Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-11-27


to the domination of those who have ~
conception Of justice, and who have. !,
their cruelty and lespotisIn, driven me L
tie verge Of despair With no one of n,
own blood to care for me or offer pro. &c
ton, | am wholly Mt the mercy of stran
gers whose sclfshncss and greed hav,
made them blind to all reason and deaf I,
entreaty
She paused Her head dropped ant
there was CLEAN Of moisture in her CIV,
as she lifted delicate lace handkerchief o
exquisite design to her face
Mortimer was deeply touched by 1hes,
signs CT distress
Il shall not go over all ] have endured
and suffered, she went on, after few
moments OF silence, but will give you III,
necessary facts as briefly as can A short
time ago relative of mine died, leaving
large fortune, and, being the only one who
had any claim upon him, was, of course
the chief beneficiary In the deceased s will
But being somewhat strange and ececn
trio parsonage, the deceased made certain
conditions aud stipulations in his will by
which am made subject to the authority
OF others till marry or attain my major
| ity But this Is not the worst The will
fore a certain date the bulk of the inherit.
ance. which. in justice, should be mine
will go to another You can readily per
ce1ve the predlcament am placed in. and
1t Is TO obtain your assistance In devising
some means by which can escape the tyr
amy OF my guardians and secure control
of what Is mine that have come to you
You may think it strange that havo
not laid this matter before my own attor-
neys, or those of my deceased relative and
benefactor, but as they now have charge
OF my affairs and are receiving handsome
fees for their services, and will continue to
do so while the business Is in their hands,
you can easily see that they will not lend
acceleration to- any movement to deprive
them of this source of revenue
You are right, said Mortimer 1T is
not likely that they. being interested in
the issue, will give you the proper advice
You certainly did wise thing in seeking
counsel from another source | shall be
happy to aid you In any way possible, and
dare say we can easily find some way out
of the difficulty
sOh, Mr. Slukel You don't know what
relief your ASSURANCE gives me | had
grown so miserable under the strain of
mental worry and i'll treatment that have
almost dcspaired of ever gaining even
brief respite from my troubles u
Then you must take hope " in u tone
that was meant to be kind and reassuring
Have you copy Of the wlll2'
Unfortunately have nDt-that IL. asa
whole But managed to secure copy of
that part of the will which imposes the OBJ
legations upon me This may give you all
the information necessary .
That will do for the present at least
The visitor drew from her portmanteau
large sheet of paper, written over in
delicate feminine hand, ndgave 1t to Nor
timer She then drew roll of bills from
the same place, and selecting five-cach of
500 denomination-laid them upon the |
table at tho lawyers side
Please accept this as a retainer " she
said with some confusion lyon must |
pardon me; perhaps should have given
you this before asking your advice. but /
am ignorant of business affairs
Mortimer could hardly suppress a gasp
as he glanced at the bills it scanned al
most fortune to him. and for n moment
he almost lost his presence of mind lie |
to murmur something like thaniss
with an assurance that her manner of DO
ing business was entirely satisfactory, and
rs to fees--that was matter of minor
Unfolding the document she had given
him. he read it through carefully He
noted, with great satisfaction, that the es-
tate willed to his fair visitor was valued at
little less than $1,000, 900, and the condi
lions imposed were plainly set forth. They
we're not serious ones. They first stipulated
hat the property, us well as the guardian.
ship of the girl, should be in the hands of
he administrators and guardian therein
named until she should become of age or
marry, and that should she fail to marry
before certain date the bulk of the entire
state should go to another, a benefactor
If the testator therein named
When he had finished reading the docu.
nent, absorbed in thought he said,
Might | ask when you will become of
ger
Just one year from today" she said.
Mortimer knit his brows and reflected
moment Then no asked her some ques-
ions regarding other points Of the will
'he replied readily and for half hour
no two conyersed on the subject of the
will and its provisions.
Let me see, said Mortimer, again re
erring to the document in his hand lit il
rovided that you lose the bulk of the for
une unless you marry on or before Jan .
4, and that is this very day p
YES, she responded in a faint voice ,
Oh, Mr.. Sluke, what shall doS What
an do?
The young lawyer shifted uneasily In his :
hair, his countenance revealing deep cogi !
alton and perplexity ,
Miss Dangcriield sat toying rcstlessly 5
With trinket suspended from her brace
Of She looked very beautiful-so Nor.
liner thought and so would any one have :
hought-as she sat in the glow of the {
amp, her tumbled mass of burned gold {
urls making vivid contrast to and in
the transparent beauty of her {
nee )
1t was some moments before the silence /
,as broken
II can see but one way out of the un s
leasant predicament said Mortimer
And that is I
You must be married ,
She sat staring at him wan and aghast [
He moved nervously in his chair while
o slowly folded the document she had I
ivap him