Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-10-03
CHAPTER ~.

CHAPTER ~.
FORTUNE TURNS HER wHEn.
Leave rs, GeoQtie. said the intruder,
after Q pause. I must speak with this
gentleman alone. 1t is incumbent on me.
Ny duty to you compels it.
looked ut her, and believed 1 read
one salient point in her oh aracter ut once
-she vas q weak women whose greatest
desire was to appear strong.
Not until know Whit You arc going
to saw to Mr. Dudley. Not until l am
sure you will not insult him for having
dared to speak-to me-" Miss Hargreave
exclaimed, impetnously.
III we're sure You had met by accident
If you we've merely exchanging common
| couItesies, but
Mother! you are insulting him now by
supposing ,nything else possible. Oh,
this never ending suspicion!" she cried.
her face ablaze with passion. You make
q pretense Of going to church. only to re-
turn and DRY npon me. You drive me to
desperation, and will regret it some dty.
Your religion Is but another hypocrisy,
while-oh, nv God, this life is becoming
unendurable!"
Then, with one piteous, appealing
glance at me, Miss Hargreave fun 6 her,
self upon the bench, and laying her face
down on her outstretched arms, gave vent
to paroxysm Of convuisive sobbing.
My daughter has been ill; she is suf-
fering from an attack of nerves. Doyou
not see, sir. that you ought 10 go?" cried
Mrs. Hargreave, exci,edly.
OF course I ought to go. There was
no doubt about it, And as l passed out
she entered.
turned and watched her sit down be-
side the weeping girl. l saw her place
her arms around her and draw the tear
stained face with apparent tenderness
upon her breast. saw that Mrs. Har-
greave's eyes also were wet, her lips
trem bling. and walked away profoun ily
puzz lei how to reconcils the enc had
| Just witnessed with the tale of wrong l
had only tie moment be fore been told.
lam neither learned in phrenology nor
| ply sio ,nomy; but in the same degree
that the finely proporioned head Of DIR.
| Gascoicne impressed me in his favor, 20,
| ! mnst COME s, did the weak face, but,
above all, the white brows and eyelashes
of Mrs. H irgreave warn me that she was
not woman to be trusted.
left Glendale House by the last train
that night and. rs it CHANGED, without
again seeing the Doctor.
Late as it was when arrived at Coal
town my one thought on entering my
lodgings was to devise some plan for OBJ
tanning copy OF Mr.. Lester Hargreave's
will. / wrote TO an old friend-the son
of my father $ sslici. or-whom had not
seen since lay prospects darkened, and
asked him to use his best endeavors in
procuring me the fullest Information.
had some misgiyiags about applying
TO Chsrl Q Hawks for these reasons: He
" inclined 10 be wild when l ki ew him;
since then 1t had como TO my knowledge
that he added nnscrupulousness to dissi-
patton. However, it was the only means
that occurred TO me of oh aiming the de-
sired information. l wrote the letter to
Charlie and posted it myself next morn
ing on my way to the bank.
My employers received me cordially
and EXPIRE -sed their satisfaction at seeing
me restored to health. took my seat on
the high stool before my desk aud re-
snmed nv work, to all appearance as
thou b l had never been aw y from it.
say advisedly "to all appearance" be-
cluse in point of fact everything was
changed to me. seemed 10 have begun
new era in my existence. Much as
had disliked my life rs a bauk clerk
hitherto, reg ,rded it nov with positive
LOAF hing. and felt convinced that DR..
Gascof.ne was right when he asserted /
was unfitted.
+ Having no desire TO prolong my story,
it ", re needless to enter into any de-
tailed account either of my life or feel
ings during the next few days.
It was not until Saturday morning that
the impatiently expected letter from Lon
don came.
A large blue envelope law conspicuous
on the white breakfast cloth, and, had it
contained Q letter from the beautiful
Miss Hargreave herself, 1 could scarcely
have experienced deeper emotion than
tnat with which broke the SEAL
Throwing to one side n note written in
Charlie Hawks hand. spre d out before
me the sheet of paper on which the SUBJ
stance of the will had apparently been
hastily jotted down. I read slowly.
thouehtfully. weighing each item. and
before quite reaching he end, paused.
Was fted to be forever reca ling some
chance words Of DR.. Gascoigne? "You
should marry an heiress. my dear boy,
he had said.
Ismiled as I repeated the words aloud
Il laughed broke ont in q few bars of
a light song. Here was the most charm
ing girl in the world, with-now that she
Was Of age-a country seat in Leicester
shire. EST, 900 in funds and all her father
died possessed of absolutely her own,
with the exception of Q paltry annuity,
not worth mentioning. left to the widow;
and the last words this lovely heiress
had spoken to me we're:
Ask what you will, and L" The
sentence, owing to circumstances, had
remained unfinished, but how easy to in
terpret it in the way wished!
Is there devil? If there is, most
surely at that moment he whispered in
my ear that gratitude alone should
prompt her to listen favorably to my suit
Was not now in position to unmask
the perfidy of her step-mo, her?
got up and paced the room in my in
dignatiOn when / thought of the girls
wor g: L am not allowed to have even
the smallest coin you would fling to the
poorest beggar!" And yet all was hers
ali hers BY law.
Presently, recollecting there we're
still few lines Of writing on the paper,
took it up and real, with feelings more
easily imagined than described, the fol-
lowing:
I. Lester Hargreave. ETC.. etc.. being o
sound mind. but nj the point OF death. do
hereby revoke all former villa. / leave
everything l de possessed OF 10 Martha
Harrreave. my wife: AM appoint the said
Martha Hargreave sole execut, il OF this my
will. go that she. knowing my wishes-and
having absolute control over my estate-
NAV he enable to ca ~ tiem out to the
hest OF her ability. To this end. 30 help
her Godl
This codicil bore date Dec. so, 1873,
and the names Of two witnesses were
written below. Next I turned to Charlie
Hawks letter inclosed and and read:
DEAR JAcK-It's taken me some tune and
been some trouble. but I've done the best I
coull Tor you. The governor drew out the
will. OF which s md you q rough copy. It
doesn't matter. thou III. nj out being rough.
for the willis no good. Tho codicil-added
to the original document the day the old
boy died-is leg Al beyond . II dispute. Sup
rose you are nuts on the daughter? Look
hAf0, q You lAan. old fellow and don't for.