The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-16

"Ah. YES. yes! Great pity your Uncle
Horace left his affairs so involved!
presume. of course, l am speaking to
Horace Pettigrew Beamish, born
at"
He fickercd over bundle Of yellow
documents.
Born at Clareville in 1S4S. I hold
the parish certificate, in case. Fore
warned is forearmed. o, it's me, siE'
undoubtedly. 1 was named after my
uncle; and 1 named my girl after his
favorite sister-Bessie. You see"
II do fully. 1 simply wished to
verify the various claimants. L
wouldn't put too much store on the
results. Mr.. Beamish. The property
has lain under a heart-breaking mort
gage, as you know; and the ultimate
realization may not split up into more
than a 500 bill. One moment, though!
Bessie. All. possibly you did smart
thing in naming your child so. and
taking her down, as you say. Bessie
Bessie! Let me see.'
"Reallyw MI Beamish rubbed bis
hands. Yes, l fancied l might be de-
stroying two feathered bipeds with one
missile. as you legal gentry put it. Ha,
ha! How-er-what-"
"Ah, Just so! Erratic to the last
your uncle. sir. Those mining shares;
here we are. They are worth now,
with accumulated dividends, something
like $4,000. and the will has been
found in an old boot. Half of them
have been willed to Bessie Ada, daugh-
ter of Horace Pettigrew, and the re-
mainder to the servant who nursed
him before it was known he was likely
to die-as he says. / must congratu-
late ycu, after all, SIR
THE servant! The-the scheming
hussy! You don't" He sat still,
staring hard at nothing. Possibly he
was trying to think out some axiom
to fit the maddening occasion. why,
half to my Bessie! 1t can't be'' He
got up. THAT girl, sir-that girl has
run away with good for nothing
actor fellow! Have no power"
I'VE can't alter the mans will. sir.
There it is in black and white. If you
will give me your daughters address
I'll write to her tomorrow"
And, as a man in dream. Mr.. Beam
ish wrote it down. shook hands imply,
and sat down to wipe his forehead.
"Gracous." he whispered. Bessie
that fellow-$10,000! And here /"
He'll write tomorrow! Then I'll write
tonight"
The inspiration of lifetime! Ten
minutes later he was tearing out to
mail a letter addressed to Gordon
Lowell. Esq. 1t contained a $50 note
and those few hurried words:
Dear Boy: I trust you did not in
tend to take me ut my hasty word.
Allow me to break through my prin-
ciples for once. Any time will do. l
hope I'm just. Live and let live is
one of my notices you did not stay to
hear"
It was posted. Then he went back.
to wipe his forehead again and to
dream, dream, dream.
It was a curious coincidence that he
went on dreaming for just month,
and that the two letters should arrive
by the same mail. At last! One,
stamped Shand & Pascoe. Attorneys"
to say that all was settled. and one
from Lowell to say that he had got the
$4,000. and was bringing it around IN
q bag for safety.
Naturally. he opened the former first.
Dear Sir: We know nothing of the
circumstances, and cannot understand
to what your letter refers. Your uncle,
Horace Beamish, died intestate. For
lack of fusds. apparently, the claim
was abandoned some years ago. we
do not advise you to reopen it. Yours
obediently, "A. SHAND.'
With a nameless pG3g. that twitched
his fingers, he opened the second en-
velope.
Dear Mr.. Beamish: I return. with
deepest thanks. the $50 you so kindly
sent me- Perhaps in the future you
may not have so poor an opinion of my
powers of acting. Yours APOLOGIZE
cally, GORDON LOWELL.
st. Louis Star.