The herald., 1897-09-27

| father he put down to lack of judgmert
merely, and although his accumulated
| savings had gone into some Indifferent
land he continued to send all the way
from $100 to $500 every month, according
to the profits of his business. In his
travelling about he utilized his time in
thinking out new machine in his line
of business, and upon his next trip to
California he spoke to his father about
it, and said it was all ready to be pat
ented. The old man advised that young
Joe" give the matter into his charge.
That he was known at Washington, hav-
ing got out other patents, and he could
have the work done more expeditiously
ard cheaper than he could That was
satisfactory to Joe" and he let the old
man take the matter in charge, with -he
result that the new machine was duly
patented. Joe" had gone on business,
to Salt Lake and while there he received
letter from his father asking him if
anyone made any inquiries of him re-
garding his new machine not to discour-
age them. as he thought he could sell
out his share for $4,000. That struck
Joe" as being just trifle too funny 20
be laugha BILE. He came back to Califor-
MIA to find out just what interest his
father claimed in the machine that he
had not a thing on earth to do with
Upon putting the query to the old man,
the son saw the papers forwarded from
Washington and made close examina-
ton of them for the tirst time.
Half of the patent is mine," remark
ed the genial old gentleman, land there's
my name on the patent; what are you
going to do about it?'
For the first time son "Joe" knew that
he had been played for what the unre-
generate call a sucker" and by his.
own father. All of the old mans ac-
tions shone forth in new light, and on
the patent he demanded his pound of
flesh. Finally the matter was compro-
missed by "Joe'' buying his father out by
giving him his note for s2500, secured
by a mortgage on the thirty-acre ranch
he has now brought to fair state of
development This is the mortgage the
old man attempted to foreclose.
In all this curious manipulation or his
sons money the ludicrous element was
not lacking. One night, when Joe" re-
tired for the night he had a buggy shed
on his place, and when he got up in the
morning he looked through the window
and, 10 and, behold, his buggy shed, was
standing on the old mans premises an d
the Stars and Stripes was waving from
the top in defiance of it's rightful owner.
Altogether this family contention has
been decidedly curious. While the son
may know absolutely that he was bun
coed by his own flesh and blood, he
realized that fact too late. AS Judge
Shaw pointed out, the statute of limita
tion had, been running, and when he fl
nally realized where he stood any claims
were barred by time. The decision of
the court in the suits and counter suits
was compromise between the father
and son, the total amounts being insig
nificant.
Meantime the old man has ranch an
orange grove ard good lot and dwell
ing at Burbank as result of his manip-
ulative abilities as displayed since COM
ing to this state. He Is a pillar Of the
church, and although, judging from his
appearance, his piety is Of the dyspep-
tic variety, he is a man Of no little I'M
portance in the community in. which he
lives.