Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-01-21

AtN' A"A NSttNNl only Il coupe VI WollljlS
before. Ii began by referring to Che
uncertainty Of life, even for a man
liNinE rs quietly, carefully and uneN-
elun&N as myself" Ii went ON with
his request that would he Wilm0y'S
stlNNjan aud here when | would have
welcomed the most minute and cab
crate dtyNcNons he save none or next
to n2ne, There were Only n few sug-
geStloU>. One. which had already oy-
CURED ~ me, WAS that WilmaN should
land. Tie also suggested that, though
il might become necessary now to pu,
restrictions ON her in some ways, she
should still DO allowed to work out her
own education just as she liked, In
concluding he gave me a little-}l very
little Information, His wtte'S maiden
name had been Wilmay Portland, She
had d'ed very soon after her daughter'S
birth she was the best woman IN
the world" he wrote simply, aud,
think, one Of the most beautiful, |
had no opportunity to set her portrait
painted, and we both diSliked photo
graphs That has not mattered for
have always remembered aer, and rs
the Younger Wilmay grows up | think
You will be able to- see wha her mother
was like" He went ON to say that
after his death he believed that VIII
may would have no other relation liz
ing. Enough there might possibly be
one-,her mothers brother This
mans name was Charles Portland B,
fore arrived on the scene, am
afraid he WAS in far from comfortable
circumstances. He had already spent
his own small apital and the greater
part OF his sisters. He was stjll
getting money from her from time
TO time in order that he might IN
future, as he phased il, 'adopt quite
Il different course But these sums
were of necessity small and apparent
ly, aftcr paying for his bare livelihood
aud the few little Injuries that he felt
he could fancy, they LETT no margin
for the adoption of the quite different
course, In addition to this, his sister
had entirely ceased to believe in him
or respect him. His conduct was not.
il is true, Of kind to make one think
that he respected himself, but It WIS
always quite obvious that he liked
others to respect him, and would do
anything to secure that respect except
deserve IL, Win | appeared on the
scene, was fortunately able to change
his circumstances, wrote him
cheques. | cannot claim that J have
ever been able to write him cheques
SO largo MS to make him feel justified
in the adoption of the quite different
course. But have enabled him to
live in comparative anluenre without
working for il, The only thing tina
abstain from seeing my wife or daugh-
ter, and to see me only on pay day.
when he called for his checque do
not say that | respected him or be
lteNcd in him, as he would have liked
But | paid him to keep away, which
he seemed to like still better. The
last time | saw him was at Sindcn,
rather more than three years ago. He
had called to suggest that he had been
put to great personal Inconvenience
and expense by my move to England,
that the price Of his passage both ways
should be added to the customary
amount of his chccquc 1t struck me
at the time that he gave every promise
that he would die Of drink In the
course OF year, But ! did not like
to be too sanguino about It Charles
Portland rarely stuck to one thing for
long Since then have not seen him.
and am quite sure he Is dead IL he
had been alive. he would lave been
to me for money; and the absence Of
any demands from him is equivalent
TO his certificate OF death It was.
confess, always amazing TO me that he
and Wilmay Portland were brother and
sister. children Of the same parents.
Bu' such things happen. He has never
seen my daughter Wilmay since she
was baby, by the way, and Wilmny
neither recollects him nor knows of
his existence. She had better not be
told about him. Should he turn up
agan-but he will not As | say,
have the equivalent Of his death certif.
cate. But do not let me imply that
Charles Portland had no good points.
He blackmailed me for having married
his sister, and he would do no work,
and later in life he seems TO have be-
come excessively Incorporate. But he
was handsome man, good taker,
and occasionally a vita man by no
means without charm"
| read the whole OF that letter with
great interest--twice over. glanced
through some Of the other papers. At
5 O'Clock heard footsteps overhead.
and then DR.. Ingwold came down and
entered tho library TO take my place,
sending me up 10 bed at once.
CHAPTER VI.
had nnf ayractad IN alax.n 30,