Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-09-03
The Mysterious Note.

AN ATTORNEYS STORY.
| was q harum-scarum youth, said a
certain lawyer, whose acquaintance form
ed in Chicago, some ten years ago, and
for the first dozen years of my manhood |
had no settled aims. | started out us IL
clerk in country store, then | became a
school teacher, next u clerk in drug
store, where learned many chemical
mysteries; finally became law student
and it was my knowledge of chemistry-a
science of which | am passionately fond
that gave me start rs lawyer.
Let me hear the story, said I.
Certainly. My shingle had been hung
out for four or five months, and had not
Il single brief to prepare. What little
money had possessed after my studies
were completed was rapidly melting away,
and | could not ignore the fact that if no
fees should came in my way for Il couple
of months l should have to 60 out on the
street, or on the prairies and labor for a
living. 1t would be no disgrace to be
sure. But when one has spent his little
all in preparing himself for professional
life, and when he has set his heart and
hopes on such life, it is sad to have to
abandon it.
| was seated in my office one forenoon,
indulgng in certain gloomy thoughts on
this subject, when the door opened and a
middle aged man in humble garb came
in, and | recognized him at the first glance
as an honest and industrious machinist
named William Campbell,a former neigh
of my fathers, who was now dead. He
;nl I .
once that there was something wrong.
Good morning, Mr.. Campbell, | said.
How did you happen to find the Office of Il
poor young lawyer like me?
By accident. he said. | am in trouble.
and if do not get out of it | am ruined.
All the savings of my life will be gone
unless l can find some lawyer smart
enough to defeat the rascality of certain
man, and l was just going along, intend
ing to call on the first lawyer should see,
and it happened to be you. AS l knew
your father well, and used to know you
when YOU were a boy, | thought | could
not do better than to put my case in your
hands; I'd at least be sure of fair Great
ment, thought.
You would be sure of that at the hands
of any lawyer to whom you should in
trust your case, said [. Now let me hear
what it is, and will see what can be
done.
Well, it's this: I've worked quite hard
all my life at my trade, and accumulated
some money-about six thousand dollars,
in fact. | have several children would
like to provide for, and it has been my
steady aim to increase my money all |
could. A year ago, friend of mine, who
| is in the same business | am in, told me
he could take partner in the spring and
that if | should 90 in with him | could
make great deal of money. looked
into the matter and found that he was not
mistaken about it. saw that | could, in
u few years, increase my six thousand
to twenty thousand, and told him
would be ready to join him when the time
come. Meantime, my money was laying
in the bank, where | ought to have left
it, drawing five and half per cent inter-
est.
Shortly after had made this arrange
ment with my friend about the partnership
man | knew well and had great conf
dence in, came to me and asked me to
lend him my money till | should want it.
| told him l should want it at the end Of
the year, and he said he could readily
return it by that time, and that he would
give me eight per cent. So let him have
it, and now it is due, and | can't get it
back.
Has he any property l asked.
| Yes-any amount of it; | have under
stood that he's slippery fellow, but hat
not known that before.
| But you took his note, surely? said L
Yes. But can't find it.; that's " ha
troubles me. l called on him and told hin
so, and he said he had no recollection o
borrowing any money from me; if had
his note he would pay it; if hadn't he
wouldn't.
And you can't find the noteP
| No.
What did you do with it?
put it in this pocketbook where | keeI
all my important papers; but when
came to look for it among some other
notes, receipts and the like l couldn'
find it.
He produced large old fashioned
leathern pockctbook us he spoke, and
looked through it and examined u lot o
receipts and notes that were packed TO
gether in one of the pockets, thinking
that two of the papers might be sticking
together
There is no promssory note for tina
amount here, l said. But what is th
blank sheet of paper doing hereP And
took ub slip of white paper that fount
among the documents.
don't know.
Who is the man that gave you the note
Alexander Bronton, the druggist.
I knew Alexander Bronton very well
He was wealthy and penurious, and hat
the name of being very tricky. | wa:
satisfied that Mr.. Campbell was telling
the truth. was well convinced thai
Alexander Bronton was not man whC
would be likely to forget having borrowed
such large sum as six thousand dollars
and | Jumped at the conclusion that he
had played some cunning trick to wrong
the coniiding mechanic out Of the fruits 0
many years of labor. But what was thu
trickp This was the question that puzzle(
me.
Have you had this pocketbook in (
secure place ever since he gave you thu
notep l asked.
Yes, under lock and key where no on
could touch it but myself.
Are you sure that it has ever since bcel
impossible for any one to find it to purloil
the notep
am perfectly sure of that. The loci
of my desk, in which have kept it, is on
that made myself. There is but one Ike,
in the world that will open it, and here
is, he said, producing from his pocket
bright steel key of very odd outline. No
a thing has ever been disturbed in tina
desk.
Unused few minutes as again casu
ally overhauled the papers. then said:
l, Mr.. Campbell, don't mean to say thn
Bronton is dishonest, but might he no
have handed you this blank piece of pape
and slipped the note in his pocketboo
with the money you lent himp