The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-11-05

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knowledge was Of the most limited char
acter, and he was much too lazy to take
the trouble to increase it. So it came tc
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 excepting the con
nection together" and it suited Mr.. Fox
very well indeed. 1t was while he was
thus keeping the connection together that
Mr.. Fox made the acquaintance of GER
tain 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 accordance with the
usual arrangement Plumley transacted
the business. and Fox became 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 chem
istry and medicine, which he had picked
uP 40 IVY III .he slop vi his uncle, Inc
chemist. The horrible smells young Fox
had created in his experiments and the
ugly stains he had made on his hands de-
termined him to forsake medicine for the
law, but he never entirely forgot his early
experiences. Hecould talk fiuently about
every known drug and disease, and about
a great many which had not yet been dis
covered; he diagnosed Mrs. Johnson's
symptoms at least as accurately as Mac
thaS tnh
have prescribed for her mad not the stall
wart Scot angrily threatened to kick him
If he did so. But he retained a very prom
inent place in the old lady's affections, and
it began to be whispered about that he
had an excellent chance of succeeding to
her very considerable property.
The disposal of Mrs. Johnson's money
was matter which had long furnished
speculation of unfailing interest to the
town of Scarborough, and filled many a
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 will. A handsome, well-bred girl,
she was left at her parents death to make
her own way in the world, inheriting
nothing but the battle Of life and the dis
the child since itquitted its baby clothes.
This strange antipathy was traceable, us
some people said, to times long gone by,
when Mr.. Roberts, LiZZie's father, then
renowned for his manly beauty, had been
an assiduous visitor at the house OF Mrs.
Johnson's parents. She being the elder
daughter, and taking all his attentions for
herself, had felt it keenly as a personal in
snlt when her sister dared " to snatch him
away" and even later on. after having
made a much more brilliant match her.
self, she never could forgive this early de-
feat. Death even had not buried the
grudge, which not unnaturally passed
from mother to child.
How far this saying may have been true
or not, one thing was certain; poor Lizzie
Roberts had not the ghost of q chance of
ever seeing single penny from her aunt S
money-bo box; her claims were clearly quite
out of the question. There remained,
then, only Miss Nellie Brown, Mrs. John
sons lady companion, and Mr.. James
Fox.
Mr.. James Fox knew from his partner,
who had cautioned him in friendly way,
that Mrs, johnson was not going to divide
her fortune, but would leave the whole of
it to her "truest friend" though she had
served that title. More than once had
Mr.. Plumley been suddenly summoned TO
draw up new will so slight an annoy
ance as cold cup of tea having caused
her to destroy the one in Miss Nelly S
favor. Then two days neglect on the part
of Mr.. Fox, and n constant supply OF hot
tea at the hands of Miss Nelly, again reiii-
stated this lady in Mrs Johnson's good
graces. Mr.. Fox therefore had goo! cause
for anxiety as to what would be the eN-
act state of affairs when the old lady WIS
finally called upon to join the ma ority.
with such an old woman he said to
himself, "who is ready to make Il new
will any day and burn it the next, the.e is
no dependence, ones future hangs upon a
whim; remedy must be found, Tie
safest thing would of course be to make
love to Miss Nelly; she is rather thirty.
ish,' and altogether not very attractive
still, if she were to get all the money, size
would be anything but undesirable.
So Mr.. James Fox set to work at once
to make himself agreeable to Miss Brown,
yet without going too far fer he had 10y
no means forgotten Miss LaqEerton, but
he felt it was better to have two strings to
his bow, and therefore he determined 10 dc
his best to keep Miss Nelly in good humor.
This lady, however, was not so easily salts
fled as the solicitor expected, for now he
had once begun to pay her attentions, she
wanted decided offer Of marriage. and
not being able TO get it. she took refuge in
stratagem. This consisted in suddenly
making the discovery that Mrs Johnsen's
health was In absolute want of some Ger
man waters-in fact, she decided that it
was quite dangerous for her to spend f'st
spring in England. with all the changes u
heat and cold The old lady was rherc!"9i
soon persuaded TO yield to such tei5pt
solicitude. and away the toGpc " ~.
leaving Mr.. James Fox In rather aw
ward dilemma. What was he to 10 , Il
he wrote cool letters to Miss Nelly, s'ie
would be offended, and ali his cha &C.
would be lost in the event Of her inltc. It
ing Mrs. Johnson's property; OF the o;lier
comUitted himself, and gave her the
material for a breach of-promise case
should the good lady die when his rame
only figured In her will and shoiIld he
then turn his attentionto Miss La iEerton.
What. then, could he do,
The worthy Fox was batI!ed for the mo
mept, but after deep deliberation ne hit
upon a great idea which his cemi nj
studies suggested to him. Chuckling To
himself, he went to chemists shop, pnr-
chased several drugs and mISed nni re
mixed them till n magnificent BLACK ink
was produced, which had tie grand ri
vantage that in about ten days after cling
COnlulltteu 10 paper IL WGutu FADE away
without leaving the slight 81 true l.m-
boldened by the happy result OF his eXper-
iments, he became at once the most tender
and jealous correspondent any woman
could wish for His letters, in fac:. over
flowed with promises of everlasting deyo-
ton. Miss Nelly beamed with Joy; for she
was now convinced how true and ursel
fish was the attachment OF her ad,nircr.
Under such circumstances il Wa not
surprising that the German waters spec IL
ly did Mrs. johnson so much gona that
her careful nurse considered that the cure
could be shortened, and accordingly TIE
couple returned TO England much earlier
than had been expected.
Whether, however, the waters had really
disagreed with the old lady, or some
thing else had upset her, was never quite
clear, but soon after their return to ny
land her health and strength began seri-
ously to fail. She complained bitterly
that Miss Nelly had induced her to uiGer-
take an unnecessary and useless our: e.,
and that ever since she hatl neglected. ner
altogether. The end of it was that one
day, in the height of her anger. she burat
the then existing will, and made Mr.
James Fox sole heir to everything she
possessed. This decision seemed to have
exhausted her remaining energy, for she
diednot many days after