The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1899-04-06

dL his ClSdT, lutIe ISL uiuCu uSb uOW-
adays in mans making his will If
any of his relatives or step relatives
are dissatisfied with their share. all
they have to do is to break the will
Any respectable lawyer ought to be able
to draw up will that no one could
break.
my uncle went on smoking I've
never made a will. he said-'there'
plenty of time for that yet-but when
do | think | shall be able to do it with
out calling in any fool of lawyer. 1t
won't take long to write my will
mean to leave all | have to khat boy
there. nodding at me: that is-if be
behaves himself
He pulled at his cigar for a few mo-
ments in silence and then said, Just to
show how easy it is. III write a will
now He took fountain pen from his
pocket Let me have your book. San
dy.
~ handed ovel the Virgil. and my
uncle. turning over to one of the back
fly leaves. wrote few lines. There
he said 1 think that will would stand.
He read it aloud As nearly as | re-
member it. it was worded like this
March II, ls9-.
II hereby give devise and bequeath every
thing of which die possessed, both real estate
and personal, to Alexander Sandman Schwar
zenberg, son of the Lee, Ill AID Rachel
Sehwarzenberg. ALEXANDER SANDMAN.
"'Therel said my uncle. passing the
book to one of the drummers Do you
see anything the matter with thatY
That no good said the drum.
mer.
"'It isn't2' said Uncle Sandman,
I'D like to know why it ism
=" 1t isn't witnessed replied the
commercial traveller
"'Oh said my uncle We'll, you
two fellows just put your names down
as witnesses.
They did so with some joking and
then NV uncle called a brakeman who
was sitting near and who had heard the
talk Just put your name down there,
johnnie. he said. We might us well
do the thing in style and have three
witnesses.
THE brakeman signed his name. and
then Uncle Sandman, closing the book,
handed it over to me. Take care of
that Sandy, my boy, he said There's
your fortune in Virgil.
1.-The drummers began swapping
yarns again. After awhile the smoke in
the car began to make me sick | was
only kid then, you know. and WASH
used to it Well, | got up to go in one
of the forward cars. The smoking car
was the last on the train. 1t was snow
ing, raining and hailing by Turns, and
the wind was blowing gale. As
crossed the platforms from one car to
another my foot slipped ON the icy
boards, and a great gust of wind carried
away my hat and nearly made me lose
my balance. threw up my arms to save
myself and the Virgil slipped from my
hand and disappeared beside the track.
| was afraid of what my uncle would
say when told him of my carelessness
So | went forward into the farthest ear
from the smoker and sat down in cor
ner -
The boy stopped as if that We're the
end of his story and idly rolled the cigar
in his fingers.
We'll said |, Ego on Was your
uncle SO angry that he disinherited
your
No, replied the boy slowly Il
hadn been in the forward car 20 min
utes when there was terrific crash
that smashed the windows and threw
me against the seat in front.
IAN express train had come up be-
hind us and smashed into us. telescop-
ing the two rear cars Uncle Sandman
and the two drummers were among the
killed The brakeman who had signed
the will escaped with only slight in
juries
well, said. that is quite Il
yarn.
THE day after the funeral. the
trainboy went ON. Il went back to the
nearest town to the place where the
book had been lost and walked up and
down the track for miles looking for
it "
You never found it7' | asked
mo but three months later | was
there again, and | could not help look
ing along the side of the track as !
walked, although of course | didn't
really expect to find it | met small
boy who asked me what | was looking
for asked him if he had ever heard
of any one who had found book near
there He said Yes. he knew hoy
who had found one there early in the
spring. | gave him quarter and made
him take me at once to the boy S house
The boy was at school. but | saw his
mother She said yes Tommy had
found a book beside the track, queer
book that none of them could read ]
asked her if she would let me see it
She said she had sold it to peddler for
paper rags a day or two after it was
found She had never seen the peddler
since, and was never able to trace
him The book may have been used up
in some paper mill or it may possibly
have found its way to some secondhand
bookstore never pass secondhand
bookstore without going in to ask if
they have an old copy of Virgil
Uncle Sandman had left no other
will He had never legally adopted Inc,
so | had no legal claim on his money
1t was divided up among some cousins
whom he had not seen for years
THE brakeman who had witnessed
the will got me the place to sell papers
on the cars.
just then the train stopped at sta
ton and a number of passengers got