Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-05-19
THE MYSTERIOUS WILL.

Miss Bridgita Molloy was a maiden lady
OF royal descent, who lived at an English
Watering place. really forget whether
at Bath, or Clifton, or Cheltenham, or
Malvern, on bennington, OF Buxton; but 1t
was ut some such place, and luckily the
name of the town is the one detail which
does not matter. For the sake of avoiding
blanks and dashes, ! will call it Chatter
hurry, as more or less applicable to them
all-at least, in Miss Molloy's time. She
was little eccentric in tribes but in all
essential things as VIGOROUSLY whole
minded, and strong-minded too, as any
lady of sixty in the whole kingdom. |
must enter little into hertamily history
but only so far as is needful. She had
been the second of three beautiful sisters,
the daughters and coheiresses OF a
gentleman OF large estate i'll Ireland.
They were much run after in their
girlhood, and had once been known as the
three pocket beauties-less in allusion 10
their size than TO their reputation - then
somewhat uncommon in Dublin--of being
worth marrying for something more
lasting than beauty.
Well, to cut long story short before it
is well begun, the eldest, Miss Lucy
Molloy Ga quaint first name but it
always struck me as a singnlarly
pretty one for pretty girl),
eloped with gentleman also
descended from royalty-so far descended,
indeed, that there was scarcely further
social depth left him to descend to-
named Fitzgerald Birn; and the
youngest, Miss Judith, went Oft with a
foreign refugee, sort of Hungarian
tiernan- Polish dancing master count,
named Ferentz Steldl. Ferentz is the
Hungarian for Francis, believe Steldl,
fancy is Bavarian or Tyrolese. Both
marriages turned out miserably-su
miserably that Miss Bridgita forswore
romaney, and even matrimony, and
actually kept her VOW.
She also kept more that her yow--she
kept her fortune. When the creditors
got hold OF Mr.. Molloy's great estates, lie
left the very handsome surplus left him
i'll cash and Consols absolutely to his one
wise daughter. Not penny went into
the pocket of Count Steldl or Mr.. O'Birn
II was bitter disappointment to both
gentlemen and | believe they avenged
their wrongs upon their wives after tn,
manner of their kind.
So while poor Madame Steidl suffered
and starved all over Europe, and pool
Mrs. o. Birn starved and suffered in tn,
larger and darker continent of London
Miss Molloy lived alone and in digniieC
opulence at Canterbury. She was a first
rate economist, and her patrimony haC
prospered. She used To amuSe herself b,
specializing in stock-always shrewdl,
and cautiously. By the time She was 50
it was reckoned that her income could no
amount to less than safe / 200 year
of which She saved at least five.
Now what in the world was to becom
of all this money if Bridgita Molloy eve
happened to die
One afternoon the mail-coach fror
London set down two gentlemen at tn
Old swan, Canterbury. Both had re
markably little luggage for those days
when men could not run from New Yorl
to London and back again in a few hours
Both ordered bed, both walked into til
cofiee-room, and one of them rang tn
bell. When the waiter answered it, OH
OF the gentlemen ordered cold brandy tn
other hot whisky. And the waiter
report at the bar was not favorable I
either. But with that opinion lack G
luggage may have had something to dJ
There We're other resemblanees betwee
the two men. Both were well pas
middle age neither looked like one
the hunting men, or officers on half.pay
or rheumatic patients, who formed til
bulk of the male visitors to Chatterbury
But there all likeness came to an enc
He of the whisky was long leanRmal
with fierce untrimmed whiskers, shine
bald head, bloodshot blue eyes, and
tell-tale nose, dressed in the height
fashion, with tendency to oversteppir
it into loudness. He had ordered h
grog in thick rich brogue. He Of IL
brandy, OH the other hand, was sho
and squat, with dirty sallow complexion
thick gri2zled hair, and twinkling blac
eyes. He wore the then unusual orn
ment, if ornament it be, OF moustacbe
and, for the rest, was clean, or rath
half shaved, and there was somethil
Frenehifed about his costume.
Weather - said the Irishman. @
anybody calls here to-dee or to-norro
for Meior o. Birn, PIN Mejor o. Birn p
The other started for moment, al
laid his glass down. -
"Shall | comprehend Monsieur,
asked, "that you give your name n
Me name And why wouldn't 81
me name y said O'Birn, with lit
leap in his chair. "Tis none to he asham
of, anyhow I'd like to see the III
with the name to his back as good
O'Birn -
zone hundred thousand pardons, Nc
sieur. am glad that | know-that
all. Eli, but one hundred thousa
pardons, Monsieur Fitzgerald O'Birn. :"
The Major jaw tell, and all BIZ, IA
save his nose, grew suddenly pale.
Sure, now, ye're not goin' to tell
we're one Of thin blagyard LEWIS ~ cri
he. sure, 'twouli be too crool an q
when I've come down to see me own wifi
ssther, that's rollin over and over
jools an gold. An we've followed me
the wee down here an this is a Fl
country An bad luck to the coun
where an officer an gentleman must
pee visit TO his wife's relations witht
being hunted by all Jerusalem in full c
Come, Moses, YEN give me another de-
''Ahe So you think no one shall KIN
your name hut the people which sh
hold your bills, Monsieur Q Birn
hold not your bills am not fool, !
come Gown to see MdlIe. Bridgita, then
shall comprehend /,
Sure, then, tbs the divvle ye a
But that's better, anyhow, than he
what thought ye-"
"You shall not be 50 sure, Mouse
shall know your Christian name, an
shall know the Christian name of
sister Of your wife, because | am Fere
Steldl, Monsieur ~ Birn Aha you 81
have the tremblemeut perceptible, NJ
sieur . Birn %
"Hwhat - cried the Major leaping
his feet with shout and glare. !
Sit there in cold blood, and We tell !
Major Fitzgerald U'Birn, ye're tina
miscreant-that blagyaId-that snakt
the grass-tAat driukin' ,swindlin' ina
spirited, uuder-handed, slandheri
murderin', Uurespectable thief of
whole world, Fercntz Steldl And
think To escape from the fist of gen
man this dee r.
Patience, patience. mon 5edu-tfer
said SteIdl, without the slightest cha
Of tone. Fine words shall not bu
what you call the paaqis. 1t is you
shall escape from me. You shall Il
this town. lshall guard Mdle. Mol
sister Of my wife, aunt Of my son, fl
you. For that am here
Something in the significant calmI
Of his foreign brothpr-in-law Gained
Major down. He returned to his eli
shifted his glass on the table, and said
"An' It's for that Fin here, too, . 5
he, "I'm here to defend me own sistl
an me wife, sisther, an me gurl's al