Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-10-17
CHAPTER ".

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worse when once they set out on the
Primrose Way.
We resolved to tell Irving in a gen.
eral way that we We're going to Europe
to make some money and would pay
him and his two fellows their percent
age. Then we could apparently work
with impunity, for Of course if we COM
mitted a forgery in Europe and were
recognized as Americans-as probably
we would be-the foreign police would
report the case to the New York police
that is, to Irving.
Edwin James and Brea had dropped
out of our lives for good, but as my
readers will be curious to know Of their
fate in after times l will relate it in
this chapter.
The S., 600 we gave James eased up
matters for a time. Practice he had
none, but managed to hold on in the
hope of realizing on the Brea viii mat
ter, but getting deeper and deeper IN
debt. Brea helped him all he could, as
his presence was essential if the old lady
departed and the forged will was pro
duced. One night, four years later,
Brea's mother-in- law had a more than
usually furious outbreak of temper and
fell to beating the three daughters still
living with her. Before it was over she
had attacked and seriously injured the
sldest, and then few to her room in
passion. Not appearing at breakfast the
next morning her daughter went to her
room, but she was not there and the
bed was undisturbed Going to the
room that served for office and library,
they found the door as usual locked.
Bursting it open the poor old maids
found their mother huddled in a corner
of the room dead.
The genuine will was destroyed, and
the family lawyer, James, Immediately
after the funeral produced and read
"the last will and testament Of the
dead woman. The four sisters and
host of poor relations were present at
the reading. When Sarah, Brea's wife,
heard her name read as chief heir Of
the vast estate, she was stunned, but IL
]. she was stunned the rest of the family
were paralyzed Legacies were left to
many, small III amount, save i'll the case
of the other three sisters, who were to
have a certain tenement and land in
Harlem and So, 900 year for life out
of the estate. None of those present
thought for a moment Of questioning
either the genuineness Of the Will or the
validity of the testaments save only
poor relation, nephew, whose name
was down for $500. He was indignant
with the old lady and loudly declared
that he would not put up with it. The
next day he employed brie1ess lawyer,
one that had wit and brass enough and
who had his way to make in the world
and was determined TO make it.
Without waiting for the will to be
probated or having legal authority to
do so Brea and his wife, the very day
after the funeral, moved into the house
and took possession. But before the
week was out he had persuaded the
three old maids that they would be hap
| pier if away from the scene of their par
ent's death, so he had them installed in
| their own house at Harlem, lie remain
ing in undisturbed possession, waiting
only for the will to be probated in order
to take possession of upward of 5000, 900
in cash and bonds still in the custody Of
the old lady's bank. He had full posses
sion Of the house, and with entire conf
dence waited to be put in legal posses
sion Of all.
But little did he dream that at that
moment there was one poor torn sheet Of
foolscap in the library, casually thrust i'll
book, lying completely at his mercy to
destroy if he could only have known it,
which was going TO tear all his wealth
from his grasp and drive him forth
foiled plotter to become an adyenturer
and ultimately to perish a miserable
outcast.
Brea then attempted negotiations with
the attorney. Cautious as he was, he
said enough to convince the lawyer that
for some reason he did not want the case
to come before the courts. Still the at
torney was half inclined to join hands
with Brea. In the meantime Ezra (this
was the name Of the man Of law) had
acquired great power over the sisters,
and they all looked to him both as
champion and protector. He resolved to
be protector to one at least, paying as
| sIuuOuh COuIb W JdIt, lIit 1buIlHtcl. al
though past 30, and without education
or accomplishments, she was warm
hearted and extremely sentimental, and
thrill went through her tender heart
when it became evident that Ezra's at
tention pointed at her. She quickly
made him hero and invested the thin
shanked, narrow chested, waspish at
torney with a thousand tender attri-
butes, and when, after one months ac-
quaintance, she found herself alone with
him in the poky little parlor, and he
asking her to be bis wife, her woman's
heart overfowed 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 q gift indeed. His trained
eye recognized it at once as a draft Of a
new will in the handwriting Of the de-
ceased mother and dated the very night
Of her death. 1t was rough craft, but
| dCrO5H lIlc DOItOIu was uTdNn lllc DDlt,
! masculine signature of the 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 viii TO their amazed
ears, and then and there wrote out Il
full statement as to the circumstance
under which it was found. All four at
tached their signatures to the document,
and when Ezra kissed 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 a large
amount Brea got his wife to indorse his
note for SO, 600, 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