Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-02-27
| FORTUNE IN A JAM-POT.

How a Law Clerk Gained a Reward ana
a Wife at the Same Time. j
TFrom sRomantic Stories of the Legal Profession
Tt often happens that the issue OF
great suits at law, particularly III Eng
land, depends upon single document
which il is very difficult to produce.
That was the weak point IN the case
which Messrs. Sharpe & Floyd were
managing for Mr.. Morpeth. certain
deed was almost absolutely essential to
success. and it was not to be found for
love or money. An advertisement had
been inserted in all the leading papers
for months, offering a reward OF $500
for the valuable parchment, but not
word had come IN response. The law
yers felt confident that it could not be
in existence: an offer of 9300 mnst have
brought it to light, they argued, If any
body had it IN possession. But Morpeth
insisted upon believing that 1t could
be found. So he instructed Messrs.
Sharpe & Floyd to increase the sum to
$500 and go on advertising and accord
ingly Tom Halliday, clerk in the Office,
was dispatched to the advertising agency
with orders to contract for the necessary
space in all the dailies for fortnight.
Tom had sweetheart, naturally
enough, and they were going to be mar
RED as soon as they could contr1ve to
buy furniture for couple of rooms. 1t
was his custom of d Saturday to take
stroll with her and accompany her home
to tea and as 1t was on Saturday that
he made his trip to the advertising
agency, of course he told her all about
it, and they amused themselves by dis
eussing what they would do with the
reward, supposing they should chance
to find the missing deed. They were
talking in this ridiculous strain when
they reached the girls home. The table
was spread, and among the dainties of
the occasion was pot of homemade
raspberry jam, brought out especially IN
honor of his visit, Tom was informed.
He had hardly taken the first mouth
ful, however, when he turned suddenly
pale, his lower jaw dropped, and he sat
gazing fxedly at the jam pot, like one
spellbound. The girl fancied he must
be Ill, the mother wondered if he had
come upon q black beetle. "1t's no.
thing" Tom managed to gasp after
time. 81 shall be all right directly.
It's-it's the $780,
When he had recovered from his be-
wilderment he began to compare the
names of the parties to the missing
deed. as mentioned in the advertise
ment. with the pieces of parchment that
had covered the jam pot, and that lay
upside down on the table before him.
There they were, the very same. He
had certainly found the missing deed,
or at least a fragment Of it. ''And now,
If we can only trace the rest, :" he ex-
claimed. tour fortune g made. The
mother threw open her cupboard and
there were two dozen jam pots, lacking
one, each with piece of the parchment
tied over 1t for a cover. It was an
anxious moment. The pots were quickly
uncovered. the circular bits fitted to-
gether, and at last the thing took definite
and symmetrical shape, and not line
was wanting. A few of the ''and where
ases = and 8 provided alsOs were tri-
He sticky, but not the smallest part had
been destroyed.
Tom did not stop TO finish his dinner.
He put the precious iam-pot covers into
his pocket and ran at the top of his
speed to Messrs. Sharpe & Floyd. They
agreed with him at once that he had Sc
cured the toughest deed, and then they
recalled the fact that they had once had
Offices IN the quarter where the mother
of Toms sweetheart lived, and that on
coming away they had swept a good
many useless papers into a corner and
left them there, and this deed must
somehow have been among them,
though they had never been able before
to surnaise how it could have slipped
from their custody. They fastened to
Mr.. Morpeth with the good news, and
be drew a check on the spot for $500,
payable to Toms order, and Mr.. Nor
peth won his suit, and Tom married the
girl Of his heart as soon as the wedding
gown could be made-all because nice
fingered old lady had cut covers out of
parchment for her jam pots in such a
happy way.