Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-05-21

said, kindly. "Here, let me put you
little more easy"
THANK We, Dick" he said, "but
it's all over That boy has killed me.
Did he ask You if You had my will?"
Eyes, about month since, and I
said No."
81 knew it, Dick; I knew it," he
said, pitifully; "and ever since he has
been worrying me to let him make my
will. Dick, old friend, I've made a
big mistake. There, there, don't Jump
upon me. II confess it all. I
thought he was his mothers boy, he
was SO like her; but-but he has his
fathers spirit and his ways to the very
bone"
81 am glad You have awakened to
the truth" said.
"You should have advised me bet
ter" he retorted querulously.
",ohould 7, jack"
"No. no; you did, Dick. I've only
just found ont what an old fool nm,
my dear boy. We have quarrelled
terribly, that boy and 7, for 1 have
found him out, in spite of his smooth
tongue. He's n scamp, T. villain-a
gambler, and in debt terribly. He
has half killed me, Dick. and
| and"
7 tore at the bell, as the poor old
fellow seemed about to have fit. for
the terrible emotion he had suffered
at what must have been the roofing
up of his most cherished belief in his
sisters child had proved, in his weak
state, to be more than he could bear.
The doctor was sent for, and at the
end of an hour John Hendricks was
so far recovered that he whispered
my name, and T, sitting down beside
him, heard him in whisper say
"Draw up my will quickly. A just
one"
81 don't think he will ever recover
sufficiently to sign," said the doctor.
"He has driven it too late, Mr..
Brown"
The doctor was right, for my poor old
friend never recovered his senses, but
quietly breathed his last few hours
later.
The funeral followed in due form,
and was there, both as old friend
and solicitor, to meet the very small
party who went to the grave.
Sam was there, of course, making
no indecorous show of sorrow, while
his brother sobbed aloud over the
grave; but he had good deal recov-
cred when we assembled afterward in
the dining-room of my old frienls
house, his few friends wondering
whether he had remembered them in
his will, about which subject l heard a
whisper going round that none had
been left.
suppose that it was from feeling
of Importance, perhaps more from an
unwillingness to wound poor Sam
Hemsley and his young wife by letting
them hear the unjust will, that L did
not hurry myself to produce it, though
L don't think they anticipated much.
But all at once, to my utter astonish-
ment, Philip rose, coughed to clear
his husky voice, and said quietly:
"Ipresumc you all know how much I
have of late been in my uncle's con-
tidence, so that you will not be sur
prised that, as ! was by his wish a
solicitor. he should have entrusted to
me the making of his will"
am a man of the world, but for the
moment Twas knocked off my balance.
Then | was about to exclaim, as 1 saw
him bring forth the documents:
hal hnH
forged will"
Fortunately for Sam, I recovered
myself, and sat with my old friends
genuine will buttoned up beneath my
coat, while. with the calmest audacity,
the rascal read out the document that,
as lawyer, he had cleverly forged.
saw it all now. He had asked me
if had his uncle's will, and had said
no. He must have searched the old
man s papers aud found none, and, feel
ing safe, Philip had forged will in
his own favor, and artfully, too, max
ing one about which there could be no
dispute; for he provided legacles to
friends, and the residue, which proved
to'be over hundred Thousand pounds,
in equal moieties to his nephews,
Samuel and Philip Hemsley.
7 sat and laughed to myself as I
heard him read this piece Of forgery,
which was all in due form, clever from
the mans cunning in contenting him
self with half, knowing that if the will
were otherwise it might have been dis
puted, when now it would be taken as
perfection; and there, all the time, I
sat with the genuine will in my pocket,
from which he was cutting himself off
by this act, while rejoiced to think
how the villain was being forced as it
were by fate to do justice to his brother
Sam.
What would you have done-given
the scoundrel into custody as forger,
made a terrible upset, and caused no
end of trouble about the property?
Perhaps you would. did not, for I
went home, after satisfying myself
that the false will was in due form, and
destroyed the real one.
Yes, know what you will say-that
it was a felonious act, and that I
ought to have been struck off the rolls.
Perhaps 1 ought to have been, but I
pondered on the fact that, instead of
the whole hundred thousand pounds
going to villain who would stoop to
forge, half of it went to truly deserv-
ing man; so left the punishment to
higher powers than those of man, and
kept my secret, which is secret still,
for I have only given fictitious names,