Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-01-24
A MlusRs QUEER REQUEST.


/
Fortune by Disobcying the Will.
| The other day we met on kearney street
an old time Washoe Acquaintance called
Jem Briggs. whose usually well worn
miners appearance was on this occasion re-
placed by gorgeous display Of velvet vest,
check pants, red scarf and ponderous
watch chain, while his honest and simple
face shone above these evidences of pros
perity with the placid contentment Of q
full harvest moon.
''Iielio, Jem," we said; "giad to see Sou
looking so prosperous, Must have struck
II rich recently"
$50 have" said lem. and then as his
tanned face saddened a little he continued,
"but had mighty tough loss, though.
Ny partner, Ned Bimber--yon remember
Ned has gone up the shaft"
Dead, ehsi
''Yes, I'll tell you how Il was. You see,
Ned and had quarrel about two years
ago. Don't matter now what 1t was all
abont. Mebbe Ned was wrong, and mebbe
was. but all the same neither OF us
would back down--coupler fools. you'll
say, and so we were, aud the upshot was
that we parted. and agreed never to speak
70 each other again"
And didn't your"
'No, sir; more shame for us, as we had
been pards, thick aud thin. for fifteen years
together, Well, about six months after
that Ned got a good gravel claim up on the
Feather, where they've been turning the
river bed, and he struck IL rich--cleaued up
nigh on to s9bo. 600 In ten months"
And how were you getting onfn
"ohl clean broke Working up at Gold
Hin for ~ day. Well | was kinder
sneskin' glad to learn OF Ned's lnck, for all
we were outs; but the next thing | heard
was that he'd been killed by the banks cav
Ing Ia an him. lie lived just long enough to
make his will. Well, the lawyers wrote
~ how Ned WAS worth just about $22o, 900,
aud the will gave 5000 apiece to each of
three distant cousins Of his'n--they had all
come out from the east when they heard of
Ned's iind--and the same amount to me,
mind you, just ms though we hadn't quar-
relied. But Ned alters was a centric sort
of cnss, and the will provided that none Of
US should get the money II we attended the
funeral. He didn't want anybody at the
funeral but just the undertaken The will
said he had lived lonely, aud he wanted to
be buried lonely. Thems just the words.
aud felt they We're intended for me, sure.
The disposition of the rest OF the estate
about 500, 0oo-wns provided for In an
other codicil to he opened the day after the
funeral, but we all supposed it was donated
tn charitable object, for Ned hadn't any
kin eeptin' the cousins"
"Of course you stayed away from the
funerals'
"That's Just the point. Somehow felt
so miserable and downhearted--yo see
Ned was the onliest partner ever had
that determined 10 60 and see him sent
down on his last cage anyway, money or
no money, and did"
And the cousinss"
| "None Of 'em went. Fact Is they were
30 disgustcd at the 'livvy' that they cleared
out down to Frisco TO see about breaking
the will. SO was the only mourner at the
funeral. My friends all thot ght was III
for the crazy house to throw away the
81, 900 like that--well just couldn't help
1t. 1t turned out, though, to be the best
lead ever struck"
allow WAS thatf"
"Why the next day when the main will
was opened we found 1t really gave the
entire balance of the clean up 10 whichever
OF us four disobeyed the condition for the
5000 bequests. So you see came in for
the whole lump just like knife. And do
| You know, as sure as guns iron shall all
ers believe TINT Ned put up the whole job
a purpose cause be knowed I'd be thart'
San Francisco Examiner.
4