The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-10-15

like his shops. At present ,enan,e'
by the Manhattan Club, opinions a
to its beauty vary. AT the time O
his death there was more money in
! and less taste than in any other dwell
ing in the world. You listen for th'
click of the roulette ball, for the blar'
of brass. 1t seemed to you place
where women in low-neck should b'
constantly ascending and descending
the stairs. The chandeliers made you
blink, and the frescoes sigh. There
was blight upon it, the curses Of the
thousands whom he had ruined.
In the gaudiest corner of it the vii
was read. 1t had been drawn on the
27th Of August, 1872. Two coticiIs
had been added, one on tine same, o"e
on the following day. But it was no,
long. There were few bequests to
servants, domestic and otherwise.
There were few bequests to friends.
There were a few others to relatives OF
the deceased widow. To his legal ad
visor Judge Henry Hilton, the sum OF
100000 was bequeathed, while all
the rest and residue Of his property
was given to the testator's wife, TO her
heirs, executors and assigns forever.
The rest and residue amounted to near
ly fifty millions.
From the eyes of Mrs. Stewart the
look of bewiderment had not gone
it had become accentuated. The ver-
tiginous ascent she had led perplexed
the simplicity of her nature. The in
science and extravaganza of the erud-
tiles with which that house was made
hideous startled her. Ii may be that
dimly and dumbly she had an ink
ling that bad taste leads to crime.
When she learned the magnitude Of
her possessions she was frightened.
Then too in that gaunt. gaudy house
she was alone. The only ones there
to whom she might have turned were
Murille and Rosa Bonheur, but she
did not speak their Language, and she
could not pronounce their names.
Yet, in spite Of the PERTURBATION, her
ways still were ways Of pleasantness
and all her paths were peace. To
a!lay her alarm it has been stated that
Judge Hilton subsequently surrounded
her with detectives, and it has been
rumored that the one pleasure of this
poor woman was to peer through the
curtains and assure herself that they
we're there. Even with fifty millions
such pleasure must pail. Perhaps in
her case it did. In any event she pre-
pared to divest herself of that wealth.
Stewart died on the 10th of April,
1876. Seven days later the notice
in the Herald already cited appeared.
For 81 ,ooo, 900 and divers other good
considerations, she made over to Judge
Hilton, the rest and residue of that
estate, reservlng to herself but the New
York property, of which her husband
had died possessed. The value Of tha,
property was trifle over five millions
Even that was prodigious to her. Tc
woman such as she twelve hundred a
wear would have sufficed. Whether i,
were this, the spelling Of her husband:
grave which ensued, or merely because
of that dread which will come and pul
at the sleeve OF those who lie sleeples:
a, night, whether it were any or all o
these things, increasing age, decreasing
strength, no one may now say. Bu'
this fact remains: When on the 25th
of October, 1885, five days after hel
eighty-third birthday, this woman
the previous possessor of fifty millions,
who but ten years before could have
said, and far more surely than Monte
Cristp: cine world IS mine,' wa:
bankrupt.
! II that is no. a drama in dollars i
! would be interesting to know what is
CHAPTER III.
/ DISSOLUTION.
! Ga that Monday of March, 1888
when blizzard buried this city II
snow. there was in the Surrogate:
court an audience OF the Stewart heirs
i and the widows next OF kin. The,
were clamorous> They talked 50 loud
that it took millions 10 hush them, anf
they had 50 much TO say tntt thci'
tale might b: unended yet. As il wa
thew had been talking for years.
The sums that sopped them to silence
were unrecorded, bu; presently thell
voices subsidized heir faces disappeared
their identity merged and faded.
Hilton remained. He filled th'
perspective. Behind him were goot
many memories. But before him ant
! around and about him were thing
more tangible than they. The firm
tina; Stewart founded for instance, ant
its thousands of employees; two hotel
in Saratoga and three in New York,
stretch of Blocker street; city Oh
Long Island, several churches, cathe
drai, a theatre, hillock Of bonds ant
the peace of conscience at rest.
Nor was that all. In the his,or
and mystery of gems there are stone:
i!l-omened, jewels that have in them
curse, brilliants that breed for the
possessor dismay. What is true
gems may be true of gold. On ,hs
,, which Stewar, got there was ban
cuisines" said Sardou sis other pee
ple's money" To Stewart busIne
was other peoples ruin. The gold
= could not enjoy in his lifetime luris
- corrosive at his death
In the closets OF another it IS brat
10 rummage, bu, to display the sksl
e tons you find there is vile VII" i