The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-20
RESTITUTION.

Aaron Donberg had been twice married,
but he had never had a child of his own.
His second wife had been a widow, with
one child by former husband, and Gas
pard was that child.
Once while Gaspard was quite young old
Donberg had been taken very sick and
fancied himself dying. In this condition
he sent for notary and made his will, by
which will he gave his property all to Gas
pard, his wife to have the use of certain
portion while she lived
But Aaron Donberg did not then die
He got well and lived to discover that his
stepson was a mean, false, contemplate
fellow. In time his wife died, and at the
same time he heard of the death of his
only sister.
He knew that his sister had left
daughter, and he sent for that daughter to
come and live with him. And she came,
and this was Mary Lakeman. She was
1G then.
A widow named Prindle, whose hus-
band had been lost at sea, had been in the
habit of coming to Donberg's house to
work as occasion required. This widow
had a son, Jack, wild, wayward fellow,
frank and true hearted. He saw Mary
Lakeman and loved her.
When her uncle asked her about it, she
replied that she loved Jack Prindle be-
cause she could not help it. And Aaron,
knowing something of Jacks good quail
tics, had said:
''Well, WE'LL Wen send the lad off
upon long voyage, and if he comes back
true man We'll see"
The years passed, and it was generally
believed that Donberg would leave all his
wealth to Mary Lakeman.
At length, when she had lived with her
uncle five years. the old gentleman was
taken sick, and the doctors said he could
not recover. While be was confined to his
bed his stepson, Gaspard, returned, pro-
Tossing great penitence and begging that
he might be allowed to do his part toward
rendering comfortable the last days of the
good old man.
At length Donberg died, and when he
had been buried his private desk was open
ed, and his will was found-the old will,
by which ne had bequeathed his property
to Gaspard.
People were surprised. It was believed
that new will had been made and that
Mary Lakeman was the heir. Old serv-
ants declared that Mr. Donberg had sought
for the first will, that he might destroy it,
but had not been able to find it.
The notary was dead. The two SUBJ
scribing witnesses to the second will, or
those who were supposed SO to have been,
had gone no one knew whittier.
And so the old will was accepted as the
true one, ana Gaspard Grammot, under
the name of Gaspard Donberg, took charge
of the property. Once more he offered his
hand to Mary, and once more she refused
him.
But a ship came in from India, and the
commander thereof was Jack Prindle.
Mary told him her story, and he heard it
from others.
eff your uncle left such will as we
have spoken Of, he said to Mary, be sure
Gaspard has not destroyed it. 1 know him
we'll, and I know that he is a coward. If
he has disposed OF the second will, think
| ho has hidden it. The burning of it would
be bold crime, but in hiding it he pur-
sues a safer course.
! "Should the witnesses ever turn up, or
should anything occur to render the fact
| of Mr.. Donberg's having made such will
| positive, he could at the last moment al
low the will to De produced and thus GO
| free. At all events, I shall proceed upon
that tack, and am sadly out of my reck-
oning if I do not run Gaspard Grammot
by tho board and bring him to speedy
| surrender