Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-10-19

thrill went through her tender heart
when it became evident that Ezra's at
tention pointed at her. She quickly
made him a hero and invested the thin
shanked, narrow chested, waspish at
torney with a Thousand tender attri-
butas, and when, after one months ac-
quaintance, she found herself alone with
him in the poky little parlor, End he
asking her to be his wife, her wol9an's
heart overflOwed, and telling him she
had loved him from the first hour they
met she threw herself into his arms, cry
ing she was the happiest and most ia
vored woman in the world. In the midst
OF the happy lovers talk she ran to the
shelf, took down book, and opening it
revealed soiled sheet Of paper and ask
ed her lover what it was His love had
given him gift indeed. His trained
eye recognized it Mt once as a draft of q
new will in the handwriting of the de-
ceased mother and dated the very night
OF her death. 1t was q rough draft, but
across the bottom was drawn the bold,
masculine signature Of tho old lady.
There were no signatures of witnesses,
but Ezra was lawyer enough to know it
would stand, and that it revoked all
previous wills. Calling in the two elder
sisters, he read the will to their amazed
cars, and then and there wrote out q
full statement as to the circumstance
under which it was found All four at
tached their signatures to the document,
and when Ezra3issed his love a tender
good night and went home he hardly
felt the paving stones under his feet,
for he had carefully tucked away in the
inside pocket of his vest, just over his
heart, the little soiled piece of paper
which told him in unmistakable terms
that his fortune was made, and the
wedding ceremony once over that it was
beyond all chance of change
Before the discovery Of the new will,
while it was believed that Mrs. Brea
was an heiress and her credit good, she
and her husband had made use of the
fact, and had incurred debts to large
amount. Brea got his wife to indorse his
note for $40, 900, and he borrowed that
sum from the bankers, but as soon as
the true state of the case was known
his creditors became clamorous and had
him arrested on civil suits. Unable to
give bonds, he was locked up in Ludlow
Street Jail, and there he remained six
months, until, acting upon Ezra's ad-
vice, the sisters agreed to pay all his
debts and give him and his wife 81 200
each If they would live west Of Chicago.
This they were forced to accept and
went to Montana. Brea opened saloon
at Butte City, but he never recovered
his spirits again. He became his own
best customer, and that of course meant
ruin, but what, after all, killed him
was tho knowledge that he had been for
more than score of days in full posses
sion of that old house and had spent
scores of hours alone in the old library
and yet had not discovered and destroy
ed the new will lying there at his mercy.
The sheriff soon sold out his saloon,
while his wife eloped with his hest
friend. Ruined in pocket, health ard
character, poor old Brea was left bare to
every storm that blew. One morning, as
the sun was rising over the town, sur
prising half dozen belated gamblers in
Ned Wright's saloon as they were get
ting up to leave, they found lying across
the threshold the body of a man, rag
ged, emaciated, forlorn. 1t was Brea.
As soon as James had read the will
he insisted upon having $4,000 from
Brea at once, and he got the money.
But when that thunderbOlt of the new
will fell OH the two men James sadly
recognized that fortune and he would
shake hands no more, so far as this
world is concerned, and he resolved to
chance returning to London before the
whole of the s., 900 he had from Brea
was gone. To London he went. He lived
a few years in extreme poverty, driven
to all manner os miserable shifts, and at
last died.
This man died who ought to have
been buried in Westminster abbey, so
adding one more brilliant name to tho
long line of Industrious lord chancellors
from Thomas Beckett and Cardinal
Wolsey down. but he, hating his own
soul, took the first step in wrongdoing,
and instead IF resting in the mighty
abbey and bequcathing his dust as a
precious legacy &c succeeding genera
tons persisted forlorn and alone and
was buried in pauper's grave.
We all landed in Liverpool in the
highest spirits and d. once took the
train for London, enjoying the novelty
Of everything.
Therefore. after completing certain
preparations which required skill and
considerable business knowledge, we
departed to execute this new and Of
course last shuttle for fortune.
After we saw George off to Paris on
the train Mac and l walked mp and
down the platform outside Of the station,
star gazing. Mac, with his brilliant
scholarship. elegant speech. logical force
and fiery enthusiasm. made most fas-
cinating companion.
The study of mankind is man, the old
proverb says hut, like many other prov
cribs. there is full measure of unreaiity
in it. 1t takes a good amount Of AFRO
gance and conceit for one to fancy he is
going to study and understand men. No
man can understand himself, and by no
amount of experience or study will he
ever come to understand that subtle