Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-03
CAUGHT In HIS OWN TRAP.

UAUuGl LIZ ukp w u 4A6I :
Mr. James Fox was the junior partner il
the firm Of Plumley 4 Fox, The principal
solicitors in the somewhat dead-aliye ole
Cathedral town Of Scarborough He wa:
smart, well-set-up young man, with care
fnlly-trimmcd black whiskers, a silker
manner, and an unlimited flow of more Of
less interesting small talk. Hence it came
to pass that he WAS an exceeding popular
man among the ladies of Scarborough
both old and young, and. had his views
lain in the direction of matrimony, h'
would have had small difficulty in Undue
ing any damsel or widow to share his lot
But the handsome young solicitor was am
bitious his share in the business did moi
at present bring him in more than mod
crate income, and he had long ago deter.
mined that when he married he must con.
slider not only beauty, bat more solid
advantages.
Heiresses, however. were not plentiful
in Scarborough, and 80, although Mr.
Fox's attentions frequently tlut.ered q
bosom, he was very careful not TO commit
himself too far, and not even the local Cos
sips could fairly say of him that he had
knowingly raised false hopes. There was,
indeed, one young lady who bad made q
deep impression upon the solicitors heart
but she was the daughter of county
magnate with whom poor Mr.. Fox was not
even on visiting terms, He had met her
at the annual hunt ball, she had danced
twice with him, for Mr.. Fox was an excel
nua Int bar mother 20 do-btIaea
warned her against him, for when next
they met some six weeks afterwards, Miss
Laquerton passed the unfortunate man
without so much as bow. Miss Lacquer
ton, however, was lovely and rich, and Mr.
Fox was not man to be easily discour-
aged. He knew that if he could only afford
10 cut the office and blossom into a landed
proprietor he would have just as good a
chance with her as anybody else, go he
waited patiently in the hopes of one day
discovering the road which leads to fortune
and success.
The firm of Plumley e. Fox was highly
respectable aud old-fashionea concern,
which avoided litigation and kept almost
entirely 10 family business. Plunley was
fairly good lawyer, but Fox's legal
knowledge was OF the most limited charac-
ter, and he was much too lazy TO take the
trouble to increase it. So it became to be
understood between them that while
Plumley did the Office work. Fox kept the
clients in good humor by calling on them
apropos of nothing, and amusing them
with his Jokes and stories. This business
was technically termed keeping the
connection together" and it suited Mr.
Fox very well indeed. 1t was while he
was thus keeping the connection to-
gether that Mr.. Fox made the acquaint-
ance of certain rich old widow lady,
named Mrs. Johnson, and so well did he
play his cards that before long Plumley
& Fox became Mrs. Johnson's family
solicitors, land agents and confidential
advisers. The firm made pretty good
thing out of Mrs. Johnson. In accord
ance with the usual arrangements,
Plumley transacted the business and Fox
became q constant visitor at her house, and
worked his way into her good graces by his
wonderful powers of amusing conversation
There was yet another accomplishment
which stood our solicitor in very good
stead and this was an accurate knowledge
of chemistry and medicine, which he had
picked up as boy in the Office of his
uncle, the chemist. The horrible smells
young Fox had created in his experiments
and the ugly stains he had made on his
hands determined him to fursake medicine
for law, but he never entirely forgot his
early experiences. He could talk fiuently
about every known drug and disease, and
about a great many which had not yet
been discovered. He diagnosed Mrs. John
sons symptoms at least as accurately q:
Mac Bolus, the Scotch doctor, and would
even have prescribed for her had not tbs
stalwart Scot angrily threatened to kick
him If he did so. But he retained very
prominent place in the old lady's affec
tons, and it began TO be whispered abou
that he had an excellent chance Of succeed
ing to her considerable property.
The disposal of Mrs. Johnson's money
was n matter which had long furnished
speculation of unfailing interest to the
town of Scarborough, and filed many q
yawning gap in conversation at afternoon
teas. Mrs. Johnson had but one relative
in the world, Miss Lizzie Roberts, the
daughter of her late sister. This young
lady, however, it was agreed, had not the
slightest chance of being mentioned in
her aunt's viii. A handsome, well bred
girl, she was left at her parents death tC
make her own way in the world. inherit.
ing nothing, but the battle of life and the
dislike of Mrs. Johnson, who had not seer
the child since it quilted its baby clothes.
This strange antipathy was traceable. a:
some people said, to times gone by, when
Mr.. Roberts, Lizzie's father, then renowned
for his manly beauty, had been an assidu
Gus visitor at the house of Mrs. Johnson's
parents. She being the eldest daughter
and taking all his attention for herself, had
felt it keenly as personal insult when hel
sister dared to snatch him away" and
even later on, after having made q much
more brilliant match herself, she never
could forgive this early defeat. DEATH
even had not buried the grudge, which no
unnaturally passed from mother to child.
How far this saying may have been tru,
or not, one thing is certain-poor Lizzie
had not the ghost of a chance of ever see
ing single penny from her aunt's money
box; her claims were clearly quite out o
the question. There remained, then, only
Miss Nelly Brown. Mrs. Johnson's ladJ
companion, and James Fox.
James Fox knew from his partner
who had cautioned him in a friendly way
that Mrs. johnson was not going to divid,
her fortune, but would leave the whole o
1t TO her truest friend though she had
evidently not yet made her mind up as Il
who deserved that title. More than one,
had Mr.. Plumley been suddenly summoned
to draw up new will so slight an annoy
ance as cold cup of tea having caused hel
to destroy the one in Miss Nelly's favor
Then two days neglect on the part of Mr.
Fox, and constant supply OF hot tea a
the hands of Miss Nelly again reinstateS
this lady in Mrs. Johnson's good graces
Mr.. Fox, therefore, had good cause fo
anxiety as TO what would be the exact stat
of affairs when the old lady was finall,
called upon to join the majority.
With such an old woman he said &c
himself, "who is ready to make a new
will any day and to burn it the next, Their
Is no dependence; ones future hangs upol
swhim; remedy must be found. Tn
safest thing would OF course be to max
love to Miss Nelly; she is rather thirty
gh,' and not altogether attractive; still,
abe wera to get Al thu mnnAz aha Hnrl,