The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-02-13
He KnOM'd I'd be Thar.

The following perfectly true story is hard
| ly entitled to place in this column, but as
| its lack of humor is somewhat atoned for by
| a very obvious moral, and as it would doubt
| less fail to reach the public in any other way,
we give it herewith:
The other day we met on Kearny street an
| old Washoe acquaintance, called Jem Briggs,
whose usually seedy miners apparel was on
this occasion replaced by gorgeous display
ofvelvet vest, check pants, red tie, and pom
derous gold watch chain, while his honest and
simple face shone above these evidences of
prosperity with the placid contentment of a
| full harvest moon.
Hello, Jem," we said; "glad to see you
looking so well. Look like you'd struck it
rich recently"
80 | have" said Jem; and then as his
honest face sadd6ned a little, he continued,
"but I've just had mighty tough loss,
though. My partner-Ned Bimber-you re-
member Ned y-lias gone up the shaft"
Dead, ehg"
"Yes. I'll tell you how it was You see
Ned and | had a quarrel about two years
ago. Don't matter now what it was all
about. Mebbe Ned was wrong, and mebbe |
| was but all the same, neither of us would
back down-coupler dern fools, you'll say
and so we werc-and the upshot was we part
ed and agreed never to speak to each other
again"
And didn't you?"
mo, sir we didnt-more shame for us, as
| had been pards fifteen years together. Well,
about n year ago Ned got a good gravel claim
up on the Feather, and struck it thick
Cleaned up over two hundred thousand in
| six months"
"And how were you getting on?
ooh! clean broke; working up on the
Com. for four dollars day. Well, was
kinder sneakin' glad to hear of Ned's luck !;
but the next thing | heard was that he had
been killed by the mines caving in on him.
| He lived just long enough to make his will.
| Well the lawyer found that Ned was worth
about 100000, and the will gave $4,000 to
each one of his three brothers-they had all
come out from the East when they heard of
Ned's Finland the same amount to me, for
all we'd quarrelcd. But Ned alters was n
| centric sort of cuss, and the will provided
| attended his funeral lie didn't want any
| body present but the minister and the under
takcr. He said he had died lonely, and he
wanted to be buried lonely Thcm's just his
| words The distribution of the rest of the
estate, about $500, 900 he had provided for in
another codicil; to be opened the day after
the funeral, but we all understood it was do
| mated to charitable object"
"Of course you stayed away from the flu
| ncral"
"Wcll, you see, that was just the point
| Somehow | felt so kinder miserable and
down, hcartcd-you see Ned was the only
partner ever habitat determined to go
| and see him sent down on his last cage any
| way-money or no money-and did"
"And the three brothers"
| No, they none of them went; in fact they
were so disguised at the divy' that they clear
cd out down to Frisco right away to see
about breaking the will. So / was the only
person at the funeral. My friends all thought
me lunatic to throw away $4,000 in that
style, but somehow | couldn't help it, As it
turned out, however, it was the luckiest
thing / ever did"
| "How was that !"
| "Why, the next day when the main will
was opened, we found it really gave the en-
tire balance ofthe property to whichever one
of us four dsobeyed the conditions of the So
600 requests. So you see, / came in for the
whole 100000 just like knife. And, do
you know, shall alters think" said the lega-
tee as he hastily steered us into the nearest
barroom to conceal the gathering moisture
in his eye, 81 shall alters believe that Ned
kinder put up the whole job purpose,
| cause lie kR0,o'd I'd be thar :"
/