The Washington critic., 1885-05-08
CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP.

soliciiOrs iu the somewhat dead-alive old
Cathedral town Of Scarborough. He wsss
snsIa, rsll sot-up young man, OF two or
tbree and thirty, with carefully trimmed
black vbskers. q silkeu manner, and an uu.
limited aov of more or less entertaining
smsll talk. Hence it came to pass that he
wa an exceedingly popular man among the
lsdies OF Scarborough both old and young.
and. bad hts views lain in the direction OF
mstrimopg he would have had small diff
Guilty IA iaducing any bsshful damsel or
risky widow to share his lot. But tho
bsodsome solicitor was ambitious his share
in the busi0ess did not at present bring him
in more than moderate income, and he
mad long ago determined that when he mar.
red ne muat consider not only beauty, but
more solid advantages.
Hsiresses, however, were not plentiful
in Scarborough, and So although Mr.
l'oss attentions frequently huttered vir-
gin bosou, he was careful not to commit
himself toe far, and not even the local
sossips could fairly say of him that he had
compromised reputation or knowingly
raised false hopes There was, indeed, one
young lady who had made a deep impress
sion upon the solicitors heart, but she was
ths daughter of a county magnate with
whom poor Mr.. Fox was not even on visiting
terms. He had met her at the Annual
Hunt Bali she had danced twice with him,
for MIR. Fox was an excellent Walter; but
her mother had doubtless warned her
against him, for when next they met.
some six weeks afterward, Miss Iaquerton
passed the unfortunate man without so
much as DOW. Miss I.aquerton, however,
was lovely aud rich, aud Mr.. Fox was not
= man 10 be easily discouraged. He knew
that if he could only afford to cut the office
and blossom into s landed proprietor. he
you'd have Just as good a chance with her
az anybody else so he waited patiently in
the hopes Of one day discovering the road
which lesos to fortune and success.
The irn Of Plumley < Fox was highly
respectable aud old fashioned concern which
avoided litigation and kept almost entirely
10 fsmily business. Plumley was fairly
good ls0yer, but Fo1's legal knowledge
was of the most limited character, and he
was mach too lazy to take the trouble to
increase it. So it came to be understood
between toem that while Plumley did the
oiticp work, Fox kept the clients in good
humor by calling on them apropos of moth
ing. and amusing them with his Jokes
and stories This business was technically
tstmed keeping the connection together
and it suited Mr.. Fox very we'll indeed. II
was while he was thus keeping the con-
nection together that Nr Fox made the &C,
ousiutspce of certain rich old widow lady
named Mrs. Johnson, and so well did he
play his cards that before long Plumley &
For became Mrs. Johnsons family solic
iiors, land agents and confidential advisers
The tlrm made 3 pretty good thing out oi
Mrs. Johnson. In accordance with the
! usual arrangement, Plumley transacted the
| business snd Fox became constant visitor
I At her house and worked his way into hel
GOOD slsees by his wondere' powers o
| amusing conversation. ~ ~.
| There was yet another accomplish uien
which stood our solicitor in very good
stead. and this was an accurate knowledge
OF chemistry aud medicine, which he ha.
the chemst. The horrible smells youn,
Fox had created in his experiments aud th
ugly status he had made on his hand
determined him to fOrsake medicine for tn
lsv. but he never entirely forgot his earl,
| exreriences. He could talk 6ueutly abou
every known drug and disease, aud about
great many which had not yet been dis
covered; he diagnosed Mrs. Johnson
symptoms at least as accurately as Na
5olus, the Scotch doctor, and would eve
have prescribed for her had not the stsl
|
he did So But he retained very promi
nent place in the old lsdy's affections, an
it began to ne whispered about that he ha
an excellent chance of succeeding to he
yety considerable property.
The disposal of Mrs Johnson's none
vas a matter which had long furnishe
speculation of unfailing interest to I'll
town of Scarborough, and filled many
yawning gap in conversation at afternoo
teas. N,s. johnson had but one relatiy
in the world, Miss Lizzie Roberts, I'll
daughter of her late sister. This your
lady, however. it was agreed, had not ii
slightest chance of being mentioned In h
aunt'g will. A handsome. well-bred gi
she was left at her parents death to mai
her own way in the world. inheritir
nothipg but the battle of life aud the di
like Of Mrs. johnson, who had not seen Il
child since it quilted its baby clothe
This strange sntipsthy was traceable,
some people said, to times gone by, wht
Mr.. Roberts, iizzies father, then renowu'
for his manly beauty, had been an assid
ous visitor at the house Of Mrs, johnson
parents. She being the elder daughter, Al
taking ali his attention for herself, h,
sI felt II keenly as a personal insult when h
sister dared to "snatch him away" al
sven later on, after having made mu
more brilliant match herself she nev
could forgive this early defeat. Death ey
had not buried the grudge, which not u
asturally passed from mother to child.
How far this saying may have be
true or not. one thing is certain; pc
Lizzie had not the ghost of chance
ever seeing a single penny from her aun
money box; her claims were clearly qu
out Of the question. There remsint
thes, onIy Miss Nelly Brown, Mrs Joh
sons lazy companion, and Mr.. jan
, Fox,
) .Nr. lanes Fox knew from his partn
shO had cautioned him in friend
way, that Mrs. johnson was not going
divide her fortune. but would leave
= whole OF it to her "truest friend, thou
i she had evidently not yet made her mi
up 9s to who deserved that title. NJ
4 than oncs had Mr.. Plumley been sudder
summoned to draw ap new will;
!, slight an annoyance as a cold cup of
:. having caused her to destroy the one
Hiss NelIy's favor. Then two days
0 glect on the part OF Mr.. Fox, and cC
slant supply Of hot tea at the hands
Miss Nelly, again relnstated this lady
7 Ms. ,Iohnson's good graceJ Mr. H
therefore, had good cause for anxiety
to what would be the exact state OF alta
when the old lady was finally called uE
to Join the majority.
'With such an old woman" he said
himself who is ready to make \ new Y
any day aud to burn it the next, there
I. no depsodence; ones future hangs up0i
HhiM; remedy mhSi be found The sal
d thing would of course be to make love
Miss Nelly; she Is rather thrtyish q
not altogether attractive; still, IL she "
/, to get all the money Aha would ba a