Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03
oRTUNE FOUND IN AJAM POT.
0w "a Law Clerk Gained a Reward and
a Wife at the Same Time.

a Wife at the Same Time.
Romantic Stories 81 the LegaI Profession.
1t often happens that the issue of great
Uits at law, particularly in England, de-
lends upon a single document which it is
7ery difficult to produce. That was the
weak point in the case which Messrs.
Sharpe & Floyd We're managing for Mr..
MOrpetb. A certain deed was almost abb
sOlutely 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
reward of $500 for the valuable parch-
ment, but not a word had come in re-
Spouse. The lawyers felt confident that
it could not be in existence; an offer OF
$500 must have brought 1t to light, they
argued. if anybody had it in possession.
But MOrpeth insisted upon believing that
it could be found. So he instructed
Messrs. Sharpe II Floyd to increase the
sum to $500 and go on advertising; and
accordingly Tom Halliday, a clerk in the
Office, was dispatched to the advertising
agency with orders to contract for the
necessary space in all the dailies for a
fortnight.
Tom had sweetheart, naturally
enough, and they were going to be mar
ried as soon as they could cOntrive to buy
furniture for a couple Of rooms. 1t was
his habit of Saturday to take stroll
with her, ard accompany her home to tea;
and as it was on a Saturday that he made
his trip to the advertising agency, of
course he told her all about it, and they
amused themselves by discussing what
they would do with the reward. supposing
they should chance to find the missing
deed. They were talkingIn this ridiculous
strain when they reached the girls home.
The table was spread. and among the
daintieS of the occasion was a pot of
homemade raspberry jam, brought out
especially in honor Of his visit, Tom was
informed.
He had hardly taken the first mouthful,
however, when he turned suddenly pale,
his lower jaw dropped, and he sat gazing
tXedly at the jam-p0t like one spell
bound. The girl tancied he must be i'll;
the mother wondered if he had come upon
a black beetle. ITS nothing" Tom man.
aged to gasp after a time; Il shall be all
right directly. Its-it's-the $500"
When he had recovered from his bewil-
derment he began to compare the names
of the parties to the missing deed. as men,
toned in the advertisement, with the
piece Of parchment which had covered
that jam-pOt, and that lay upside down
upon the table before him. There they
were, the very same. He had certainly
found the missing deed. or at least a frag-
ment Of il. ''And now, if we can trace
the rest, ne exclaimed, "Our fortunes
made" The mother threw open her cup
board, and there were two dozen jam-pOts,
lacking one, each with a piece of the
parchment tied over it for a cover. 1t was
an anxious moment. The pots were quick
lv 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 whereases"
and provided alsOs' were a trifle sticky,
but not the smallest part had been de-
strOyed.
Tom did not stop to finish his dinner
He put the precious jam-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 secured the
lOng-lOst deed; and then they recalled the
fact that they had once had offices in the
quarter where the mother of Toms sweet
heart lived, and that on coming away
they had swept a good many useless pa
peTs into a corner and left them there
and this deed must somehow have been
among them, though they had never been
able before to surmise how it could have
slipped from their custody. They has
tened to Mr.. MOrpeth with the good news,
and he drew check on the spot for $780,
payable to Toms order, and Mr.. MOrpeth
won his suit, and Tom married the girl of
his heart as soon as the wedding gown
could be made-all because a nice-fn-
gered old lady had cut covers out of parch-
ment for her jam-pOts in such happy
way.