Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1881-06-11

what's your husbands name %
What fools me-. are r'hen liz
tie excited, especially young men,
more especially young lawyers,
sitting up with an early case.
Robert +. Cecil"
81, Robert Z. Cecil, of the coun-
ty Of Herkimer and State Of,
do make and publish this my last
will and testament.
Il give, bequeath aAd devise to
my dearly beloved wife"
''Ah I! pardon, madam, but
what's your n me ~
Lucy l.. Cecil"
ITO my believer wife, Lucy L.
Cecil, all my real and personal
property of what.oe err kind or
nature, after the payment of all
my just debts, and | hereby com
NIT TO her guardianship my OILY
child, Mable Cecil, for whom there
shall be made such allowances
and maintenance az to my bslov-
ed wife may seem fit.'
And / hereby appoint Lucy l..
Cecil my sole eXecutrix of this my
last will and testament, hereby re-
voking all former wills by me
made"
ain witness thereof have here
unto set my hand, this third day
of November, A. d. 1877
II suppose you understand" |
undertook to explain, "that this
will vests all your husbands prop
erty in you, as to leave your
daughters allowance to your. OWE
discretion is 10 leave her at law
nothing in her own right. The
provision is, in short meaningless,
except that it shows the tsstater
had her in his mind when he
made his will, and SO far makes it
all the more binding"
Exactly !" she spoke with ami
nation; and then seeming TO re-
call herself, added: ITS his wish,
and / shall see that you are well
paid for your trouble and council,
the carriage will be here very
soon" And she had gone as
quietly as she had come.
The remark about payment had
entered thrsadbare coat and
struck straight home.
but it's too mean, pay or no
pay" ] growled ITO cut that
girl off that way, without a cent !!
But it's the old story and I can't
help it," And / sank back with
a philosophical smile on my face.
Then-just in sport, in fit of
malignant satisfaction, / took up
the second sheet of legal cap and
scrubbed thereupon, with formal
opening and close, that the same
Robert Cecil gave all his property
TO his dear]y-beloved daughter,
Mable Cecil, and left this lady of
the veil where the law found her.
"But such is the history of the
world !" | concluded solemply;
lever such, and what gulf, deep,
impossible, between what ought
to be and what is ! How / should
like to bridge it over! And /
buttoned up my coat, and, walked
to the window, imagined l could
see through the darkness the COM
ing of the carriage of Madam Ce-
Gil.
The time dragged slowly, very
slowly, and l never felt more gem
uine relief in hearing heavy
wheels grinding through the mud
and slush, and a knocking at the
door to notify me that all was
ready.
/ sprang into the carriage, and
away we dashed through the dark
ness, now so sullen and heavy
that | could not for the life of me
tell to what part of the town we
were being driven. But it seem
ed very short time before we
came to sudden halt, and the
carriage door opened. The coach
man conducted me up the brown
stone steps, where the door was
already awaiting me, and / step
ped into tie dim-lighted hall.
AS l did SO, a lady whose figure
snd manners told me she was
Madam Cecil, glided from side
room, and with "a little plaintive
smile, babe me follow her at once.
But in an instant l had read her
face and perhaps her character.
She might have been SO, only she
didn't look it, with those brilliant
black Syes, pearly teeth and ele-
giant manners; but behind all, |
read the positive force that turned
to good may save & country. bat
given over to evil would sacrifice
every principle to success.
NOislessly she glided over the
carpets.
Silently I followed her. She
! passed into the library. and from