Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-07-28
THE FIRST FOLIO.'

MANY have attributed my good fortune
s;mply to luck, but when make known
all the facts of the case think that re-
Elective readers will come to the conclu
sion that my prosperity was not deter.
mined by chance alone.
NV uncle was rich. My cousins, thonph
neither saints nor perhaps even models of
propriety. were none of them bad fellows
One of them was in the foreign office. an
other was making his way slowly at the
bar. and third was, Ike myself, a soldier
The others possessed small private means.
sufficient to enable them to live decently,
and one of them at least increased his in
come considerably by whist at his club
and by pigeon shooting. | had gone to an
army crammers while only a lad, and
after leaving Sandhurst went with my
regiment to India, SO that my uncle had
seen very little of me, which ultimately
proved a fortunate circumstance Tho
first communication which had with NV
uncle was made by me with considerable
diffidence and was not of q kind to rec
ommend me to him. had lost two
chargers, and not possessing the means
to replace them, | wrote to my uncle
explaining the matter, and asking for
loan In reply he sent me check for
the sum required. | was very grateful,
and economzing till | had saved the
money lent me | repaid it to him Soon
afterwards | returned with my regiment
to England, and on my arrival in London
! had an invitation from my uncle asking
me to dine with him | found him very
tactiturn and apparently unsociable
During dinner noticed that he fire.
quently looked at me furtively, as though
he found in my appearance some cause for
surprise. When we reached the dessert,
however, the interest that he had been
manifosting in me was explained, for he
said, almost as if he were soilloquizing:
You were the last Of my nephews to
borrow of me, and you are the first who
has ever repaid Il loan.
After delivering this verdict, which ap.
peared to give his mind relief, my uncle
became quite talkative. and amused me
very much by relating the various
heriting his different heirs While
he spoke, | could tell by his indig,
nant shorts, and by the fire in his eyes.
that he must be terribly irascible old
fellow. The barrister, who was Il convey
ANGER and equity draughtsman had pro.
posed that lie should examine all the title
deeds of the real property, which he had
learnt he was some day to inherit, and
when he. had finished his investigation
had limited that fee of hundred guineas
would be acceptable. This sum had been
handed to him, and his name forthwith
struck out of the will. The way in which
my uncle told this story was very conf
cal. My cousin who was the crack shot
had bored him, it seemed, one night by
telling of the forthcoming pigeon shooting
matches in which lie was engaged and
had afterwards won from him twenty.
five pounds at whist. What fool
the fellow must have been Still
more foolish, if possible had been
that cousin who, on seeing my
uncle's splendid collection of rare books
and first editions had said that if
they were his he would soon turn them
into cash. Finally, he told me that his
niece was now his heiress, and could see
that he was not altogether satisfied with
this arrangement. After dinner my uncle
offered to show HE his library, and | will
ingly assented. Apart from my desire to
crafty my host ! had genuine interest
in rare books, and was eager to see his
valuable collection, of which had often
heard, but had been too young to appre.
clate when, as "a boy, | had last been in
his house. My admiration on beholding
ms treasures was not feigned, and my
uncle was sharp enough to understand
that We spent the remainder of the
evening III the library, and so well did we
get on together that before | left the
mouse my uncle proposed that | should
resign my commission and become his
secretary. | did not misunderstood the
full significance of this proposal, llnea
That was not asked to give up my pro
fession without better equivalent than
private secretaryship being in store for
me. | was the only one of his nephews
whom he had never appointed his heir
on the other hand, what guarantee had
mat should not meet the same fate us
my cousins or rather worse, seeing that
might be cast adrift ON the world with,
out money or the means of earning Il live
Hhood? Observing my hesitation, my
uncle said
Think over the matter till tomorrow
ana give me your answer then"
This | agreed to do, and then | babe
MN good night | found myself face 10
lace with very puZzling dilemma. But
tne stake might win was u big one, so de-
clded to run the risk The result was that
a week later was installed in my uncl9's
mouse as his secretary and was also in
possession of the comforting knowledge
mat his win had been altered in M
FAVOR, did feel many qualms, botA OF
heart and conscience, on account of nv
pretty cousin, whom | had supplanted, bat
IL was not for me to interfere with IN
uncle right to bequeath his property IL
he chose
MY uncle was very well read, and Wa
man of considerable refinement and en-
lure. lie was a Shakesperean scholar oi
great learning, and his collection of books
pertaining to the greatest Elizabethan
uralhas was most extensive. As his opln
ION on the authorship of these plays ought
TO carry weight | shall here state it.
he thought that neither to Shakespeare
nor TIC Lord Bacon WAS due the whole
credit of those sublime creations, but that
oy each of them the need of honor had
peeh merited, as they had worked in col
iSooratlon, Lord Bacon, he said, had
Undoubtedly supplied both the poetry
anu philosophy, but that the stageclaft
was manifestly that of an actor, and he.
ion8ed to Shakespeare. Tho pans and
ol1er verbal conceits. he affirmed, had
ei'her been inserted by Shake speare OF
were the gagging interpretations OF tho
ddctors who took part in the plays, because
roru Bacon was as incapable of these
Puerllltles as Shakespeare was of the vast
earning and deep philosophy. He held
W u.ner singular opinions, and asserted that
~ lord chancellor of our own day took
It INTO his head to write say melodramas
toT the Adelphi. he would undoubtedly
ooiiaborate with one of our leading play
TTnghts. Mr.. Sims or Mr.. Grundy or Mr.