River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-10-27

ROBERT BRAMLEIGH'S WILL.

was putting up my papers with sigh
Of relief Another forty minutes and
should be at home. | could almost
smell the boiled capon and oyster
sauce which / knew were being prepar
ed for me. F'There's many a slip
twixt the cup and the lip" says the
proverb; and in my case it proved only
too true for just as / was tying up the
last bundle of papers, the office boy
put his head in at the door, and dis
PEELED the tempting vision.
"a woman to see you please, sir. She
won't give no name. Says she's stran-
ger"
"a LADY," | asked.
20 no, sir"
What Is she, then? ?"
Arthur paused rs if considering, and
then, with look of intelligence, as
much as to say that he had hit the
nail on the head this time, he answer
ed "Wel, she's a sort of betwixt and
between"
Not bad definition, Arthur. Ask
the 'betwixt and between up stairs"
A tall, middle-aged woman entered
and took the seat | placed for her.
Nv visitor removed her gloves, and
carefully smoothing them, placed them
on the table beside her. She then pro-
duced from her pocket large fOolscap
envelope, from which she drew a piece
Of paper folded longways. This she
handed to me, explaining, in hard,
monOtOnous voice, that she had been
sent to me by her master, Mr.. Robert
Bramleigh, of Coleman street, who was
L i, g., ~
cd to live many hours. The paper,
she said, had been written by his direc-
ton, and signed by him for his will
that afternoon. Fearing lest it should
not be in proper form, he had de-
sired her to go to the nearest lawyer
and have one prepared according to
law
Iunfolded the paper and read as
follows:
In the name of God, Amen. | leave
my body to the ground and my soul to
the Almighty God who gave it. Now
this is the will of me, Robert Bramleigh,
of No. $50 Coleman street. / give and
leave all my houses, lands, money, and
everything Ihave, to Hannah ChurtOn,
my housekeeper, as a reward for her
,
me on Tuesday, December II, 1868.
ROBERT BRAlLEIGH.
Witnesses-James Burn, Margaret
Sims
examined the writing carefully.
The signature, "Robert Bramleigh, 4"
was weak and sharp. The will itself
was written in a notwithstanding
hand of singular decision and boldness.
The characters were large and well
formed. The will had evidently been
prepared by some one who had but an
imperfect knowledge of the form to be
used for such a purpose. The solemn
appeal to the deity and the bequest OF
the testator's body and soul was an old
form, much in vogue with our grand
fathers, who generally headed a will
with one or two pious phrases.
The document shown to me was,
however, sufficient to give Hannah
Churtou all Mr.. Bramleigh's property.
There were the requisite number OF
witnesses, and Principal Registrar OF
Her Maiesty's Court of Probate would
nave granted letters of administration
with the will annexed THE appoint
ment of an executor having been omit
ed the ordinary probate could not have
been obtained on one of the attesting
witnesses making an affidaoit that the
will had been executed by the testator
in the presence of himself and the 9th
or attesting witnc and that they had
ut the same time and in the presence
Of each other subscribed their names
thereto as witnesses.
Non l m n lvxravS worry nartIcnlar a.
bout wills, think they are too serious
to he settled in a hurry. | never will
allow q client to execute one until L am
convinced that its purport Is perfectly
understood.
"You are Mrs. Churton, | presume?
! asked.
81 am" she replied looking me un-
liinchngly in the face. Somehow fell
suspicious that things were not as faiI
as they should be. | questioned hel
rather closely, but the only admission
obtained from her was that she had
written the will, but that it was at heI
masters dictatiOn | offered to prepare
a more formal document; but before
doing so declared that it was necessary
| should see Mr. Bramleigh. | named
the omission of the appointment of al
executor. This seemed to nCnplus her
She asked whether she could not bt
named as executrix. The more aver
sion she showed to my seeing her mas
ter the more convinced | felt that some
thing was wrong; and seeing that | wa
lot to be moved from my purpose, she
at last gave in; proposing, however
that ! should accompany her back, a
IL Z Il Ee a.,.a Is1fs
If LEFT till morning.
A cab took US to No, $50 Coleman
street. 1t was large, old-fashloneC
house, with a spacious entrance hall.
was taken into the dining room anC
asked to wait while Mr. Bramleigh wa
being prepared for my visit. The fur
niture in the room was old and massive
Some handsome oil paintings graceC
the walls. | am very fond of pictures
so, raising the lamp, | walked round
the room slowly inspecting them. Or
the right of the fireplace | came upOT
a picture with its face turned toward tht
wall. turned the picture. 1t was the
portrait in oil of young and very
beautiful girl in dark riding-habit
Hearing footsteps outside the door,
restored the picture TO the position IL
which had found it, and as did so
saw written at the bottom of the frame
"Magdalen Bramleigh."
The footsteps | heard were those o.
the housemaid, who had come to an
nouuce that Mr. Bramleigh was ready
to see me. I followed her up stairs anC
was ushered into a large, comfortably
furnished bedroom, 4 cheerful fire
burned in the CRATE. Facing it was {
large four post bedste.ld hung with
white curtains, and at the head Of the
bed Mrs. Churton was standing with s
small table in front Of her, on which
were placed an inkstand and some pa
per. She pulled back the curtain, anc
| saw an old man propped up by nil
lows, his face drawn and the eyes very
much sunkeu. | almost feared that he
was too far gone to make will: but
after speaking with him for little time
l felt satisfied that his intellect was
quite clear.
Turning to Mrs. Churton, | told hel
that she need not wait: | would ring il
| wanted anything
Yes, go-go, Hannah cried the
sick man; and / fancied that / could
detect an eagerneSs in his voice as il
he desired her absence rather than hel
presence. As Mrs. Churton left the
room caught sight of the reflection Of