The times., 1897-09-19
PART l.

tweuts fi-e wears old l made il a 20 NJ
70 begin rsy legal career VITA MY second
quarter of q century When my twenty
SIKH birthday arrived, and 40 client had
yei come a. lte- feii "a Atilr low ia
spirits. aBHoagh I knew very w'.a that
there was 40 good reason tliAt siloaid be
50. but a. hoping without reason Is a
mental occupation so Common 10 the
human race / felt that / had as good
a rigni rs any other Of my fellow beings
20 indulge IN IL.
In t:e meantime, while waiting for
clients 1 81 ieied; / Sedulousy attended
the courts and feI in love whether or
not this aforementioned affair was con
neCted ia any way with hoping without
teascn, Coald not say, but I stin followed
the eNa5ni + of the human race, and loved
witt tie eaUnestuess aud steadfastnesS
witch Z should have been glad TO put into
law business, II ! had had the opportunity.
Natalie keff0rd was the eldest daughter
Of Ar. Archibald hefford, one OF the Lad
ing citizeIs Of Canihorough. She was a
beautiful woman. with a soul, SO far as i
could discover. in thorough harmony with
my own. ] had become acquainted with
the family when ] first came to the town
as a law student and thus ] had learned
70 know ,hem an well and TO love Natalie.
She was not es4Ea Eed TO me, but con
sidered that ] was engaged 70 her. Ii
was a suieun compact made with myself.
Feeling ar ! did toward the Kefford
family, II Is tot surprising that I should
have derived an unmiSta Eable satisia ctiun,
] mag ~ pleasure. Isl the news Of the
death of Eichulas keflerd. an uncle OF
KataIie's father.
residing near tire village Of satbGry, about
five miles from C8mborough. HiS gri-
cliiural operations and his success III
specalattJns ~ variou, kinds had giy eE him
q very fajr uropert aud he was generally
.cdnsidereI ole OF the rich men OF tie
county He was Unmarried, and his eHIy
naturs1 heirs We're Mr. Archibald Kefford
aud his sister Mrs. Cruwn widow with
several childHen. living nDar Baltimore.
As Ine odd man had always been on
very Cricltay toms with mas nephew and
has niece. it was natural to cXpec. t:tat
the wHoiC or pari Of his property would
he dIyloed bat ursea then. Neither oTfhsm
was rics.. lar. although Mr. KefforTs busi-
ness he WAS real estate ag gent-was fairly
good, his family was growing m9re eNpeu-
Eive eaeh year Mrs. Grown possessed ut
blimIte3i income. aud slI = h>5d probably ,uilt
high hopes upon her uncIe's ineyitabir tie
mise.
I did not blanc myself for nay grafIf.e ga
tion al the ne KS Of the death OF Nicholas
KefforG- II ! had known Mrs Crown !
should not have blamed her for any pleas
ure sne I4islu have shown Oh account If
the event, and, although Mr. Archlhold
Keff8rd, sEho had alW "a u lived SO near his
uncle aAd nad been ol terms Of more uHi-
macy "ith him showed a genuine sorrow
when he tuad. 1 should have found no ragdt
with any quteJ fiufamation 0f his inner
soul II ] could have looked into those re
cesses
To die Tor the benefit Of Others after
a man ias lived long for his own bcne-
fit may DE considered most cor mend
able dose tC a successful life. But when
Mr. HiCl.olas Kefford's VIII was opcI.esl II
was discovered that the property was not
left 70 ihs nephew aHd lis niece The will,
whch WAS leund in the Old gentleman :
desk, Was dated about year back and in
e. the iestator left all lis property. witt
cut reservation TO charity: and. marctl.an
this, he left il 10 a single charity, The
SatOury institution for the Cure of Nervous
Diseases"
the announcement OF the contents Of
the VIII coca stoned surprise aud Indignation
Throughout Camboroueh and the vicinity.
1t asalEnost IIIpus siblr to under stand such
dCpravity inone who Cor 50 many years had
been considered sn eStimable citizen, Old
Keford apparently never had any nerves
himself and why should he suddeul : eyince
such an interest in the nerves OF otter
people
Thl institute 10 which this most amaz-
ing beqEest had been made, consisted. al
that time, OF a large house standing ia
al open iield II contained few officers
and attrndsnts, 4 very few patients-ail
from distance and was presided over,
directei al managed by Spencer Latimer,
n D., dlsJ from a distance. Tl.is gentle
man mad come TO the salubrious region Of
SatSuly about three wears before. had
bought some land OF Nicholas Kefford
and had erected his institution. The Cam.
borough people had never cared for Doctor
Latimer, and although there Were per
sons in the to-rH, who, to my certain
kngwledtoe were afflicted with nervous
disorders sgch for Instance, as an TN
reasoning distrast OF attorneys and bar
rIst-rs sc might happen 10 toe ut the
beginning of Their career none Of them
ever pa.rordzed the inst tuition, and al
though 10 was known that old Nlchoias
Kefford did show a certain interest in the
esfallish.,.,-n il was Supposed thai he
held mort gaccs upon said property aud
was looking out for the moment when il
would bc advisable for him TO foreclose
IIe Was . saeaCi0us Spectator and ex-
ceect1Sig sAilfGl Ia the art OF calculating
the 3rai'5Iie period Of d mortgage
II WAS very easy TO see, when this
affair hsd beer thoroughly discussed from
vBrious POINTS 0f FieV, that the estate %
Nicholas Kefford bad. IN reality, been left
not tea cnsrity more or less worthy, but TO
Spencer Latiuer, ri. D., for his sole beI.e fit
and uses. He, in fact was the institution.
There Serluedt0 lie nobody to whom he was
responsible. and WHY be should become
the owner pf this property. and WHY Mich
olss KetfDrd Should ha ve left it 10 him,
Wsregue ians which noHody il Cama0-oRgh
tr, uhlei himself to answer, for nobody
believed that the VIII was a true one.
Er. heffurd aad Mrs Crown took legal
advice, the VIII was disputed, ana when
IL was submitted 10 the court il was not
adraittea 80 probate. These proceedings
We're resented and opposed by DIT. Latimer
They not only integfercd with the inter
eSts ef t:le Institution 10 which he had
tie hCnor 10 he alta ached, but they struck
cruel ill' " a. his reputation. he asserted
that old SIR. Keffcrd had long been his
valued friead. thaI ne, Latimer, would not
have come 10 SatbuTy II Mr. kefford had
not advised IT. that lie could cot have al
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