Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-09-22

him or MS nephew y cOnuuct:
.To complaint she repeated. "No:
that is not the word that expresses my
Intention. | wished Sir Derck TO know
the sort Of villain his nephew WIS, but
not in the sense OF seeking redress 1T
his hands-which seems to me implied
in the word complain.
The opposing counsel did not take her
cutie SO gently in cross-examinatioD.
"Wcrc your parents aware of your
acquaintance with Mr.. Deaney he
asked. in his sharpest tones.
NO" she made answer
"Of course you realized that he was
socially your SUPERIOR
II knew he was a barrister of GOOD
family. and that my OWL father was
an architect-if that il what -ou
meaD."
THAT Is precisely what | do mean.
Now. did il not occur To you, as "A care
fully brought up girl of nineteen, that
clandestine meetings with IL gentleman
SO much above you in rank would be
more likely TO terminate disastrously
than happily 10 yourself?'
Certainly not.'' she replied, inJig.
nantIy. He was not OF the Blood Roy
al, aud needed no. special act of parlia-
ment to marry me. j trusted in him
absolutely"
Now, with regard to the mock-mar-
rage itself. Where was il Celebrated!'
I'm an office, near the British Muse
um.'
"H'm....... Did nothing singular
strike you in the manner and appear
ance OF the supposed clergyman
Il thought he looked poorly-dressed
and read the service very awkwardly.
But | paid no heed 10 such details; why
should /? 1t was enough for me that
/ was being married TO The man 4
loyed.'
well. you were q remarkably con-
fiding young woman" remarked the
counsel, drily. "Now, answer me this
question, and please remember you are
upon your cath: Was it not in order
to be reyenged upon stephen Deane
that yen sought out Sir Derek and ca
ioled him into marrying yOu and max
ing this WIZ
To this question Alice's advocate
promptly objected, and n hot discus
sion ensned. Finally the judge left il
open to the witness to reply or not, as
she chose. And she, despite the warn
ing gestures of her counsel, elected 70
rerly.
Il did not seek out Sir Derek.' she
replied. flashing Il look ut her question
err which even made that seasoned
practitioner vince. 'He sent for mt.
and. out of Difference to his great age. /
went to him. He spoke i'm very bitter
terms OF his nephew, stephen, whose
conduct towards me, he said, stamped
him as an unprincipled scoundrei.
Some days afterwards he asked me TO
Become his wife"
did he state his reasons for asking
YOU queried the judge, looking up
from his ~pen-and-ink sketches.
"Yes.Amy lord. He said Ii would be
n just fcparation from him, as head of
the family. for the cruel wrong done
TO me, and that he would, furthermore.
make it IN effectual neal of pun
ishing the wrongdoer. OF his other
nephew, Oscar, he refused ever to
speak"
You were aware, then. of the ne IRE
of this will before his deathY'
'Oh, yes. He told me he was leaving
me everything, except some small leg
acies: and he half-seriously, half-jest-
ingly. advised me to sell off all the es-
tates and spend the proceeds as fast as
possible. Otherwise, he said, / might
although not a Deane by BIRTH fall
under the family curse"
mice advice for a sane testator TO
give, I must say!' snapped Stephens
counsel. after that, Lady Deane,
don't think / need trouble you any fur
Their. And that, my lord, is our
case"
''Then you do not propose to call the
PLAINTIFF asked the judge, in some
surprise.
mo, my lord said the great Q. c.,
with a knowing wink towards the jury.
we think Lady Deane's own evidence
quite sufficient to upset this m0nstrous
record of folly termed by courtesy. n
will"
This, was, of course, n tactful inn
promptu decision, prompted by the de-
sire to run no risk Of marring the
damaging inference he had squeezed
out OF Allce's concluding remarks.
Moreover, Stephen had intimated his
desire to avoid the witness,box If possi-
Bile.
The judge summed up with remarka-
BILE brevity. the issues being, he said,
simple in the extreme. The questions
for the jury to decide We're two in
number.
l.. Was the testator, upon the evidence
adduced, of sound intellect when be
signed the will in dispute?
,. Had undue influence been brought
to bear to induce him to sign the said
viii?
After a somewhat lengthy absence,
the jury returned with their verdict.
TO the first question their answer
was "Yes.' The testator seemed TO be
somewhat superstltious, but of sound
mind.
To the second question their reply was
less direct. They found that the testat-
or's mind had been unduly prejudiced
by Stephens action i'm seeking to shield
his brother, wherein they. as iurymen.
could see no sufficient offense to juGti-
fy disinheritance And they, further
more. found that the additional charge
brought by defendant against plaintiff
had tin the already embittered condi-
ton OF testator's feelings towards
p~laintiff) unduly influenced him TO be-
queath his entire fortune to defend
ant.