Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-08-19
THE MILLERS WILL.
A G OOd Old-FashIOned Story with Love
and Crime In Equal PaEIa.

Bedford Row is spot that everybody
knows, but no one knows it better than MIR.
Manly, the famous solicitor.
People meeting him only on legal business
consider him dry, cautious man, far more
disposed to question than to answer or press
an opinion but at times lie is very different.
II on quiet evening there is only comfort
able pair or at most, trio of friends pres
ent, Manly unbends, and at once becomes
the most genial and frank of hosts. He can
tell many stories of his curious experiences
and difficult cases.
About the neatest and most curious case
of fraud ever handled" he said, was in
connection with a testy old client of mine,
miller by trade. He made deal of money,
and didn't know what TO do with it. The
mans name was Stokes-Matthew Stokes.
lone day he called upon me and said he
wanted to ask my opinion upon some matter,
but soon found he had made up his mind
what to do and asking my opinion was only
his way of getting me to carry out his ideas.
He went into the story with energy and bit
terness. He was worth thousands, he said
that knew-all investedi and his only heir
was his daughter, an only child who had ag-
gravated him by eloping, and marrying one
of his clerks named Morely. The clerk was
one of those good Hooking whipper- -snappers
the old man said with passion. Never could
see anything in him but impudence and talk
- kind of cleverness that would have help
ed to make him good showman-but she
thought him heavenly and after they got TO
loving each other, as he said, if his impu-
denee didn't write to me, asking me to give
him my daughter in marriage! gave him
his notice at once, and fortnights wages (;
but that didn't cure the silly girl. She took
to moping and melancholy.
Zone day found she had eloped, and the
next he sent me word they were married. l
felt awfully, tell you, and could have killed
| him if I'd met him that day, and her, too, al
most They're miserably poor, that's one
comfort, though he's in place and does cop
ying at night, and they've some children and
lots of trouble, SO l ought to be happy II
amt. But here's the danger. I'm getting
old and my doctor says l might be taken of
suddenly, so i want you to make my will,
strong and firm as you can make it, doing her
out of the least chance of getting any money
-''cutting her off with a shilling" as 1t is
called
"Seeing you've no other relations for
| whom you care, do / understand you wish
the money left TO charity {? l said, not liking
my task over well, for l had no doubt that II
the poor daughter had been there she could
have given quite a different look to the love
| story.
/ 10 tuhEAl1 NJ huhb Nh1AAeJ1 Ao SA-Sei
with snort. 1 want it all given TO Henry
| Gunson, a cousin of mine in the city.
don't care twopence for him, and l know lit
| tie about him, but he once did me kindness
It's all the same TO me who gets the money,
so as they don't get any of it. See ?
II did see perfectly, but thought would
| try to alter his determination, for if one thing
displeases me more than another, it is to b,
the means of carrying discussion and hatred
beyond the grave. Could he not, instead o.
trying to crush the young man who married
his daughter, try to lift him up? From hi
own account it appeared that he was hard
working, diligent fellow, toiling hard for hi
wife and children. What more could faith
er wish for his son-in-law In q word,
tried to pour oil upon the waters, but | nigh
as well have poured it upon the fire. Th'
fury of the old man increased, and was ever
turned upon me when pointed out that il
commercial circles the cousin, Henry Gun
son, of whom he had spoken, was looked up
on with strong suspicious owing to an ugll
bankruptcy case with which had TO do. ID
remained unmoved.
"I tell you it's all the same to me wh'
gets it, he persisted. It's nothing to M
whether the mans good or bad. Disobedi
ence in children must be punished, and
can't do better than enrich my own cousin.
'Finding him SO firmly resolved, prom
ised to have draft of his will prepared, ant
to send it to him for perusal by my confden
tial. clerk, which was done the following
week. The witnesses were clerks of my own
When signed, was about to place it with tn
other papers connected with his business, bu
the old man snappishly told me he meant b
keep that himself, and accordingly 1t wa
handed to him.
''Two or three years passed, during whic
time made large and frequent investment
for him, but no further mention was made O