The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-09-12
Mr.. BARNES WILL.

about wills. f.
In fact, IL it were not for the lost
wills, the forged wills, the stolen wills,
ard the wills that have turned up just
at the right moment TO overt untold
misery, the storehouse of fiction would
have space for sale.
| therefore feel that in telling still
another tale about will am imposing
on long-suffering public. l fully UNI
derstand that it would be only natural
for people to say:
Look here, we are sick of wills; es-
peeially those in which we are not men
toned If you must tell something.
tell it about love, adventures, hair
breadth escapes or desert islands, and
let wills alone"
But there are two things that lead me
10 defy popular opinion and tell the
story anyhow. One is that it really isn't
half bad, and the other is that both Rob-
bins and Fox have asked me to make the
matter public, so that they will be set
right in the eyes of the community.
ONLY last week Robbins came to me
and said:
perkins, that business about old
Barnes will is first-rate joke on Fox,
and / don't see why you don't write it
IN for the papers. You needn't mention
ms at all, you know. except to correct
aue false Impressions
"All right" said I, "if it will please
YOU will do it, of course. AS you say,
It's an elegant joke on Fox"
Night before last when was down at
the Octopus club, Fox drew me into a
corner and said in confidential whis-
per:
perkins, why don't you print that
filing about old Barnes will and show
NJ Robbins? It's mighty good thing
O., Robbins, and if you tell it right it
will make people laugh. The facts
ought TO be known anyhow"
lsaid: Fox. I've been thinking about
that myself. and I've concluded TO dol =
THAT'S right said he. as we strolled
downstairs to take, on FoN's invitation,
a cold bottle. That's right, and il
Robbins finds out you're doing it and
tries to make you stop, tell him 10 go to
thunder"
Roth Fox and Robbins are bookkeep
ess br occupation, Fox working for 4
Wholesale grocer on Front street, and
Lob5my being engaged in a gigantic
hardware emporium, whore he j.
Obliged to rein his poetic fancy and keep
hs mind fixed on nails. stoves, fatirons
ana athrr vulgar necessities. 1t is only
a. .eo year. and then but for the short
stae1 81 some fourteen days, that they
arG 0ilc 70 escape from the bonds Of
hus, sand give free scope to the
reckless fancies with which they are en-
dowgl
w mn Ingenious system of swapping
with their fellow employees they gener-
ally manage to secure their vacations az
the same time. aud then go just as far
from home as their pocketbooks will
permit, in order that they may pose as
Two prominent young plutocrats. at a
minimum risk of detection. They have
confessed to me that they find this pro-
persity an expensive one, and that its
qualification entails great deal of self
denial during the evil and uneventful
fifty weeks which they are compelled,
by Il cruel destiny, to spend upon their
native heath. 1t seems only fair TO sup
pose. therefore, that their holiday COM
rrises Il very vivid and enhancing fort
night as it recompenses them for SO
much.
Last summer they went. on the
urgent suggestion of Robbins, to Bar
larbor. Robbins said he had heard q
great deal about that place, and he
wanted to see If it was what it was
cracked up to be. 1t had nobby sort
q name, anyhow, and he believed it
would sound first rate for Fox and him
self 10 say they summered there. If
il didn't come up to expectations they
could take run down to Newport or
Cape May. where they would be pretty
sure to find some society that was con-
genial. Fox, having no violent predi-
ecton for any other place, they locked
up their rooms, hid the key where Meth
or they nor anyone else could by any
chance find it again, flourished five
months salary beneath the impassive
glare of the ticket agent, and went,
H.
They hadn't been gone more than n
week when | received letter, of which
Robbins had written one-half and Fox
the other, in which they said that Bar
harbor was bang up place, full Of elite
people like themselves, and, although
they had at the date of writing been
there only a day and half, they had al
ready been social lions at n reception.
bathed with man worth S1S,000,000.
and rescued bank president from
drowning.
This last item had ring of heroism
about it which conflicted with my pre-
conceived notions of Fox and Robbins.
1t subsequently proved, however, that
they had saved man, and the pres-
dent of the Surplus national bank at
that That this old gentleman, whose
name was Barnes, William Barnes, had