Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-27
10 Regret.

come out with a toIerable education
and an idea that. the world and the
people therein We're all good and Writ
u0uS.
l had gone in an orphan of u and
came out a ward in chancery at It.
Ny father had left me a fortune, that
is to say, some $4,000 year, and his
executors being wealthy men and mar
ried, with increasing families, forgot
! the orphans claim to their cOnSidera-
ton.
How few friendships last lifetime.
| How far less are held sacred beyond
| the tomb! l had neither father nor
mother, brother nor sister, Ny near
est friend was the family lawyer and
! next to him was Lord Lyndhurst then
! chancellor.
| How we'll | remember the morning
| left old Rugby, after few words
of gentle advice from the old doctor,
in my ill-ftting clothes and antiquated
| hat.
| l have keen recollection as l en-
! tered a tirst-class carriage on my way
| to London.
The following morning l left the
hotel and walked from Charing Cross
! to Fenchurch street, where the family
lawyer had his office.
| When | reached the lawyers at last
and inquired for Mr.. Latham and was
shown into the junior partners room,
l was so pale and trembled so violent
! Iy that he told clerk to bring me
a glass of water.
He seemed very cordial and encour-
! aged me until the senior arrived. l
vas shown upstairs into his room. He
! came forward to meet me with a
| stumbling gait, for he was an old gen
| tleman of 60. He took my hand and
said:
and so this is William Herbert's
SOM"
l acknowledged my paternity.
| Your father and | were bosom
friends until he died leaving that I'M
fortunate will, made without any con-
SultatiOn with me, / can never forgive
him that. 1t was a breach of conf,
dence"
Did he leave you nothing, SIR"
| innocently inquired.
! Yes; he left me something, Mr..
| Herbert-the recollection that the hap
piest days of my old bachelor life had
| been spent with him. But poor Bill
Herbert was a reckless, improvident
fellow. God bless him! and always in
tended what was right"
! And the old mans eyes glistened
with a fishy moisture; and as | looked
down on the floor, knowing not what
to say, l thought whether the old fam
lily lawyer had ever joined in my
fathers recklessness and what kind
of fun they may have had together.
''AIr. Herbert" suddenly remarked
/ Mr.. Latham in a business tone, my
lord chancellor will be in his private
| chamber at ." and consulting an enOr-
nous gold watch. ''it is now half past
- You will go to the nearest chop
house; there is one at the corner of
! Grace Church street. Get your chop
and be here punctually at a quarter
past 1.
AS | went down through the office to
| the chop house [ noticed that all the
clerks looked at me with a smile of
commiseration. [ believe I was 50
| green that if a metropolitan COW had
encountered me the result might have
| Inconvenience me. Nevertheless,
was in perfect ignorance, with a wild.
! excited mind as to what the lord
| chancellor would do.
60 Il al,
and glass of porter; and getting into
| Mr.. Lathams brOugham, with a bun
! die of papers in charge of a clerk,
We were soon at the private door Of
| the chancellOr's chambers in Chancery
Lane.
! Mr.. Latham got out first, and said
! something to a solemn looking man.
who disappeared; but when he re
| turned, whispered to Mr.. Latham. He
took the papers and said to NE:
"COme along"
| We entered a very ordinary ROOM
surrounded with book cases filled with
| books bound in legal sheepskin. In
! the center Of the room, at & conven-
| lent desk, sat an old gentleman, in a
maroon-colored leathern chair writ
| ing. He, was thin, shaved quite clean,
with al heavy mouth and prolonged
chin.
MY Lord" said Mr. Latham, ap-
preaching, this is the ward for whom
[ solicited your kind consideration.
''Certainly, Latham. Take a chair.
How have you been? And this infant
is
civilian Herbert, my lord"
Come here. my child" said his lord
ship. in the kindliest of voices. 'And
so you have just left Rugby; and how
is the good old doctor"
''Quite well. sir, when [ left I for
got all about calling him my lord, l
was so nervous.
I took & chair beside him. and. see
ing how iustered l was, he continued:
You must feel no embarrassment in
coming to me; remember I an your
guardian. and I want you to think of
me precisely as you have been accus-
toned to think of the good doctor at
Rugby. Now, Herbert. your father
wrote his own will. and unfortunately
so WOrded it that though he provided
for your education. he left nothing to
your maintenance between that and
your majority. Consequently, through
the representations in court By your
good friend. Mr. Latham. l have con-