Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-03-30
A FOX CAUGHT IN HIS OWN
TRAP

eiple solicitors IN the somewht ueau'
alive old cathedral town OF Scarborough.
lie was = smart. well-se,-up young man
Of two OF three and thirty. With esrefully
trimmed black whiskers. silken man
ner. and an unlimited flow OF more or
less entertaining small talk.
Hence |, came TO pass ,ha, he VAS an
exceedingly popular man among the la
dies Of Scarborough. both old and young,
and had hi. views lain IN the direction
Of ml,rimony he would have had small
difficulty In inducing any bashful dam.
sel or risky widow TO share his lot. Bat
the handsome solicitor WAS ambitious {;
hi. share in the business did no, At pres.
sni bring him more than moderate In
come. and he bad long ago de,ermin.
ed that when he married be must con.
,ider no, only beauty. ba, more solid adj.
vantAges.
Heirese.. however. were no, plentiful
in Slumboroagh. and %. although Mr.
Fo1's attentions frsquen,ly ha,,sred q
virgin bosom. be wa. careful no; 70 COM
NIT himself too far. and no, even the To-
cal gossip. could fairly say Of him ,hA,
he had compromised reputation OF
kno~iugly raised false hopes
There was. indeed. one young lady
who had made deep impression uPoa
the solicitors heart. but she was the
daughter OF a county magn,,e with
whom poor Mr. Fox Was no, even on
visiting terms. lie bad ne, her At the an.
nual han, ball. she had danced tsise
With him. for Mr.. Fox va, an e1eellen,
walir,r; ba, her mother bad doubtless
warned her assins, him. for when nes,
they met, some weeks afierward. Miss
Laqasf,on passed the unfortunate man
without 40 much a. bow.
Nj. Llquer,on. however. W. lovely
and rich, and Mr. Fox was no, q man TO
be easily discouraged. lie knew ,hs, Il
be could only afford to Gu, the office and
blossom into a landed proprietor. he
would have jus, a. good chance with
her =. any body else; 90 he waited pa
,isnily. in hope. Of one day discovering
the road which leads to fortune aud 're-
cess
The firm Of Plumley s. Fox was q
highly respectable and Old. fashioned con.
eern, which avoided litigation, and kept
Almo,, entirely TO family business.
Plumley VA. fairly good lawyer. but
Fox. legal knowledge was Of the most
limited character. and be was much too
lazy to take the trouble TO increase IL.
So /, came to be understood between
them ,h., while Plumlsy did the office
work. Fox KEEP, the clients in good hu'
NOR by calling on them spro?o. OF noih-
ing. and amusing them with his jokes
and stories.
This business WAS technically termed
"keeping the connection together, and
1, suited Mr.. Fox very well indeed. IL
was while be Was thus keeping the con
nee,ion together" ,hs, Mr. Fox made the
Acquaintance Of a certain rich old widow
lady named Mrs. johnson. and 50 well
did be play hi. cards ,ha, before Iona
Plumley * Fox became Mrs. Johnson
family solicitors. land agents and oonh'
Dental advisors.
The firm made pretty good thing out
Of Mrs. Johnson. In accordance with
the usual arrangement. Plumley trans
acted the business. aud Fox became .
eon.,an, visitor At her house, and worked
his way into her good graees BY bis won
derfal powers Of amusing eonvsr'a,ion'
There Vas yet another accomplish
men, 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
shop Of Lis uncle. the chemist. The hor'
rible smells young Fox had created in
his experiments. and the ugly stains he
had made on his hands, determined him
10 forslke medicine for the Law. bu, be
never entirely forso, bis early e1perien-
ees.
He could talk Aaen,ly about every
known drug and disease. and aboai
grea, many which had no, ye, been dis
covered. lie diagnosed Mrs. Johnson
symptoms at leas, as well and accurately
as MaeBolas, the Scotch doctor, and
would even have prescribed for her had
no, the s,alwsn SEQ, angrily threatened
to kick him IL be did 30. Bu, he main
tanned = very prominent. place in the old
lady's affections. and II began TO b
whispered about ,ha, be had an excellent
chance Of succeeding to her very eonsid
erable property.
The disposal Of Mrs. Johnson's money
was a matter which had long furnishes
speculation OF unfailing interest TO th'
town Of Slumborough. and filed many
yawning gap In conversation at Afternoon
teas. Mrs. johnson had but one rela
tive in the world. Miss Lizzie Roberts
the daughter Of her late sister. Thii
young lady, however, II Was agreed. had
no, the slightest chance OF being men
toned in her aunts will A handsome
well.bred girl. she Was LEFT at her pa
rents death TO make her way in th'
world, inheri,ing nothing but the battle
Of Life and the dislike Of Mrs. johnson
who had no, seen the child since !, quit
ted i,s baby clothes.
This strange antips,hy was traesable
a. some people said, to times long gon'
ty, when Mr.. Roberts, Lixzie's father
then renowned for bis manly beauty, hst
been an assiduous visitor at the house o
Mrs. Johnson's psrents- She being tn
eldes, daughter. and taking all his asten
ton TO herself. had felt II keenly whsl
her sister dared to "snateh him away
and even later on. after having made
much more brilliant match, she neve
could forgive this early defeat. Deail
even had no, buried the grudge. whicl
no, unns,unlly passed from mother 3
child.
How far this saying may have bsel
true or not. one thing 10 certain; poo