Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-01-28
THE MILLER'S WILL.

Bedford row is Il spot that every
body knows, but no one knows it better
than Mr.. Manly, the famous solicitors
People meeting him only on legal
business, consider him n dry, cautious
man far more disposed to question than
answer or pass an opinion; but ut his
own home, where | have seen him ut
times, he is very different. If on II
quiet evening there are only Il COM
Portable pair, or, ut most, trio of
friends present, Mandy unbcnds, and
at once becomes the most genial and
frank of hosts. He can tell many sto-
rics of his curious experiences and diff
iicult cases.
"About the neateSt and most curious
case of fraud ever handled, F" he said,
twas in connection with Il testy old
client Of mine, Il miller by trade. He
had made deal of money, and didn't
know what to do with it. The mans
name was Stokes Matthew Stokes.
cone 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 the
asking my opinion was only his way
of getting me to carry out his IDEAS,
He went into his story with great energy
and bitterness. He was worth thou
sands he said-that | knew-all invest
ed, and his only heir was his daughter,
an only child, who had aggravated him
by clipping, and marrying one of his
clerks, named Morley. THE clerk
was one Of those good-looIing whipper-
snappers, the old man said with pas
sion. Never could see anything i'll
him but impudence and tallS--a kind
of cleverness that would have helped
to make him a good showman-but
she thought him heavenly; and after
they got to love each other, rs he said,
if his impudence 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.
e"One day | found that She had
eloped, and the next, he sent me word
that they were married | felt it aw-
fully, / tell you, and could have killed
him ifPd met him that day, and her
too, almost. They're miscrably poor,
that's one comfort, though he's in q
place and does copying at nights, and
they've some children and lots of troub-
lie; so ought to be happy if ] Amt.
But here's the danger. I'm getting
old, and my doctors say might be tax
en- off suddenly, so want you tomake
my will, strong and firm as You can
make it, throwing her out of the least
chance of getting my money-cutting
her off with shilling, rs it is called.
"'Seeing you have no other relations
for whom you care, do ! understand
you wish the money left to charities {?
said, not liking my task over well,
for | had no doubt that if the poor
daughter had been there, she could
have given quite different look to the
love story
"'To charity? No, hang charity he
cried with snort want it all Civ
en- to Henry Gunson, cousin Of mine
in the city. / don't care tYopence for
him, and know little about him, but he
once did me kindness. Its all the
same to me who gets the money. SO rs
they don't get it. See?
uld Sct ltIlGtllN3 bul lllOlSHl !
would try and alter his determination
for if one thing displeases me more
than another, it is to be the means of
carrying dissension and hatred beyond
the grave. Could he not, instead 81
irving to crush the Young man who
had married his daughter, try TO lift
him up? From his own account il
appeared that he was a hard working
diligent fellow toiling hard for his wife
and children. What more could a
father wish for MS son-in-law? III 4
word, tried to poar oil upon the wa.
ters but ! might as well have poured
ii upon fire. The fury Of the old mar
increased. and was even turned upon
me when pointed out that in com.
mercial circles the cousin. Henry Gun.
son. Of whom lie had spoken. was look.
ed upon with strong suspicion, owing
to an ugly bankrupt case with which
had 10 do. He remained unmoycd.
II tell YOU it's all the same to me
who gets it. he persisted. It's nothing
to me whether the mans good or bad.
dtsobedience III children must be pun-
ished, and | can't do better than enrich
my own cousin.
Finding him % firmly resolved, !
promised to have draft Of his will
prepared. and 10 send it to him for
pernsal liz my contdentialclerk. which
vas done the following week. The wit
nesses were clerks Of my own. When
signed. | was about 70 place i with the
the other papers connected With IN.
business but the old man snappishly
told me that he meant to keep that
himself. and accordingly il wa handed
u him