressing the
lawyers thin, cold digits affectiouately-
yes, Earwaker, my friend of thirty wears,
to whose sound advice my financial prosper
ity is mainly due, who better than yourself
would have earned this proof of friend
ship?"
"would have,'' thought Earwaker, with a
SILVER.
" However, on reconsiderng the matter,
Judged it more eXpedient to apply a test.
Dividing my possessions as | intended,
have reserved to Capt. Swectlove the option
of taking either yacht or mansion, with the
contents of either as his taste may suggest
And l think can guess what will be his de-
cision. Ha! my time is up. Within few
days, then, Earwaker, | shall look for you,
you human argosy, at Fountain Violet"
With these words my uncle took his leave.
81 think | could hazard a guess as to that
gentleman's errand," was the frank remark
of another client OF Mr.. Earwaker, who had
been hiding his time in the ante-room. 1t
was young Pogson, medical man, who had
just purchased practice in the neighbor
hood.
"The deuce you could And what?''
"To execute his last will and testamentn'
said Mr.. Pogson, poking his friend and legal
adviser painfully in the ribs. THAT man has
not three months to live"
Mr.. Earwaker looked at him but made no
reply.
Pogson's business was dispatched as quick
ly as civility permitted, and, Diminishing his
easy-mannered friend, the lawyer sank back
in his chair and strove TO realize the position
in which he found himself placed. 1t was,
as will be SEEM a strange and critical one.
Earwaker was the son and successor of a
solicitor of good repute, who beQueathed to
him considerable practice. relating chiefly
to matters connected with commerce and
finance. The younger man, while iuheritng
most of his fathers business qualities, pos
sessed one falling which the latter had not
ambition. Declared by circumstances from
q higher career, he saw his road to social
distinction only through the acquisition of
wealh-commanding wealth. To this OBJ.
ject he had devoted his life, his moneyed
connection furnishing many an opportunity
for those daring operations which, if sue
| cessful, lay the foundation of mighty fort
| une, if they do not achieve it at stroke
More than once he had held the prize he
aimed at almost within his grasp. But re-
verse almost always followed victory. Nay,
series of mishaps would sometimes reduce
his accumulated gains almost to where they
| began. Wearied at length with fortunes
caprices, Misunderstanding his habitual cool
ness and cauton-cOnnected himself with q
scheme which, successful at first, began to
falter and lose ground under the pressure of
difficulties against which no human fore
| sight could have provided. Money! little
more money-and all would be well. Nav
the result was certan-so, at least, said all
concerned. The little money was supplied,
became more, very much more, and by this
| time it had grown to be question of sink or
swim. More than one faint heart sought to
adopt middle course, and, abandoning the
ship, greatly augmented her peril. Still, the
position was not desperate, provided only
| that assistance was Immediate and etfectual.
All eyes turned toward the man who had
| been the chief promoter of the undertaking
the shrewd tnancier, Earwaker. That
| gentleman's resources, though far from
equal to the claim now made upon them,
represented no inconsiderabe amount, but
| they could not be realized on the instant,
and the necessity would not brook an hours
delay. In a fatal moment the hitherto
honest man fell into temptation. The much
| needed money was obtained, but it was at
| the cost Of Mr.. Earwakers conscience, and
| on the security of every fraction of Mr.. Lew
crafts property-between 100000 and ESQ.,
000-then in his agents custody. No wonder
If, at my uncle's apparition, Mr.. Earwaker
looked little disturbed.
| And now what was to be done? Through
what would have been very dismal cloud
indeed, the lawyer thought he saw CLEAN
of light According to his clients state
ment, the latter had, by his will, virtually
given his nephew the choice of fortune or
| yacht! Now probably no man on earth-save
Earwaker himself-knew of what that fort.
une consisted. Certainly his nephew did
not. What if, realizing his uncle's ex-
pectation, perhaps his wish-the young man
preferred the handsome, well-appointed
yacht to the dreary, Impoverished looking
edifice on the bleak hill, and such poor prop
erty as was likely to be found there? But
holdl Conscience! Was he not bound to
apprise the young man of the wealth within
his very grasp? In this case-ruin! Suppress
| sion was not falsehood, not always treachery.
At all events, call it in this case both, what
was it in comparison with the crime Of which
he had already been guilty. No-there was
no escape. With deep-drawn sigb-fare-
well tribute to integrity-Mr. Earwaker ac-
cepted what seemed his doom.
/ must condense details. The first essen
tial object was the redemption of the depos-
tied securities. With sad heart and at a
tremendous sacrifice, Earwaker converted
into money the whole OF his own remaining