The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-11-11
"Great Scott % he gasped. "The

"The letters / wrote. Ring for
John"
"Calm yourself" she said as she
rang. 'Calm YOURSELF
"You don't know. It's too fearfulu'
John entered.
"Here, John-the six letters / wrote
just before the operation and told you
not 10 post unless I-unless it went
wrong"
"Yes, SIR"
"Don't say yes, sir, you idiot Where
are they?''
"Oh," interrupted the nurse, al saw
some letters on the desk. | thought
they'd been forgotten and posted Them
"Merciful heavensr' groaned the
patient. you've ruined me. And he
fell back fainting.
Herbert Ovey was one of the lucky
children of fortune. His father was
builder, with an average knowledge
of building, and had rs partner
brother gifted with genius for finance.
BY daring speculation in land in the
city and ingenious, almost rash, ma
neuvering of other peoples capital
they had built magnificent collection
of warehouses, sod the ground rents,
paid off the mortgages and realized a
large fortune, his share of which he
invested very soundly in house prop
erty in a rapidly growing suburb.
Herbert, an only child, had been
brought up luxuriously, and after
fairly successful career at Eton aud
Cambridge became an able member of
the bar-not absolutely idle, for he got
small rating practice owing to his
fathers constant fights with the ASSESS
ment committees. The fortune came
to Herbert when he was 80, and during
the next nine years he passed pleas
ant life, spending his 10000 year in
travelling, hunting, fishing, buying
bibelots and pictures. Society, in the
popular sense of the term, he avoided
on account of the husband hunting
tactics of mothers and daughters, for
he held matrimony in horror since he
had noticed how little happiness his
father had got out of the life in which
the 'poor old boy" was cruelty hem
pecked.
Yet when Herbert was approaching
his forty-first birthday he began to feel
lonely, to wonder whether, after all, it
was not worth while to run the risk of
getting bad wife in the chance of Sc
curing good one. So he took house
in Park lane and soon had abundant
opportunities of studying the girls and
women likely to accept a charming,
well educated, interesting man and
10000 year. Most of them fell out
of the running quickly. The residue
were the half dozsn already mention
ed. The odds were from about to l
against the widow TO 10 TO l against
Miss Campbell.
Certainly the widow was very dan
gerous, and upon two occasions, but for
an interruption, Herbert would have
proposed to her. In each case, after
the danger had passed, he felt uncer-
tain whether he was glad or sorry. 1t
cannot be suggested that he was in love
with all or any of them, but his loneli-
ness and want of human interest in life
preyed upon him, and every one of the
six had some charm or quality that
appealed to him.
Fortunately they belonged to differ
ent sets. He was considered flirt in
the literary circle, where he met Miss
Hemming; in the artistic, where Miss
Smythe was famous; in the sporting,
of which Miss Goring was leader; in
the pOlitico-economical, over which
Miss Johnson reigned; in the simply
aristocratic, dear TO Miss Campbell, and
in the theatrical, which considered
Mrs. Bower a star. Yet none of his
pursuers knew of rival out of her
own circle.
Matters logged along, his danger
growing greater every day, till sud
denly his illness declared itself. 1t is
needless to give any details of the mail
adv which threatened his life and led
the profession, after much discussion,
to decide that he must undergo a severe
operation. The family physician told
him that, though the chances were in
his favor, no ought to make his will.
The day before the operation he sent
for his solicitor and asked him to add a
codicil to will already made, as he
wished to leave 81 900 to his old school
fellow.
When the lawyer asked him if there
were any more legacies, he became
thoughtful. He knew that Mrs. Bower
would be disappointed if he died, and
also that she was not rich. He felt too,
that perhaps she might think he had
trified with her, SO he said, put Mrs.
Bower down for e2,O00 free of legacy
duty"
"Any other?" inquired the solicitor.
The thought of Miss Hemmlng came
into his mind, then that of Miss Camp
bell and others, consequently he left
81 900 to each of them.
When he was left alone, Mr.. Ovey
began to consider seriously what he
had done. To his nicely sensitive feel
ings there seemed something of imper-
tinence in the matter. Moreover, he
suddenly remembered that each would
read of the other legacies and perhaps
guess the rather comical truth. He
would get contempt-possibly hate
instead of gratitude. Then happy
thought came to him-a letter would
set matters straight.
He began by writing to Mrs. Bower.
He mentioned the legacy; told her that
twice he had meant to make a proposal
but accident had stayed him; spoke
pitifully of himself and the idea of dy-
ing without having tasted the joys of
married life and wound up with tender
hopes that she would cherish his men,
ory. Then came the turn of Miss
Campbell, but he was already tired of
his task-he hated letter writing-so to
save himself trouble he simply copied
out Mrs. Bowers letter. In the end he