Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-11-23
MR.. NELSON'S WILL.
BY a. RIDER HAGGARD.

celent idea. Your skin is very white,
quite as white and soft as the child's. and
you are young and strong, and as there is
lots of food here, l dare say that you will
take long time to die You might even
live for some months. Let US begin at
once. l feel dreadfully weak. l don't
think that can live through the night,
and if | know that l have done all can to
make sure that EuStace gets his own per.
haps dying will be little easierI'
CHAPTER N.-THE LAST OF Mr.. MEESoN.
Augusta turned from the old man with
a gesture of impatience not unmixed with
disgust. His Selishness was of an order
that revolted her
"Isuppose, :" she said to Bill with an
other blush, that 1 must have this Will
tattooed upon my shoulders?'
Yes, Miss; that's it." said Bill. "You
see, Miss one wants space for q DOGGY
mint. If it were a ship or a flag. now, or a
fancy pictur of your young man, l might
manage it on your arm, but there must be
breadth for legal doccymint, more es-
pecially as l should like to make good
job of it while l is about it. don't want
none of them laryers a-turning up their
noses at Bill Jones tattooing."
VERY we'll, ," said Augusta, with an ir-
ward sinking of the heart, Il will go and
get ready"
Accordingly she adjourned into the hut
and removed the body of her dress and
turned down the flannel garment under
meath it in such fashion as to leave as
much of her neck and shoulders bare as is
to be seen when a lady has on a moderate
ly low dress. Then she came ont again,
IroSsa1 S~, .ofhar 1tuIr.nSrNl h.,
fee. Meanwhile, Bill had drawn out the
ink bag of the cutie, had prepared Il little
round fragment of wood which he sharp
ened like pencil by rubbing it against a
stone, and had put keen edge on to a
long white fshbone that he had selected
Nov, Mr.. Bill, am ready" said Au-
gusta, seating herself rcsolutely upon a
fiat stone and setting her teeth
My word, Miss but you have beSuti-
full pair OF shoul !ers." said the sailor, cell
templating the snowy eXpanse of skin
with the eye of an artist u never had
such bit of material to work on afore
Hang me if it amt almost a pity to mark
'em! Not but what high-classed tattooing
is an ornament to anybody, from q Prin-
cess down and in that you are iortunit,
Miss. for | larnt tattOoing from them as
can tattoo, | did"
Augusta bit her lip and the tears came
into her gray eyes. She was only Il wo-
man, and had q woman's little weakness,
and, though she had never appeared in q
low dress in her life she knew that her
bust was one Of her greatest beauties and
was proud Of it. 1t was hard to think that
she would be marked all her life with
this ridiculous wilI--that is. if she escaped
and, what was more for the benefit of q
young man who had no claim upon her at
all.
That was what she said to herself, but
as she said it something in her told her
that it was not true. Something told her
that this young Mr.. Eustace Meeson had
a claim upon her-the highest claim that
a man can have upon n woman, for the
truth must out-she loved him. 1t seemed
to have come home to her quite clearly
here in this dreadful, desolate place, here
in the very shadow of an awful death, that
she did love him, truly and deeply. And
that being so, she would not have been
what she was-a gentle -natured, devoted
woman-had she not at her heart rejoiced
at this opportunity of self-sacrifce, even
though that self-sacrifice was of the hard
est sort, seeing that it involved what all
women hate-the endurance Of q ridicu-
lous position. For love can do all things,
it can even make its votaries brave ridi-
cule.
go on" she said, sharply, and let Us
get it over as soon as possible
every we'll. Miss. What is it to be, old
gentleman? Cut it short, you know"
az IeGUe all my property to EICstGce II.
MeeSOn;' that's as short as / can get it,
and, If properly witnessed, | think that it
will cover everything" said Mr.. Meeson,
with feeble air of triumph. Anyhow,
I never heard of a will that is to carry
about two millions being got into nine
words before"
Bill poised his fish bone and, next sec
ond, Augusta gave start aud n little
shrek, for the operation had begun.
Never mind, Misc" said Bill, cOnsol-
ingly; you'll soon get used to it."
After that Augusta set her teeth and en-
dured in silence, though it really hurt her
very much, for Bill was more careful of
the artistic effect and the permanence of
the work than Of the feelings of the sub
jcct. Fiat erpCrtmCHtlLHI IN cOrpOrC viii,
he would have said had he been conversant
with the Classics, without much consider
alton for the corpus UijIn. So he pricked
and dug away with his fishbone, which he
dipped continually in the cutie ink, and
with the sharp piece of wood, till Augusta
began to feel perfectly sick.
For three hours the work continued, and
at the end of that time the body Of the will
was finished-for Bill was a rapid worker
being written in medium sized letters
right across her ivory shoulders. But the
signatures yet remained to be affixed.
Bill asked her if she would like to let
them stand over till the morrow2-but
this, although she felt faint with the pain,
she declined to do. She was marked now,
marked with the inefTaceable mark Of
Bill, so she might as well be marked to
some purpose. II she put off the signing
of the document till the morrow, it might
be too late, Mr.. Meeson might be dead,
Johnnie might have changed his mind, or
hundred things So she told them to go
ca and finish it as quickly as possible, for
tkc-e was only about two hours more day
light.
Fortunately Mr.. Meeson was more or
less acquainted with the foTmalities that
are necessary in the execution of viii,
namely: that the testator and the two wit
nesses should all sign In the presence of
each other He also knew that it was suf.
person held the pen between the testator's
fingers and assisted him to write his name,
OF even If some one signed for the testator
In his presence and by his direction; and,
arguing from this knowledge, he came to
the coaclusion-afterward justified in the
great case Of Meeson Is. Addison and an
other-that il would be sufficient If he in
f1icted the first prick of his signature, and
then kept his hand upon Bill's while the
rest was done. This accordingly he did,
clun1sily running the point Of the sharp
bone 50 deep into the unfortunate Augusta
that She fairly shrieked aloud, and then
keeping his hand upon the sailors arm
while he worked in the rest OF the sigma
ture, ~ Meeson." When il was done
the turn Of Johnnie came. Johnnie had
at length aroused himself TO some interes.
in what was going On, and had stood by
watching all the time, since Mr.. Meeson,
having laid his finger upon Augustus
back, had solemnIy declared the writing
thereon 70 be his last viii and testament.
As he (Johnniel could not tattoo. the same
process was gone through with reference
TO his signature. as in the case Of Mr.. Nee
son- Then Bill Jones sigHsd his own
name. as Tia second witness 20 the viii;
and just as the light went out Of the SKY
the document was finally executed-ths
date of the execution being alone omitted.
Augusta 20. up on the fiat stone where
she had been seated during this torture Tor
something Ike five hours. and, staggering
into the hut, threw herself down upon the