The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-14

time, in exactly the way he did go. Why.
she even had doctor down from Frisco
year ago-introduced him as an old friend
and had him stay around three days-1ust
to give her a private professional opinion
on his chances. AS TO this will, the sigma
ture is undoubtedly genuine. but my Judg-
ment is she procured il in some way on a
blank sheet of paper and had the VIII WRIT
ten above on sheets like il. AS IL conforms
TO the real will word for word, excepting
the requests to her, she must have had ac-
cess TO that before having this one written;
Of course that helps to make IL look as IL
the testator had changed his mind only as
TO the one legatee-makes it look plausible
and genuine: The witnesses were. OF course,
parties TO the fraud. but seriously ques-
ton our ability TO prove there was fraud:
We think they procured copy of the Will
we kept in our safe at Butte through the
clerk that Tafe fired awhile back because
of his drinking habits and because he was
generally suspicious of him. OF course
that's only surmise."
But can't we fight it?' demanded Per-
cival. hungrily attacking the crisp, brown
We'll, if we allowed it to come to con-
test. We might expose the whole thing, ana
then again we might not. / tell you she's
clever. She's shown it at every step. Now
| then, IL you do fight" and the lawyer
bristled, as If his fighting spirit were not
| too far under the control of his experience
born caution, why. you have litigation
| that's bound TO last for years, and it would
be pretty expensive. L admit the case Is
| tempting to lawyer, but in the end you
don't know what you'll get, especially with
| this woman Why, do you know she's al
ready, we've found, made up to two differ
| ent judges that might be interested in any
| litigation she'd have, and she's cultivating
others. The role Of Joseph" he continued
has never, to the best of my belief, been
gracefully played in the worlds history.
and you may have noticed that the MEM
| bers Of the Montana judiciary seem to be
particularly awkward in their essays at 1T.
Ia the end, then. you'll be out lot of mon
ey even if you win. On the other hand, you
have a chance to settle it for good and all,
| getting back everything-excepting the will.
which, of course, we couldn't touch or even
| concede the existence of, but which would,
| if such an instrument were extant, be de-
stroyed in the presence of a witness whose
| integrity / could rely upon-well-as upon
| my own. The letters which she has, and
| which l have seen. are also such as would
| tend to substantiate her claims and make
/ the large requests to her seem plausible
| and they're also such letters as-I should
| infer-the family would rather wish not to
be made public. as they would be II 1t came
| to trial.
Jest what told him." remarked Uncle
! Peter.
what she'll hold out for 1 don't know,
but I'd suggest this, that l meet her at
| torney and put the case exactly as I've
| found it out as to the will, letting them
suspect. perhaps. that we have admissions
of some sort from Horribly, the clerk, that
| might damage them. Then / can put 1T that,
| while We have no doubt of our ability to
dispose of the will, we do wish to avoid the
ton of the letters they hold and the ex-
| posture of her relations with the testator,
and that upon this purely sentimental
| ground we are willing to be bled to a rea-
| sonable extent. The One Girl is valuable
| mine, but my opinion is she'll be glad TO
get two million if we seem reluctant to pay
that much
| With that gusto of breakfast appetite
| which arouses the envy Of persons whose
| Authorization is not what 1T used to be, Per-
cival had devoured rudy peaches and pur-
mia ha ha
! swift native currents that very morning
crisp little curls of bacon, mullins that were
mere fiecks of golden foam, honey with the
| sweetness of a thousand fragrant blossoms
| and coffee that was oily with richness. Fol-
time he had seemed to make no headway
against his hill-born appetite. The lawyer
| who had broken his fast with a strip of dry
| toast and cup of weak tea, had watched
him with unfeigned and reminiscent inter
est Grant, who stood watchful to replenisf
his plate, and whose pleasure it was to SET
him eat regarded him with eyes fairly
dewy from sympathy. To A. L. Jackson
the cook, on trip for hot mullins, he OBJ
served, HE eats jes' like tn ole man.
suttin'y do love L see that boy behave
when ne got his fresh moral appetite OF
him. He suttin'p do cay hisse'f might!
handsome.
With Coplen's final recommendation t.
settle Percival concluded his meal, anS
after surveying with fondly pleasant regre
back in his chair and lighted a cigar. HI
was no longer in a mood to counsel fight
even though he disliked to submit.
| 'You know, he reminded Uncle Peter
| what that editorial in the Rock Rip Cham
pion said about me when we were owe
there: We opne that the Junior Bines will
become a warm piece Of human force If h.
isn't ground-sluiced too early in the game.
Well-and here I'm ground-sluiced the frs
| rattle out of the box"
| But the lawyer went over the case again
| point by point, and Percival finally au
fhorized him to make the best settlemen
possible. He cared as little for the none!
as Uncle Peter did. large sum though /
was. And then his mother and sister Woul,
! be spared a great humiliation, and his owl
standing where most he priced it would no
be jeopardized.
| Settle the best you cam" was his fina
direction to Coplen. The lawyer left them a
the next station to wait for train bacl
| to Butte.
| ITO be Continued Tomorrow