Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-28

AS matter of fact, vices he had none,
and even his weakness were not prejudlci-
al to other people. If he took aglass too
much at market,it never made him quar-
relsome; he would come home singing
in the gig, instead of silent-that was all.
And in his latter years this was rather
frequent. Many a time have seen him
thunder by the sectory door at night for
on such occasions he would drive very
fast, carolling forth his favorite ditty OF
the Hornet" or Harnet, as he rendered
it in his country pronunciation:
"A harnet sat in a hollow tree,
A proper spiteful twead was he,
And a-merrily sang as zee did set
His sting as sharp as a baggOnet," etc.
These little things In Wiltshire are
co sldered very properly as mere foibles.
What his neighbors would have ridiculed
him more for, had they knew it (but IL
was only known to DR.. Prim, Mr.. Smart,
and his intimate friends), was that he
was a hypochondriac, which. to look at
him or to listen to his CHEEKY talk, you
would never have imagined.
He had often short but severe attacka
of illness, and On these occasions always
imagined himself at the point of death.
But his end did not happen, poor fell
low, at all as he expected. He was
| thrown out Of his gig coming home from
Barton market, and from being little
elevated by liquor, perhaps got a fall
without any exception, was ever mourn
ed so much in our village, for We all telt
that an honest man was gone, and one
who never had cross word for anybody.
All the principal persons Of the parish
attended the funeral, and my uncle and
myself Cat Mr.. Smart's invitation), went
afterward to the Manor Farm to hear
his will read. There were good many
other folks there-the friends that had
been staying with the poor man from
time to time. and who, having doubtless
read of the accident in the newspapers,
had come to pay him their last tribute
of respect; but not one of them seemed to
know any of the others. Under the cir
cumstances, Mr.. Smart thought it neces-
sary to say a few preliminary words ::
''You will, perhaps, wonder, gentlemen"
said he, in his dry way, why have ia
ken upon myself all the arrangements for
Mr.. Foracre's interest, and am here IN
this prominent position, when there may
be some here who have known him longer
and more intlmately. But the fact is, l
was not only his legal adviser, but am
bound to him by ties of obligation,
which l hope myself and Ebenezer here, -
he pointed to his son, a serious
young gentleman OF nineteen years
of age, whom he had brought with him
''will not easily forget When Foracre
came into the district he was unknown
to anyone within 1t, and 1t was my good
fortune to have the opportunity of let
ting him small farm. He remained in
it for some years, winning the approba-
ton of all about him, apparently in the
enjoyment Of good health; but presently
he had one OF those sudden and severe
attacks ofillness to which, most of you
know, he was unhappily subject, and
caused me 10 be sent professionally
Gentlemen, l do assure you | had no
more notion than yourselves, when I was
thus summoned, that this visit of mine
would have been fraught with any con-
sequences to me or mine; judge. there
fOre,my establishment when our deceased
friend-wno, indeed, looked like dying
man, and whom l little thought had the
useful career before him with which we
are we'll acquainted-was SO good as to
thus address me: 'Mr. Smart said he,
you have behaved very kindly to me
since l came into your neighborhood. I
have not been good farmer as I mi ht
have been, but you have borne with me
very patiently Gentlemen, these words
went home to my heart; for, as & matter
of fact, had written to him rather in
temporarily, and even warned him that
he would have notice to quit his farm
4 propose to make to YOU said MIR. For
acre, in a faint voice, some little return
for your considerate conduct. I am
not a rich man, but / have a
few thousand pounds not invested
IN land; and though the sum will be
doubtless insignificant in your eyes,
1 hope it will have a value from the
means-so honorable as yourself - by
which you may become possessed of it.
Having no relatives Of my own. mean
to leave the whole of my properly, not to
you, my dear friend-no, not to you, be
cause am aware that in that case you
would be lncapacitated from drawing up
my will-but to your sweet little boy
Ebenezer. Of course I would have pre-
ferred you to enjoy it yourself: but since
this illness, though I feel it to be mortal,
may not result in death, leave it to your
son, instead of you, since he at least, it IS
certain, will outllve me. Here is the will,
and here is the heir" continued Mr.
Smart, laying his hand with solemnity
upon Ebenezer's head. 81 hope, my boy,
that you may grow up as good a man as
honest Robert Foracre."
Here was a revelation for some of US.
We now understood how it was that poor
Foracre, although not good farmer, had
gone On from high to higher" in the
tenancy of his Grace's farms, thanks to
his good intentions towards Master Eben-
ezer Smart. The strangers, of course,
knew nothing of this, but they too, it
seemed, by their faces, experienced con-
siderable surprise. One of them, red
haired, keen-faced fellow, who vastly re-
minded me of a ferret, rose from his chair
and asked to look at the date OF the will.
"It was made eighteen years ago, sir,''
observed Mr.. Smart. "The witnesses are
both alive, however, and, as it happens,
residents at Barton at the present time"
s'There IS no objection to their residino