The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-10

| can imagine that me and my mother
| saw that he had a decent funeral.
Then of course came the hunt for the
will We began decent and respectful
at first. and before the day was out
we were ripping chairs and smashing
bureau panels and sounding walls
Every hour we expected those others
to come in. We asked the housekeeper
and found she'd actually witnessed a
wilton an ordinary half sheet of note
paper, II was written and very short
she said-not month ago. The other
witness was the gardener and he bore
out word for word. But I'm hanged If
there was that or any other will to be
found! The way my mother talked
must have made him turn in his grave.
At last lawyer at Reigate sprang one
on us that had been made two years
ago during some temporary quarrel
with my mother. I'm blest IL that
wasn't the only will to be discovered
anywhere, and it left every penny he
possessed to that Take i'm away
youngster of his second Cousins! A
chap who'd never had to stand his
talking, not for one afternoon of his
life."
The man with the glass eye
stopped.
Il thought you said" began.
Half a minute" said the man with
the glass eye. II had to wait for the
end of the story till this very MORN
ing. and was blessed sight more in
tersted than you are You just wait n
bit, too. They executed the will and
the other chap inherited, and directly
he was one and twenty he began to
blue 1t. How he did blue ii to be sure.
He bet, he drank, he got in the papers
for this and that-I tell you, 1t mates
me wriggle to think of the times he
had. He blued every ha'penny of it be-
fore he thirty nd he IL 4
of him was-Holloway prison. Three
years ago.
We'll / naturally fell on hard times.
because, as you see, the only trade /
knew was legacy cadging. All nv
plans were waiting over to begin, so
to speak, when the old chap died-I've
had my ups and downs since then.
Just now-it's a period of depression.
l tell you frankly I'm on the lookout
for help. 1 was hunting round my
room TO find something to raise a bit
on for immediate necessities and the
sight of these presentation volumes
no one will buy them, not to wrap |
butter in even-well, they annoyed me. |
I'd promised him not to part with |
them. and l never kept a promise cas-
Ter. l let out at them with my boot |
and sent them shooting across the |
room. One lifted at the kick and spun |
through the air. And out of it tapped |
you guess
1T was the will. He'd given il me
himself in the very last volume of
ALL"
lie folded his arms on the table and
looked sad with the active eyes at his
empty tankard. He shook his head
slowly and said softly. I'D never
opened the book, much more cut a
page" Then he looked up with bitter
augh, for my sympathy.
Fancy hiding it therel Eigh? OF
LII places"
He began to fish absently for dead
iy with his finger 1T just shows YOU
he vanity of authors" he said, look
ng up at me. 1T wasn't no trick of
his. He'd meant perfectly fair. He'd
eally thought / was rally going home
o read that blessed book of his
through. But it shows you. don't it?"
His eyes went down to the tankard
gain. 1T shows you, too. how much
We poor human beings fail t0sunder-
tand one another"
But there was no misunderstanding
he eloquent thirst of his eye. He ac-
epted with ill-feigned surprise. He
aid In the usual subtle formula that
lie didn't mind If he did.