Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-08-14

mark which presented a startling
likeness to q grotesque face-yes- ,
the face, moreover, before me tina d
instant, comforted by malicious.
laughter-why laughter, who could
cay?
When say that the elderly gentle
man for whom the cane was bought
was my uncle, the uncle by marriage
of the girl / wished to marry. and
that u long promised inheritance
from him was the only prospect I
had in view beyond my profession.
the conclusion that nv little Offering
was prompted purely by selfinterest
might be a natural conclusion to
draw, but it would not he a true one.
l had been fond of the good old fel-
low from the time when l was a
halfstarved youngster at a we'll
known boarding school for would-be
naval cadets, and he tipped me
many n half-crown. am sometimes
inclined to think that half-crowns
positively are not what they were in
those days, and when am told that
silver is too cheap just now am sure
that it is fact.
l had the cane mounted in solid
silver gilt, and looked it over proud
Iy when it came home.
Ipacked it carefully and sent it off
to my dear uncle. An answer would
come, l was sure, by return post, and
l was fully convinced that the cane
would have given much pleasure.
Picture my dismay and sorrow,
then, when on the very next day
came q telegram from a doctor we'll
known to me announcing the sudden
death of the apparently hale old gen.
tleman! He had been as knew aft
erward. delighted with my present,
had handled it with hearty appre-
citation, and was actually writing his
acknowledgement to me when he had
fallen with his head on the desk, a
dead man.
Iput away the halfwritten letter
as a last memento of a valuable
friend, and attended the funeral as
chief mourner.
His lawyer, who was an old ac-
quaintance of mine, met me with a
very long face. 81 must tell you, he
said, that your uncle had very
common fancy of putting off making
his will, and had only done so on the
day of his death. Even then he
would not sign it at dice on the pre-
text that the witnesses he meant to
have were not at hand. l was to
come at 8 O. clock that evening. l
did SO and it was too late. 1t was in
your favor as he had always prom
isedi it should be-"
l was considerably taken abnck.
THAT MEANS" l said, chat all the
property will be equally divided be-
tween his fifteen nephews and nieces.
'No," he answered gloomily. at
goes in two portions, to his only sur.
viving brother and sister, the two
who behaved SO badly to him."
| sat down rather abruptly.
"There, then, is an end Of it all,"I
said. as l thought Of Marion.
"The Malacca cane the only belong
ing of my good uncle, that fell to my
share-nobody wantedit.
Some time afterward, while l was
still waiting for an appointment,
which was a coy in answer to my
wooing as such matters usually are,
a friend looked in with evidence of
some other object in view than mere
ly to smoke a pipe with me and to
of the service.
81 say, old chap" he began, "you
showing that queer stick
OF yours to old Hadley the other day,
and what a fancy he took to it?
Well, he's going to be married-fun-
ny atfair-said it was time he had
some one to write to when he was
away, and to keep a snug home for
him when he came back, SO went about
with list of suitable women
in his pocket, and has struck the bar
gain at last with a widow-rather
good sort. Now i intend making
him a wedding present so want you
to let me have that cane"
Well, sold him the stick-that is,
changed it for some cigars of
brand l fancied, and my friend carried
it off. / looked out for Hndley's
but very shortly after, to
my regret, came upon notice of his
death instead.
1t seemed that upon the very day
my friend had himselfcalled and pre-
sented the Malacca cane, he had been
seized with n sort of fit, from which
he died after lingering few days.
My friend returned the cane to me.
1T seems rather an unlucky sort of
gift," he remarked. l thought the
same and put it by, but some time
later, on going to South America,
took it with me, thinking l would
use it myself.
went inland to spend a couple Of
days with II very old friend, who wns
an estate. He had two sons
just growing up with him, an agree
able wife and u pretty daughter.
fancied the. latter was somewhat like
my Marion; at any rate she sang; SO.
did Marion; and they both had cock
ly sol t of light hair. and l am sure
l.. l..