The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-08

over her irregular teeth. stopped him.
III you mean he wanted to marry me-noW
Il see. But were there any condtions-of
course, you know the law takes no cognizance
OF any not expressed In the will but still, for
the sake OF mere corroboration OF the beauest.
do you know Of any conditions on which he
gave you the property"
You mean did he want anything In returnr
Exactly, my dear young lady"
Pegs face on one side turned q deep ma
eenta color. on the other lighter cherry while
her nose was purple. and her forehead an In
dian red. To add to the effect Of this awkward
and dlscomposlng dramatic exhibition Of en-
barrassment she began to wipe her hands on
her dress and sat silent.
Il understand" said the lawyer. hastily. mo
matter-the conditions we're fulfilled"
NO" said Peg. amazedly; how could they
be until he was dead"
embarrassed.
He did say something. and make some con-
dtions." continued Peg. with a certain firm
ness through her awkwardnoss; but that's
nobody's business but mine and his'n. And it's
no call o. yours or theirs"
But my dear Miss Moffat. II these very con-
ditions were proofs Of his right mind. you
surely would not object TO make them known.
II only to enable you to put yourself In q con-
ditlon TO carry them out"
But" said Peg. ounninRly. "'spose you and
the Court didn't think 'em satisfactory 'spose
you thought 'ein dueer9 EhY'
And with this helpless Limitation on the part
OF the defence the case came to trial. Every
body remembers II. How for six weeks
II was the daily food Of Calavoras County;
how for six weeks the intellectual and
moral. and spiritual competency OF Mr.. james
Dyways to dispose OF his property was discussed
with learned and formal obsourty In the court.
and with unlottered and Independent prejudice
by camp fires and in barrooms. At the end OF
that time. when II was logically established that
At least nine-tenths OF the population OF Gala
veras were harmless lunatics. and everybody
else's reason seemed TO totter on Is throne an
exhausted jury succumbed one day TO the pres
ence OF Peg in the court room. II was not
prepossessing presence at any time; but the
excitement, and an iniudlcious attempt to orna-
ment herself brought her defects into glarlng
relief that was almost unreal. Every freckle
on her face stood out and asserted itself singly:
her pale-bluo eyes that gave no indication OF
her force OF character. were weak and wander
ing or stared blankly at the Judge; her over
sized head. broad at the base. terminating in
the scantest possible light-coloreA braid in tho
middle Of her narrow shoulders was as hard
and embarrassing as the wooden spheres that
topped the railing against which she sat.
The jury. who for six weeks had had her
described to them by the plaintiffs as an arch.
willy enchantress. who had Slapped the failing
reason OF Jim Byways. revolted 20 a man. There
was something so appallinRly gratuitous In her
plainness that II was felt that three millions was
scarcely compensation for II. 81 that money
was give to her. she earned II sure. boys; 1t
wasn't no softness OF the old man." said the
foreman. When the jury retired II was felt that
she had cleared her character. When they re-
entered the room with their verdict. It was
known that she had been awarded three mill
ions damages Tor It's defamation.
She got the money But those who had conn.,
IDENTIFY expected TO see her squander II were dis
appointed. On the contrary. It was presently
whispered that she was exceedingly penurious.
That admirable woman. Mrs. Silver OF Red Dog.
who accompanied her to San Francisco to
assist her in making purchases WAS loud in
her indignation. :" She cares more for two
bits than l do for s. She wouldn't
buy anything at the City OF Paris
because II was too expensive and at last
rugged herself out. perfect guy. at some cheap
slop shops in Market street. And after all the
care Jane and me took OF her. giving up our
| time and experience to her. che never so much
AZ made Jane single present" Popular
opinion. which regarded Mrs. stver's attention
as purely speculative WAS not shocked at this
Improbable denouement but when Peg refused
10 give anything TO clear the mortgage OF the
new Presbyterian Church. and even declined TO
take shares In the Union Ditch. considered by
many as an equally sacred and safe invest
ment she began TO lose favor. Neverthe-
less she seemed to DO M regardless OF public
opinion as she had boon before the trial took
small house. in which she lived with an old
woman who had once been fellow-servant on
apparently terms OF perfect equality. and
looked after her money. wish | could say
that she did this dscreetly. but the fact is she
| blunderod. The same logged persistency she
| displayed in claiming her rights was visible In
| her unsuccessful ventures. She sunk two
| hundred thousand dollars In WORKOUT
shaft originally projected by the deceased
testator. She prolonged the miserable OK
| istence OF the Rockville Vanguard long after
it had ceased to interest even is enemies
she kept the doors OF the Rockville Hotel
| open when its custom had Departed she
| lost the cooperation and favor Of a fellow cap
italst through trIfing misunderstanding in
which she was derelct and impenitent: she had
three lawsuits on her hands that could have
been settled for a trine note these defects to
show that she was by no means heroine. l
quote her affair with Jack Folnsbee to show
she was scarcely the average woman.
That handsome, graceloss vaRabond had
struck the outsk irts Of Red Dog in a Cyclone OF
dissipation. which left him a stranded but still
! rather interesting wreck in a ruinous cabin
not far from Peg Moffats virgin bower Pale
crippled from oXeesses. with voice quito trem-
ulous from sympathetic emotion more or less
developed by stlmulants. he fingered anguidly,
with much time on his hands. and only few
neIghbors. In this fascinating kind OF general
deshabiNe OF morals dress, and the emotions
he appeared before Peg Moffat More than
that he occasionally limped with her through
the settlement The critical eye Of Red Dos
took In the singular pair; Jack -voluble. suffer
Ing, apparently overcome by remorse con
science, vituperaton. and disease; and Peg
open mouthed. high -colored, awkward. yet de-
lighted; and the critical eye Of Rel Dog seeing
this winked meaningly at Rockville. No ont
knew what passed between them. But all OBJ
vedthat one summer day Jack drove down thu
main street Of Red Dog in an open buggy witt
theheiress Of that town beside him. Jack albei
trine shaky. held the reins with something o
his old dash and Mistress Peggy. in an enor
nous bonnet with pearl-colored ribbons.
| Al. h.4. I.I.I -. L.,