Arizona republican., 1903-07-22
HEIRESS TO MILLIONS.
Grabbed Old Merchant Leaves His
 Fortune to a Child of Nine

Manchester, Eng.-There is an un- commonly pretty romance in connec- tion with the legacy of nearly 8, 000. 900 which the nine-year-old daughter of a poor Manchester couple has inherited from John Port, a hard-headed, unro- mantle old manufacturer. who died the other day. Jane Lofts-or Port as the child has now been renamed by her benefactor'S wish-waS no relation whatever to the man who finally en- riched her. He was a lonely old fellow of seventy-four, without a chick or child of his own to frolic with. Little Miss Lofts and he took a fancy to each other, became good friends. and. at his death. Port showed how dear his little playmate had become to him by mak- ing her his sole heir.
 Ports story-up to the time when Jamie Lofts comes into it-is the famil- far one of the former poor boy becom- ing a millionaire through his own ef- forts. He was born in a slum; at the age when most boys are in the nursery he was working from in the morning un- til at night ia a Manchester factory In the evening he studied as we'll as he could. He always intended to be rich. "I hate poverty" he burst out to his 1OISIldH ore uay, I mean 10 De wealthy some time" So by the time he was twenty-one, though he then was earning only $7.50 a week, he had enough money in the bank to buy a small shop. He located himself in the suburbs. to which people were just be- ginning to swarm, and he elected to make bedsteads his speciality Sell people necessaries. leave others to sup ply the luxuries." was the proverb he took for his guidance. Well, he mace his triumphs. He became a million aire and was reckoned among the rich est men in Manchester. But, long be- fore Ports ambition was realized. his wife had died, his former friends had got out of his gen. and. as for the rich man himself, he seemed to have be- come entirely absorbed in money-get- ting. He was seldom seen in public. and everybody supposed him incapable of forming new friendships, or of go- ing in for anything like fun
 They found out their mistake. how ever, when the Lofts, with their little daughter Jamie. moved into the house next to the humble home which Port had elected to stick to in spite of his wealth. Almost before the little girls parents realized it. she and her neigh Dor had struck up an extraordinary friendship. No doting grandfater ever proved more frolicsome than the stern old money getter whenever his little ray of sunshine" as he called her. could be persuaded to visit him.
 Jamie does not come into her com plete legacy until she is twenty-one when it is calculated that her capital will have increased to about 8. 15O. 900. She now, however, is to have 5000 a year, which will be increased in 1905 to S10,000.
 Meanwhile the little girl is by no means overwhelmed or even especially "set up over the fact that she sud- denly has become a great heiress. Per haps she is too young to realize in the least what it means, but when it was carefully explained to her that from now on she would be practically able to grati;y practically every wish. she fiouted the idea of unlimited dresses and jewels.
 When you grow up," the little Miss Midas was asked. would you like to be a fine lady and live in London and have carriages and horses and ser vants?"
 "NO, I am sure I should not" she said, ''I should like to live in the coun- try and grow flowers and vegetables. The flowers I could send to the hospi- tals, and the vegetables I could give to the poor. On hospital Sunday l sent such a beautiful basket of flowers. but l think the children liked better the basket of daisies gathered for them myself. Don't you think all little children like daisies better than those