The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-02
MY WIFE'S INHERITANCE.
In Three Chapters.
CHAPTER /. Continued.

The old gentlemen heard m. to the
=. end, speaking never word, but looking
with half-closed eyes straight into my
face; habit acquired, no doubt, in his
professional career.
Il am pleased, Mr.. Wallis" he said at
length when had finished, "to hear this
confession, because / have seen for some
time how the land lay as the sailors
have it."
sYou have noticed itp I exclaimedin
surprise.
eyes," he repeated, Eve lawyers are
trained to observe little signs. Many
time an almost imperceptible look of sur
: prise, or the faintess shadow of dismay
on mans face, has given me clue in
difficult case. Can you think, then, that
signs 50 plain as you have given could be
overlooked by me? No, my friend. l
needed not your present confession to
tell me that you love my niece; and yet,
as have said, am pleased to hear it,
because 1t confirms the estimate l had
formed Of your character. What that
estimate is, / need not say, except that |
am quite willing that you should try to
win her affections Had it not been SO,
/ should not have written the letter of
yesterday, but have found some means
Of causing you to cease your visits en-
tirely."
On hearing this my heart was almost
too full for utterance; / grasped him by
the hand and thanked him most heartily
for his great kindness.
Mind" he continued. IT can say
nothing about Ellen. You have my
consent to try to win her. but beyond
this can not 60. She must please her.
self. My advice, however, is, do not
hurry matters; continue your visits as
heretofore, and you may perhaps find
opportunities of observing how her in
clinations tend. But there! Whenever
was the advice of practical old lawyer
and bachelor to boot-takeD by
young fellow in love? So 60 and do
whatever your heart, tempered by gen.
tlemanly feeling, dictates"
J. But must hasten on; this is not love
story, and l have very much more to
tell. I took Mr.. Russeps advice in one
respect--that is, | continued my visits
to the Willows, and was happy to per
ceive that they were agreeable to Ellen.
In short, | gradually won her regard,
confessed my love, asked her to be mine;
and before year was out we were fully
engaged. Had 1 had my way we should
have been married at once; but Just at
this time Mr.. RusselPs health began ser
iously to fail. He never seemed to be-
quite himself again after the shock of
his fall, and now appeared to be failing
very fast. But as his health grew feebler
his affection for Ellen seemed to increase,
and in a minor degree for me also. 1
can hardly explain the liking he had
taken to me, except that having no rela-
tion in the world but Ellen--at least not
to nv knowledge-he had centered all
his affection upon her; and as I loved
her also, he loved me too for loving
her. This may not be the correct expla-
nation; but at any rate it was the only
one that occurred to me.
One day. shall never forget it--a
servant brought me message that Mr..
Russell wished to see me in his bed
room. When I arrived there l found
him still in he'd, where I had seen him
in the morning, for this was one of the
days-occurring pretty frequently now
when he found himself too unwell to
r get tup.
81 am very sorry to see you like this,
uncle," said-for this time we had
become very familiar, calling him un-
Gle, and he addressing me as Alfred-T
thought you looked better this morn
ing"
"Ah, Alfredl these east winds are too
much for me; they 60 through me, as
people say. and / find myself best in bed.
Well now, sent for you because have
something particular to say to you. l
may not be long for this world; some
times think I shall never get about
again. At any rate, thought it advis-
able to make my will. Of course, in
doing so /, as you may we'll suppose,
needed no assistance. Having made
scores of wills for other people IT would
be strange If let any one else make
mine. Now, as I have great faith in
your integrity and honesty, am about
to adopt the unusual course of showing
1t to you. There it is, read it carefully
through"
Not little surprised, I took the paper
aud read as follows:
'T, Charles Russell, Of the Willows,
Gotham, declare that this is my last will
md testament. bequeath to Elizabeth
Watkins, my house-keeper, the sum of
one hundred pounds. bequeath to
Jeanette Leclefc, the companion Of my
niece, the sum of fifty pounds. Ialso
bequeath to my nephew, Charles Russel,
the sum Of two hundred and fifty
pounds. And as to all the rest, residue,
and remainder of my real and personal
estate, l devise and bequeath to my niece,
Ellen Saunders, her heirs, Executors,
Administrators, and assigns absolutely
and for ever. And l hereby appoint my
said niece sole Executrix of this my will
In witness whereof | have hereunder sci
NV hand. this I'd day of February, 1870