The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-19
q missionary here among them" And he
let his head fall YEARLY on the lap of the
uafiye woman.

III.
Over in London, when news arrived that
the Liks-Lika had gone to pieces on Pa
cific islet. and not soul had finally escaped
alive. much interest was felt in the event
in the Ashby family. The yacht had run
ashore. said the Honolulu Telegram, on .
coral reef in the Msnihiki islands. and been
instantly broken MP BIZ the force of the
gigantic breakers. Most of the crew had
persisted at once. Mr.. Thorold Ashby, the
owner. and two common sailors names
unknown, were flung ashore, more dead
than alive. ON the fringibg reef. but sue
cumDed to their injuries few days later.
The islanders buried them decently on the
accident by special canoe to Samoa. whence
1t was carried TO HAWAII by the next pass
ing mall steamer.
"In that case" Mr.. Archibald Ashby re-
marked. rubbing the palms of his hands
imperceptibly together. poor ThOrOld
must have died practically intestate. and
We divide the property, Percy. A jolly
good thing 1t turned out so. too. when one
Gomez TO think of it, for otherwise he
might =. have lett every penny, ne possessed
lie made will after his marriage. you
know" Mr.. Percy Ashby replied, musing.
1t would be convenient for the girls. to be
sure. this nice little windfsll of hundred
made sure Uncle ThOrwoId would marry
again. just on purpose to spite them; and
besides, there was Monty, now abodt to be
ordained. and Guy on the very point of
his doubts still in his own mind for all that.
He made q will. / remember" Mr.. Percy
repeated, lust after his marriage"
oh, yes!D his brother answered, with q
careless air of assent. But; that's all
right, Percy. Trust me for that! in
qnired into this long ago. By the will he
left every thing to his wife absolutely. and
failing her, to the children of the marriage.
Well. poor Lucy's dead, and there were no
children. So it's practically to all intents
and purposes an intestate estate. Prop
erty follows the usual rule of SUCCESSION"
He may have made will on the island.
though Mr.. Percy suggested. Mr.. Percy
passed Away for the family pessimist
He may have make q fiddlestick," Mr..
Archibald answered with cutting contempt
Mr.. Archibald invariably took the sanRuiae
view of things. But how could he. lying
among lot of naked savagesi And oven il
to usf The Lika-Laka had gone to pieces-I
always knew she would, with q heathenish
name like that on her stern-like tempting
Providence; and where would he get pen.
ink and paper. | should like to know, on a
Pacific isletf No. no. Percy. it's all right
You may rest assured of that. Not q
Iarthing shall Miss Nesta ever touch of
poor Thorold's property. She'd have robbed
our dear children without moments CON-
junction, If only she could; and now We'll
pay her out. Not q farthing shall she get
of 1t all: not q sou, not Q doit, not cent,
not stiverv'
Such is the modifying and civilizing in
fuence of the possession of property upon
the family affections! My experience. in
deed, ha1 been the exact opposite of the
Northern farmers. Ii has led me to the
conclusion that the rich lin q lOomp" are
bad.
Now. in chambers in the Temple at that
very time, mp four pairs of stairs, in room
which announced itself by tin-plates at the
door to be more alarmingly overcrowded
than any East-end roOkery, there lived.
and moved. and had his being q certain
modest and unassuming but briefess, bar
rister. by name Will Protheroe. In point
of fact he was the sole occupant of the
chambers, and the other gentleman
aforesaid. who Normally and legally
dwelt there. did SO only on tn g
tenure of paying him a guinea . year
| per head for the barren privilege of having
letters and briefs (If any) addressed there.
And when Will Protheroe read in the pa;
| pers one morning that the Lika-Lika had
| gone to pieces. and ThorOld Ashby was dead,
| he sat down at once in great trepidation.
| half sympathy, half smOthered JOY. for a
private cause. and he wrote a letter of con.
dOlence to Nesta Clyde Onsthe loss of her
uncle.
1t was a simple little letter enough-very
| PLAIN and conventional; but when Nesta
| opened 1t her heart. too. beat high. Then
| in this trouble that nice Mr.. Protheroe had
remembered her! He had plucked up heart
| of grace to write to her at last! He who
was ordinarily so shy, 80 retiring. so timed
! scared out of his life by the grandeur of
| Onslow square She was glad he'd written,
for she liked Mr.. ProtherOe
However, a week passed-ten d8ys--a
| Observation-Disclosures Will PrOtheroe could
| muster up courage to call in person at the
handsome house in Onslow square that had
once been ThOrold Ashby's. Meanwhile.
he had been engaged in prosecuting 1.-THE
only thing he had ever been asked to
| prOsecute, alasD researches. Had Nesta
| Tho called her Nesta in his own heart to
Clyde" to her face; familiar symptom
| had Nesta really been left without a
pennyi 1t was wicked. it was cruel
| it was selfish of him to wish It. he knew:
and yet--such is youth!-in his heart of
hearts the brietiess barrister couldn't help
hoping the rumOr was true. and that Thor
| old Ashby had really died in foreign parts
interstate. leaving Nesta penniless.
| For then, and in that case, Will Profile
roe thought to himself, he might venture
to ask Nesta if some day she would marry
| him. He never could pluck up courage to
ask q great heiress to accept his hand
1 (which was all he had to offer; but if Nesta
| was poor. why, he would love to do his best
to make her happy.
So, Q fortnight later. having heard the
news confirmed on very good authority
that the Ashby estate would 60 to the two
brothers and that the Percy Ashbys. who
had gone into very deep and handsome
mourning. intended to recOnp themselves
| by removing at once into much larger
house in Fltzjohns avenue. Will Prothercs
| ventured, in great fear and trembling. to
| put on his best black coat and hat and call
ct OnslOw square on visit of coincidence.
Nesta received him alone. Oh, how glad
| he was of that! Mamma was here. she said
to help her pack mp her things; but mamms
| was busy.
They were in such . dreadful mess and
had suffered 80 much. for Uncle Thorold
| had left her in charge of the house. OF
course: but Mr.. Archibald Ashby had beer
so very unkind. He wanted them to move
out of the place Immediately.
Then it's hisf' Will Protheroe asked
Nesta nodded assent. Eyes, it's his,n she
said. trying hard to repress her rising tears
HIS and his brother Percy's. Poor uncle
left no will after Aunt Lucy's death, 81
they divide 1t between them" Her lips
trembled slightly, for mamma was poor
and how they were to live now Nesta hard
ly knew. She had loved Uncle Thorold
and. besides. he had Away been SO awfully
kind to them.
But Will Protheroe's heart gave q sud
den leap: And they're actually turning
you out" he cried. half pleased, half in
dignant.
"WelI. they-they want us to leave very
soon," Nesta answered, just falterng
| "they'ye not been very kind about IL