The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-02-01
THE. LOST WILL.

married, and his eccentricitie3 made his
name a familiar one in several counties.
He lived in a little log house on a farm
about four miles from a village. and
sometimes he was alone for months, and
again he would have his house crowded
with his relatives. While father and
mother were dead, he had three
brothers and four sisters living, and in
the same county. O1e day he might
meet one of them and hand him a $50
gold piece. The very next day he
would pass the same person by without
speaking. As he was worth about
5000. 900, all made by the sale of oil
wells found on his lands in Pennsylva-
mia, and as his relatives were all poor,
none of them dared offend him. If he
treated them coldly they put up with
it; if he insisted on some family stay
ing with him for a week they made
every sacrifice to please him.
There was a layer of humor in the I'D
mans composition withal. think he
reasoned that all his relatives expected
slice of his wealth, and he intended
that each one should have it, but he
proposed to make them earn it as far as
they could. If he knew that his brother
James was planting corn, and in a
great hurry to get through, he would
send for him and insist that he hunt or
fish or go looking over the country for
some plant or root needed for sickness.
If his brother Henry was extra busy in
his saw mill the old man was sure to
send up message to him to come down
and take witch hazel rod and 60
wandering over the hills to locate
metals. There was only one bed in the
house, and yet the cd man would in
sist that family OF eight come and
visit him and sleep where they could.
Twice year he killed a lamb. The
rest of the time he lived on pudding
and milk and vegetables.
Uncle Tom, as every body called him,
was over 20 years of age when fiji st
knew him, and it must have seemed to
his relatives that he intended to live to
be hundred. As the years went By
he really seemed to improve. aud it was
a cold day when he couldn't think of
some new trick to play on those who
auxiously waited for him to turn up his
toes. He had made a will, as was
known in certain law Office, dividing
up his wealth pro rata but one day
something occurred to determine him to
revoke it. He had sent for his brother
|. Henry and family to come to him at
once. Henry was saving lumber on a
contract, one of the children was ailing
and he returned word that he could not
come. This was the first time he had
ever refused such demand. aud when
the messenger returned the old man
boiled over with indignation. He sent
for his lawyer to come and make a new
will, and the lawyer. of course, brought
the old one. He saw this laid on the
clock shelf, and it was lying there when
he went away. The new will was moi
entirely completed that day. Martin
said he might want to make some other
changes, aud so he did. His sister May,
who was an old maid. was with him
that day, and after the lawyer had gone
Martin wanted to lower her down In
the we'll to recover lost bucket. Sht
was timid and afraid, and the result
was that she was ordered to pack w
and leave, and was told plainly tina
she need not expect dollar.
Nor was this all. Having got hi
hand in, as it were, the old man wen
for another brother, and forced rup
ture, aud then sent for a lawyer ant
cut the three persons off with legac!
of 500 each. He signed the new will
and placed it with tho others. saying hi
would keep both for few days and SCI
if anything else turned up. Then, il
! order to show his contempt Cor his rela
tives, he sent for woman nance
That cher to keep house fer him. Thi
woman was willow. ABOUT 40 vsar