The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1890-12-06

yard. When your cook dresses in saith
the acute English matron shifts danger
from afar. By slow degrees, too, thu
wearer of these progressive gowns crept
upward from kitchen to housekeeper',
room, and thence to the dinning room, and
onward to the masters study, and ulti-
mately to his bedside, where for the last
year of his life she kept faithful watch and
ward. Of course the Dean was aware Of
Parker's rise in the world, and suffered
torments of anxiety. Only once during
the last year did he succeed, by extraordi-
nary tinesse, in seeing his uncle and then
to his horror he found doddering, bed
ridden old creature who cried for Parker
one moment, and trembled at her coming
/ the next. The Dean himself trembled
when he looked at that buxom figure
dressed in rich silks, and that calm, reso-
lutte face, with the quiet smile. There
was an extremely unpleasant sense of pro-
prietorship in the tone with which Parker
pressed him to stay to dinner. The Dean,
seeing the extreme danger of the position,
allowed no sign of hostility to escape him,
and even complimeuted Parker with due
decanal dignity, of course, on her general
buxomness, but it was gall and bitterness
to him.
Two months after this distressing inter
view Uncle Tony died, and the letter ar
rived with which our story opened
ellis will is in my safe, and the twenty
thousand pounds stands in my name as
survivor" These were the last thoughts
that filled the Deans mind as he sank to
sleep that night, but Parker mixed herself
up in his dreams, and his slumbers were
disquieted
Next morning, at breakfast, the Dean
seemed in hurry.
81 am off to London to prove the will, ,"
he said in answer to his wifes question.
"To prove the will ?" she replied in ac-
cents of utter amazement "Why, he is
not buried yet ~ The Dean smiled
81 am aware that it is the conventional
custom to read the will after the funeral
and then prove it, but am unconventional,
and shall prove it first and read it after
ward"
"But you can't get it done, the funeral
is in four days"
II shall try, my love-" said the Dean,
shutting up his black bag with a snap.
Months before the Dean had prepared
for this emergency. Through the long
winter evenings, while he sat over the fire
slipping his port, his excellent wife used to
read "Wilhelm Meister" in the original
As she read German with difficulty, and
that classic work is somewhat lengthy, it
had already lasted several years. The
Dean, she used to think, was asleep, but in
- he was projecting his mind into the
iutGre- ranging plans to circumvent
Parker, and how hest to invest his fortune
when Uncle Tony was NO more. So when
that event occurred the Dean vas as well
for battle as German genr,e5--a2l is
on ne eve of a European war. Hn boJ +,
pr,eured a handbook, GLOW to Prove = |
Nll In Person" He was sole execntor
az he had prepared and filled up all the
:ce vas sfH papers; everything was cut and
bag. - '"o ii'''e ol''ck
~ shall do in three days what Il "."yer
would waste three weeks over he solilo-
quized as the express train bore him up to
London.
The officials in the office still have vivid
recollectiong of Dean Thurlow. For three
days, you may say, he lived in Somerset
House, he permcated the entire establish
ment, he interviewed registrars, clerks Of
the seals, and all kinds of high officials; he
was so urbane, so cordial and pleasant, that
he talked over everybody. He gave two
little luncheon parties and it is said he put
several of the juniors on good thing"
for Kempton Park. Many forlorn old
widows who dropped in there to prove
wills mistook him for judge, at least, and
accosted him, and the worthy Dean took
them on hand and piloted them through
the difficulties of probate practice. At 4
O'Clock the very day before the funeral
probate was granted to the Dean, and he
returned to his wife with the precious doc
ument in his hand.
That evening he felt he had won the
first trick, but he owned to his wife that
of course Parker might have the trumps
in her hand after all.
Parker. he said, "may have got him
to execute a will subsequent to mine; that
will be annoying certainly hut ! may upset
it on the ground of undue influence; but
the thing 1 dread most is she may have
married him, and that would revoke my
will and leave her in a splendid position"
This indeed was tremendous fly in his pot
of ointment.
"Why," asked his wife, "did you not
search the marriage register"
"Of course did" he growled back,
sbut the last six months are never posted
up, and she may win the odd trick yet.
The Dean wrung his hands at the pros
pect of such thing. Then he went to
bed and prepared for the funeral on the
morrow.
CHAPTER ii.